In this episode of The Remarkable Project Jay speaks with People of Influence’s Shaun Kenny, an expert in leadership and team development, about why power differentials impact customer dynamics so strongly, how to identify when leadership needs work, and the value of maintaining the simple things when it comes to how teams interact Shaun Kenny is the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of People of Influence, a leadership and team development company based in Sydney that helps the world’s leading brands get the best out of people. As an individual, Shaun is one of Asia Pacific’s most in-demand speakers and educators, having delivered over 1,000 sessions to over 150,000 people for over a decade with companies like Microsoft, Uber, Pepsi and American Express. In his role as mentor and advisor, Shaun has an up close and personal perspective of the challenges executives and leaders are grappling with in this rapidly changing world of work.An economist by training, Shaun translates the latest insights of behavioural economics and neuro-economics into practical tools that professionals can use for immediate impact. In our conversation, Shaun and I also go through what it takes to become a leader that people are compelled to follow. We look at how these traits connect to not only building a high performing team but also building a culture of teamwork that can translate through to your product and customer. Remarkable TakeawaysWhy understanding the influence of power differentials can fundamentally change how you show up in conversations with customers.How to effectively identify symptoms within teams that point to leadership which needs work.The value of creating an environment rich in simple courtesies and conversational equality, and why losing these can signify a team in decay.Connect with ShaunFind him on LinkedinLearn more about the work People of Influence do via their websiteWatch the entertaining and educational videos from the People of Influence team via their YouTube channel.  

In this episode of The Remarkable Project Jay speaks with Florencia Aimo, a Senior Director of Marketing & Communications for the world’s biggest hotel chain, Marriott International, about why owned ecosystems are the future of fully-integrated customer service, how character can define a brand from its closest competitors, and the value of mixing in-person perspective with data when it comes to better understanding customers.Over the past 18 years Florencia Aimo has built a successful career taking on numerous marketing roles on and above property with different hotel brands. Globally-minded and passionate about travel and hospitality, her journey has steered her to work in multiple cities including Buenos Aires, Miami, Cancun, Orlando and Sydney.Florencia joined Marriott International in 2015 as the Director of Digital Marketing for Marriott Australia, where she led the execution of digital strategies for the business’ hotel brand portfolio. With the acquisition of Starwood Hotels, she became part of the company’s inaugural Area Team in the region, implementing brand, digital and communication programs across a portfolio of 40 hotels and 14 brands.Today she’s responsible for leading marketing strategies and brand localisation, raising brand awareness and driving hotel performance. As well as securing significant global and local market partnerships including the Australia Grand Prix, Mardi Gras, and the Australian Open, Florencia has also driven change and innovation across hotel marketing over the past decade. This includes restructuring the organisation and developing Marriott’s local paid placement advertising and digital marketing programs.She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a Marketing Major from Florida International University, USA, and currently resides in Sydney’s Northern Beaches with her partner.Remarkable TakeawaysWhy creating your own ecosystem can have such a positive impact on growing both lifetime value and long-lasting customer love.How to separate brands or offerings by defining their true character, even if they were purposely built to compete with each other.The value of bringing together first-hand observation and deep listening with data, to ensure you know your customers intimately, today and tomorrow.Connect with FlorenciaFind her on LinkedinLearn more about the Marriott Bonvoy program here

In this episode of The Remarkable Project Jay speaks with psychology scholar, identity expert and esteemed author, Jay Van Bavel, about why great businesses don’t need to micromanage their people, how our need to belong and to be distinct can co-exist within groups, and the power of identity symbols in aligning people with your brand. Jay Van Bavel is an Associate Professor of Psychology & Neural Science at New York University, an affiliate at the Stern School of Business in Management and Organizations, Director of the Social Identity & Morality Lab, and co-author of ‘The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation, and Promote Social Harmony’. Prior to joining NYU, Jay completed his PhD at the University of Toronto and a Postdoctoral Fellowship at The Ohio State University.  From neurons to social networks, Jay’s award-winning research examines how collective concerns – group identities, moral values, and political beliefs – shape the mind, brain, and behaviour. His work addresses issues of group identity, social motivation, cooperation, implicit bias, moral judgment, decision-making, and social media. He studies these issues using neuroimaging, lesion patients, social cognitive tasks, economic tasks, cross-cultural surveys, and computational social science.  Jay has published over 100 academic publications and co-authors a mentoring column, called Letters to Young Scientists, for Science Magazine. He has written about his research for the New York Times, BBC, Scientific American, Wall Street Journal, LA Times, and the Washington Post, and his work has appeared in academic papers as well as in the US Supreme Court and Senate. His research was also featured in TEDx and TED-Ed videos and he has consulted with the White House, United Nations, European Union, and World Health Organization on issues related to his research.  Jay has given talks at dozens of the Psychology Departments and Business Schools, as well as academic conferences, professional events, and non-academic organisations (including the World Science Festival, TEDx, New York Times).Remarkable TakeawaysWhy creating a virtuous cycle, driven by evangelists, means great businesses don’t need to micromanage or spy on their people. How groups not only scratch the human itch to belong, but can also serve our desire to differentiate when they’re optimally distinct.The power of identity symbols in aligning people with your brand.Connect with Jay Learn more about his book ‘The Power of Us’ hereFind him on Linkedin

