Brand + Business x Christine Moody*

Co-work spaces are a new trend emerging both in Australia and overseas.

I have been following this trend for a few years and subscribing to a few sites, but there is nothing like going to experience these co-work spaces. So last year, I spent more than a month running my business from a co-work space in New York.

It was fantastic to experience this new phenomenon first-hand. My verdict: co-work spaces give you a lot more than your standard office space.

…co-work spaces give you a lot more than your standard office space.

Before leaving for New York, I did the rounds of what was on offer in Brisbane. However, I wasn’t inspired. As a Designer, I am used to working in open plan, created spaces. Moving to another creative, open plan space didn’t offer me anything new. They all felt either too creative and not professional enough, or too professional and not creative enough. None of them had the energy or vibrancy I was hoping to find.

However, my New York experience sold co-work space to me completely.

Co-work spaces are meant to be bout working with a diverse group of people. They are also about getting to see how / why other people work. They create an environment where you can have discussions with people outside of your circle of colleagues: an unscheduled discussion or corridor meeting that can spark a new idea or add to an existing project. These unplanned discussions can even help establish collaboration on a future project.

Co-work spaces are about building a community and fostering a feeling of being part of something exciting. And most of all it is about being away from your ‘normal life’.

Co-work spaces are about building a community and fostering a feeling of being part of something exciting.

I tried to put my finger on why New York co-work spaces are so different. It is an exciting city (of course!). The co-work spaces had the energy and vibrancy of a creative community. The founders worked hard to create a space that inspired creativity and ensured that they get the right people on board.

The design of physical environment of a co-work space is so important. As I’ve already said, it needs to have the right balance between creative and professional. However, it also needs to be flexible enough to work for social events as well.

Here are four things my New York co-work trial revealed:

1. It’s not about selling ‘desk space’ or a place to go everyday. It is about building a community.
2. It’s crucial to have a mix of spaces on offer from noisy (where you can be on the phone anytime) spaces to private office space to take / make important phone calls and have meetings.
3. After-hours socials in the space build community and are even better when there are speakers. I went to as many of these as I could and learnt so much from a range of start-ups and VCs.
4. Getting the right space and the right building in the right suburb is crucial as the journey to your desk is just as important. That is, it has to be in a location that is surrounded by inspiring cafes, shops, and galleries—easy in New York!

While it might look like a room full of people seated at desks, the co-work space is a community and it is the feeling of being part of this community that makes it work. And it is this community that makes all the difference.

*Christine Moody is one of Australia’s leading brand strategists and the founder brand management consultancy, Brand Audits. With more than 30 years’ professional experience, Christine has helped a diverse client base of local and international brands, including Gold Coast City Council, Hilton Hotels, and Wrigleys USA, to develop, protect and achieve brand differentiation. Her particular interest is personal brand audits to assist executives realise their full potential.

For more information: chris.moody@brandaudits.com.au or +61 419 888 468.

Brand + Business x Christine Moody*

After more than 35 years in business, I understand the value of building brand trust. Trust builds strong brands and makes strong brands even stronger.

Building brand trust takes time and effort. It also means you need to understand your brand promise and consistently deliver on that promise.

The secret to building brand trust beyond social media hype

In today’s market, it’s very easy to create hype around your brand with the increase in ‘likes’ that social media can produce. However, trust takes a lot more (and longer) to establish than hype.

In a Harvard Business Review article, ‘The one thing you must get right when building a brand’, the author talks about the rise of ‘hype’ due to social media and they point out that: “Social media makes it more urgent than ever that companies get the basics right, developing and reliably delivering on a compelling brand promise.”

Social media makes it more urgent than ever that companies get the basics right…

The article continues to outline the analysis of the strategies and performance of a diverse range of companies suggests that great brands share four fundamental qualities:

• They offer and communicate a clear, relevant customer promise.
• They build trust by delivering on that promise.
• They drive the market by continually improvingthe promise.
• They seek further advantage by innovating beyond the familiar.

These qualities reflect a company that knows and understands its brand fundamentals.

