So what?
Grappling with some of the big questions leads me to write about them. Writing helps me formulate my thoughts, take the time to think deeply, and consider the possible.
Here’s what I’ve been thinking about the world, whether through my own writing on Medium, articles written for publications or interviews in the media.
The great public sector challenge
Achieving impact at pace within the context of change surrounding the system of government is the role and task of good governing. And good governing must be driven by government, and bolstered by focused and effective, targeted and connected, external experts that are geared to catalyse the ability to achieve this, rather than replicate capacity and redistribute budgets to offshore shareholders.
It STILL takes a village to beat COVID-19
As appeared in TheMandarin.com.au
While the term “unprecedented times” became all the more memefied for its overuse and buzz-wordiness through 2020 and 2021, these were, wholly unprecedented times. We certainly have a stronger understanding pandemics, virology, and communications.
While these elements were not new, never have we had a viral pandemic in the midst of an infodemic of misinformation, mistrust, and division in a globally interconnected, and interdependent world.
There is a range of things to focus on when it comes to shifting behaviours or priming community cultures in times of crisis; but there are three key elements that are part of the fundamentals of trust-building, engagement, and connection.
Why brand awareness is actually bullshit!
As featured in B&T Magazine
Society is too bright, the world too fast, information too available, and messaging too crowded to rely on the old tropes of pure brand awareness.
To truly be effective in creating something meaningful, useful, and ultimately commercially tactical, you need to attack the consumer journey every time, in different ways and at different velocities.
It takes a village to beat COVID-19
As featured in TheMandarin.com.au
This pandemic taught us all how to cope with true uncertainty. In our well ordered and largely predictable lives it is usually only personal misfortune that brings chaos to that structure. Today, globally, nationally, and personally the structured patterns of all our lives were shattered.
In the context of COVID-19, we were looking to make profound and rapid changes to community behaviour. This meant we will needed to work with fabric of community attitudes, norms and behaviours that were already in place. These moments are not a time for approaches that tinker at the margins of behavioural change
You want to change my behaviour? Get the message right
As featured in TheMandarin.com.au
In crisis, it is often the case that in designing and delivering strategy we rarely consider the need to change behaviour. We tend to lead with ‘facts’, instructions, and direction. This is necessary but alone it is not enough. Facts alone are not convincing and rarely have been.
COVID-19 was a major disruption to all our lives. New patterns of behaviour are required to contain the virus, and there is little doubt the greater portions of our daily lives will continue to be affected for some time to come. However, if we want behaviour to change, then we need to work at it in structured and persistent way