This episode of The Remarkable Project is a bit different.  We’re taking a look back over the last month of the Podcast and using some of the key insights from those episodes as the jump off point for a series of actionable tips you can employ in your business today to help grow impact and profit.We’ll also touch on whether our most recent run of conversations have got us any closer to answering the question of “how do you build a business that people feel compelled to talk about?”We look at the following episodes and discuss three main insights that were very evident in these four businesses that have a strong track record in sustainable organic growth. AARON TREVISFounder and CEO of wave riding innovators Surf LakesTED MOLTERSeasoned marketing and PR pro formerly CMO of San Diego Zoo Wildlife AllianceMATT BARNETTFounder, CEO and self-styled ‘Papa Bear’ of customer relationship video platform, BonjoroDAVID WACHSSelf-confessed digital entrepreneur and Handwrytten founderKey Takeaways:1. How to surround yourself with people that will help you deliver on the impact you promise for your customers. 2. A strong model for creating remarkable moments for your customers that contribute to a strong overall lifetime value. 3. Why identifying your business intent can be the main pillar to your future growth. Got Questions?https://www.remarkably.com.auReferenced episodes: Aaron Trevis: https://www.remarkably.com.au/the_remarkable_project/aaron_trevis/Ted Molter: https://www.remarkably.com.au/the_remarkable_project/ted_molter/Matt Barnett: https://www.remarkably.com.au/the_remarkable_project/matt_barnett/David Wachs: https://www.remarkably.com.au/the_remarkable_project/david_wachs/

In this episode of The Remarkable Project Jay speaks with self-confessed entrepreneur and Handwrytten founder David Wachs, about why a communication that people keep and display remains special, how a ‘full stop thank you’ works, and the value of shining a light on ‘time spent’.A serial entrepreneur, David Wachs’ latest venture, Handwrytten, is bringing back the lost art of letter writing through scalable, robot-based solutions that write notes in pen to help brands and people connect. Developed as a platform and used by major meal boxes, eCommerce giants, non-profits and professionals, Handwrytten lets customers send notes from CRM systems such as Salesforce, websites, apps, or through custom integration.Prior to his current initiatives, David founded Cellit, a mobile marketing platform and mobile agency. Under his leadership, the business became a leading player in the mobile marketing space and invented the concept of mobile customer relationship management (Mobile CRM). Before being sold in 2012, Cellit developed one of the most robust and widely used mobile marketing platforms in the world, delivering millions of SMS and MMS messages to consumers daily.David is also a frequent speaker on marketing technology and has presented for the Direct Marketing Association, South By Southwest, Advertising Research Foundation, and the National Restaurant Association. He’s been interviewed by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, Variety, Washington Post and many more.Both Handwrytten and Cellit were on Inc. Magazine’s Inc 500 list of fastest growing companies, and David now writes for Inc. Magazine with his column “Stepping Away from the Day to Day”.Three Remarkable QuotesWhether you’re sitting in front of a video camera sending a video message or writing out a card, it’s that replication of ‘time spent’ that makes it so unique.That’s the nature of the ‘full stop thank you’, of just thanking you for your purchase and understanding that in today’s day and age, there’s always an alternative for where people go to buy something.If you want to get out to the most consumers, with the lowest risk of being considered annoying, while being highly personal and highly surprising, handwritten notes are the best option.Connect with DavidLearn more about Handwrytten via their websiteCheck out the latest news and content from the platform on their Twitter, Facebook and YouTube pagesFind David on Linkedin