Build trust through your brand fundamentals

Your business may be an instant success on social media, have rolled out the red carpet and operate from an architecturally designed office space, but this won’t build client trust. Instead, you need to go back to basics and get your brand fundamentals right:

1. Understand the history of the brand and the values that lie behind the brand.

2. Understand the purpose of the brand and make sure that everyone in the organisation also understands the purpose.

3. Develop your brand promise—this what you are going to deliver on and the basis for building your brand trust.

4. Ensure every customer touch-point reflects and reinforces your brand as well as provides an experience that builds trust. That is, from the way a visitor is greeted to how easy the website is to navigate.

Two lessons I’ve learnt

Building trust takes time and once won, you need to work on maintaining trust. Every day, I still work on building trust with my clients as well as my family and friends.

The second important thing I have learnt about building trust is that: it isn’t what I know, but what I say and do. That is, trust is doing what you say you are going to do: always deliver on your brand promise.

How does your brand build trust with your customers?

*Christine Moody is one of Australia’s leading brand strategists and the founder brand management consultancy, Brand Audits. With more than 30 years’ professional experience, Christine has helped a diverse client base of local and international brands, including Gold Coast City Council, Hilton Hotels, and Wrigleys USA, to develop, protect and achieve brand differentiation. Her particular interest is personal brand audits to assist executives realise their full potential.

For more information: chris.moody@brandaudits.com.au or +61 419 888 468.

Brand + Business x Christine Moody*

Watching the Netflix produced Chef’s Table, I’m impressed by the lessons this show has for leaders and for their brands.

Chef’s Table is an acclaimed documentary series, which is in its second season. Both Season 1 and Season 2 feature some of the world’s most renowned chefs, with each episode focusing on a single chef who has created a piece of culinary heaven—often in an out-of-the-way and unexpected, but very beautiful place.

In this original docu-series, find out what’s inside the kitchens and minds of the international culinary stars who are redefining gourmet food.

The show takes us inside the kitchens and the minds of these culinary stars who are redefining gourmet food. We learn their unique personality traits, talents, and passions and are also given a glimpse into their personal lives.

Chefs featured include, Australia’s Ben Shewry (Attica Restaurant in Melbourne) and Masterchef Australia‘s Matt Preston, Magnus Nilsson (Fäviken, Järpen Sweden), Francis Mallmann (El Restaurante, Patagonia Sur, Buenos Aires, Argentina), Niki Nakayama (N/Naka Restaurant, Los Angeles, California, USA), Dan Barber (Blue Hill Restaurant, Stone Barns and New York City, USA) and Massimo Bottura (Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy).

As well as being beautifully shot—with great music and of course mouthwatering food—the series creates drama by detailing the behind-the-scenes struggles of each hero chef. In doing so, the show reveals the chef’s distinctive leadership story.

Each and every one of the chefs featured in Chef’s Table was creating amazing food when they decided to open a restaurant. They all thought they would be successful from day one—or at least have a few customers. However, they all struggled and came close to throwing in the tea towel and closing the restaurant door.

Inspiringly, despite their restaurant ventures floundering, not one of the chefs gives up or looses faith in their food or themselves. Instead, they go back to their culinary roots for inspiration to pivot their offerings. They talk to regional farmers and suppliers, get out into the streets and taste the local cuisine and learn from local cooks as well as chefs in top restaurants. In the process, they find their own voice in the culinary world.

They refuse to compromise on their values or their food beliefs, but they make it out the other end. Through persistence and resilience, they all find success eventually.

It’s not just about the food, it’s not just about the restaurant, it’s about something more…

Chef’s Table isn’t just about the food, it’s not just about the restaurant, it’s about something more…this series has it all. For me, the best part of this show is the lessons that can translate into leadership lessons:

1. Believe in yourself and do not compromise on quality
2. Keep going and pivoting to bring great products to market
3. It takes only one happy customer to make it
4. The struggle is part of the journey—enjoy the process
5. Keep making great stuff
6. Innovation is the key motivator
7. Get out and see what is happening in your community
8. Stand out for all the right reasons!

Watch the series and let me know what other leadership lessons you can identify with.

*Christine Moody is one of Australia’s leading brand strategists and the founder brand management consultancy, Brand Audits. With more than 30 years’ professional experience, Christine has helped a diverse client base of local and international brands, including Gold Coast City Council, Hilton Hotels, and Wrigleys USA, to develop, protect and achieve brand differentiation. Her particular interest is personal brand audits to assist executives realise their full potential.