In this episode of The Remarkable Project Jay meets Matt Barnett, founder, CEO and self-styled ‘Papa Bear’ of customer relationship video platform, Bonjoro, to discuss the concept of ‘dogfooding’, how video `1Matt Barnett is the brains behind Bonjoro, a business which helps its clients show their customers they care, via personalised but automated videos delivered direct to their email inbox as soon as they sign up, subscribe, or make a purchase.A British designer by trade, Bonjoro is Matt’s second company. What started as a sales hack for an agency he was running in Sydney, Australia, the concept went from hack to side hustle to global business in the space of 18 months. It now has a team spanning five continents.Matt’s love of building great products is only surpassed by that of building great culture, and he’s open about his goal for Bonjoro to become the next Zappos – one of the most loved brands in the world.When not heads down in product, Matt spends his time rescuing wildlife, teaching his daughter about beekeeping and running one of Sydney’s largest tech founder networks.Remarkable QuotesThe customer is the authority, and you’re there to help. You want to dress like the customer but one level down.We think that loyalty is points, referrals, and discounts. That’s not loyalty. That’s called buying customers.Loyalty is a customer’s propensity to do two things: stay with you for a longer term and become your best channel for new leads.Connect with MattFind him on LinkedinFollow Bonjoro on TwitterLearn more about the business and products via their website

In this episode of The Remarkable Project Jay speaks with Ted Molter, a seasoned marketing and PR pro formerly CMO of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, about why taking a strategic approach to authenticity is something more businesses should consider, how online experience can help contend with changes in offline behaviour, and the positive worth-of-mouth effects of intentional complaint handling. Ted Molter has been deploying marketing and PR skills in the attractions industry to advance the mission of zoos, aquariums, and family-oriented experiences for over 30 years. With a deep love for animals, Ted has enjoyed a long career that included key leadership roles at SeaWorld Ohio and the CMO position for San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, where he led a rebranding program that drove revenues, donations and awareness.Now, as a marketing consultant and collaborator, he advocates the practical skills of using and understanding data, media training to communicate key messages, and effective marketing strategy to engage audiences in mission and brand devotion. Ted describes himself as a “return on mission” specialist, and considers it his responsibility to find the intersection of passion and ration, ensuring that revenue growth provides a maximum benefit to mission, people and the organizations he works with and supports.He is an active member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums; past education and marketing committee chair, board member and the founding foundation board chair for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions; past chair of San Diego Tourism Authority; and board member and past chairman of the California Travel Association. With the opportunity to reach families around the world with the mission of conservation, education and family fun, Ted has continued to find ways to combine his passion for animals with an endless desire to share the wonders of nature through innovative marketing and communications programs in Southern California and beyond. Three Remarkable Quotes"Really, what we were trying to capture was hearts and minds, not wallets.""I’m hoping for the collaboration economy quite honestly. If we’re as connected as we all are, imagine how powerful things could be if we were more collaborative with the tools that are there.""Just make people feel valid. If you do that, you get the other things. It’s when you treat them like numbers…they know it, they feel it and it effects their experience with you. Connect with TedFind him on LinkedinLearn more about San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance via their website 

In this episode of The Remarkable Project Jay speaks with Aaron Trevis, Founder and CEO of wave riding innovators Surf Lakes, about why truly big ideas demand equally oversized belief, how to turn roadblocks into speed bumps, and the power of surrounding yourself with the right people.As the Founder and driving force behind the Surf Lakes project, Aaron Trevis has been instrumental in stewarding the journey of this technology concept from ideation to start-up and on to the global entity that is evolving today.Surf Lakes as an idea was born in 2013 from what Aaron would later describe as ‘a ripple’ – he was throwing rocks into water with his kids when it hit him, and a lot of research into how nature makes waves and how one swell interacts with multiple reefs and beaches. As a keen surfer himself, he has a well-stated mission to take waves to the masses so that the thrill of surfing can be shared and enjoyed by anyone regardless of ability or location.Beyond surfing, Aaron boasts a diverse leadership, management and consulting background, covering underground coal mining, executive search and national leadership of a large not-for-profit organisation. He is a qualified Mining Engineer and Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and also an accomplished public speaker.Remarkable QuotesBe courageous enough to step out and say “no, actually we want to build an incredible experience, not just technology, and we want you as the guest to come out of it better than you came in.”I think the reality for me was realising early the need to share. That if you’re going to tackle something that’s going to go beyond yourself then, at some point, you have to let others in. It’s then just choosing who that is.If you’re going to build a business, it’s not a half-hearted thing. To me it has to be something that’s very exciting, that I’m passionate about, that has such a wow factor that I’ll work every Saturday for the rest of my life because I want to.Connect with AaronFind him on LinkedinLearn more about the Surf Lakes project via their website and follow them on Instagram 

In this episode of The Remarkable Project Jay speaks with entrepreneur, community leader, and the acting Mayor of Eurobodalla on the NSW South Coast, Mat Hatcher, about why passion sets business up for success, how to immerse customers in your storytelling, and the power of language when delivering experiences.Mat Hatcher was born in the US state of Alabama, but left when he was 19 and discovered Australia. Today, he definitely qualifies as an honorary Aussie thanks to his status as the youngest ever Mayor of Eurobodalla Shire on the south coast of New South Wales, a region which is home to visitor favourite Batemans Bay.Prior to his appointment at the end of 2021, Mat was well known in and around the area for being an active presence in community affairs and support, jointly receiving Eurobodalla’s 2020 Local Hero Award for his bushfire recovery work.Since 2003 he has been involved in managing bars and restaurants in the UK, USA and down under, racking up travel to over 75 countries in the process.  One of these trips, to East Timor, fuelled the creation of Moruya-based boutique coffee brand Guerrilla Roasters in 2018, with business partner Lewis McKenzie.  A strong ethical focus and hunger to go against the flow has defined the operation to date.Remarkable TakeawaysWhy understanding local culture is vital to competitive advantage in experience-first businesses such as hospitality.How building your business around a passion-point sets up a story that customers and partners can really connect with.The power of creating ambassadors rather than consumers, and the communal outlook you need to unlock it.Remarkable Quotes“If you think about what your customer goes through from the moment they arrive to the moment they pull away. And you really try to tick all those boxes. In the end you no longer have customers, you have family and you have ambassadors.”“Some of our customers want to hear this amazing story about this amazing farm in Columbia. That we do so much with the family. Some people just want a bloody flat white.”“Australians overall don’t like franchises in my opinion. They like that story and they want to connect with the local business, or with any business. They want to know that story and feel like they’re part of it.”Connect with MatFollow him on Instagram, Facebook and TwitterLearn more about his story and skillset via Linkedin

Thomas Kolster has been described as a ‘post-purpose preacher’, thanks to his writing and speaking on the collision of marketing and sustainability, and advisory work for global businesses such as Facebook, Proctor & Gamble and IKEA around the topic. In this episode of The Remarkable Project, Jay speaks with Thomas about the distraction of virtue signalling, the intrinsic link between customer transformation and trust, and how brands and causal investment are converging. Thomas Kolster is a frontrunner and one of the most recognised thinkers globally where marketing, business and sustainability meet. He continuously challenges the status-quo with his vocal, and often provocative, views on values, purpose, and leadership. He proposes that in an over-crowded, do-good market, people don’t buy your values or your “why”, but rather who you can help them become.  Thomas has written two books, ‘Goodvertising’ and ‘The Hero Trap’, delivered keynotes and workshops in over 70 markets for some of the world’s biggest and most influential companies, as well as at conferences such as TEDx and SXSW. He’s judged top-awards such as Jury President at D&AD and Jury at Cannes Lions, and contributed to extended training programs in collaboration with universities and the likes of Cannes Lions and D&AD.Remarkable Quotes“Ask yourself the question: Who can you help people become?”“Really try and live that “backseat” role. Be comfortable with it. Be okay.”“I don’t like companies to talk about “consumers”, because it needs to be paying respect to people’s creativity, to their capabilities, so there’s a fundamental respect part in that.”Relevant References‘Goodvertising: Creative Advertising that Cares’ by Thomas Kolster [2012]‘The Hero Trap: How to Win in a Post-Purpose Market by Putting People in Charge’ by Thomas Kolster [2020] Connect with ThomasLearn more about him and his work at his websiteLearn more about Goodvertising hereFollow him on Twitter