Excellence in Canada
I’m really pleased that our new Leadership Development Programme has landed in Canada. Posted last Monday, it took 7 days to clear customs and arrive safely with our customer.
First impressions count.
“Excited to have received my Twelve Scholars box of goodies. You model ‘Excellent’ in everything you do. Well done. John.”
Looking forward to helping more leaders grow.
Inspire, be inspired!
Tuesday Tutorial
What’s the most important tool in your leadership toolkit?
Our latest Tuesday Tutorial discusses one of the most important tools available to you. We call it the Thick Red Line. Rather than focusing on Excellent and Good instead we focus on Satisfactory and Poor.
A tooth beyond repair
After an emergency trip to the dentist last weekend, my suspicions were confirmed. The decay was too great. The tooth had already cracked. The condition was poor. Root canal treatment was offered—but with no guarantee of success. Instead, I chose extraction. For this would be satisfactory—good enough to move on.
Dental Decay
In this week’s The Sunday Scholar we establish the root cause of dental decay—for you, your team and your organisation. We discuss why an apple a day is never enough, and what you can do to avoid dental decay in the workplace.
First class delivery
It was a first class delivery—with a second class stamp. A short story in exceeding expectations.
Second class mail aims to reach its destination by the third working day. This is what we expect—and considered good.
When it arrives the following day, you’re obviously delighted. It exceeds our expectation—and considered excellent.
When it arrives the following week, it’d be considered satisfactory.
And if it didn’t arrive at all. Well, that would be unacceptable—and considered poor.
Together—Excellent, Good, Satisfactory and Poor can be used in all sorts of situations.
At Twelve Scholars, we call it the EGSP Framework®
Life as a postage stamp
“Imagine yourself as a postage stamp.”
That’s the advice I was given 25 years ago when working on a project. A simple and yet effective form of value stream mapping.
I’ve used this technique many times since. It’s all about following the process and looking out for opportunities.
And I’m using it today—to improve our scholar experience. Mapping the customer journey and identifying “moments of truth”.
Always learning. Always striving for Excellence.
Track and trace update II
Good news! Our parcel of leadership material has cleared US Import Customs. It’s arrived in Louisville, Kentucky. And now heading north to Canada.
First class experience
When was the last time you sat down wrote a letter?
I don’t know about you, but there’s always something special that goes on. It’s that personal touch. When writing a letter. And when receiving a letter.
And although I tend to use second class stamps (£1.15 for a large letter). It’s never a second class experience.
Track and trace update
Hooray! Our parcel to Canada has arrived at Castle Donington (UK) and cleared customs. Estimated delivery is Tuesday, 20 June.
Oh, Canada
Unbelievable. We received an order today—from Canada!
It was for our Essential Scholar leadership development programme. And two copies of our beautifully bound printed journal!
A case of Twelve Scholars leadership material is now being track and traced 3,300 miles via UPS.
A big thanks to John and his team for placing his trust in Twelve Scholars.
Inspire, be inspired!
X-Wing Version 2
What a difference 4 weeks can make.
It doesn’t seem that long since we posted our wooden blocks in Jiffy bags. It served a purpose, but was never ‘on brand’.
We wanted a bespoke packaging solution. One that would elevate the leadership compass and make the unboxing a special event.
And we think we’ve cracked it. Introducing the ‘X-Wing’ custom packaging insert.
Appalling atrocity in Annecy
Such appalling news from the French Alps today.
Annecy is a small alpine town. And it has a special place in my heart. I first visited 30 years ago when at high school, and have returned many times since.
Annecy was there at the start of Twelve Scholars. It's where I spent my 40th birthday—plotting and planning to create a new business for personal development.
It’s one of the most inspiring places. A stunning backdrop of of mountains, water and medieval centre.
I drew this sketch last time I visited. It’s taken from the park where today’s attack took place.
My thoughts to families and friends caught in Annecy. xx
Anything & Everything
I reread three books at the weekend. Million Dollar Habits (Brian Tracy), Discipline is Destiny (Ryan Holliday) and Hell Yeah or No (Derek Sivers). The key takeaway?
“How you do anything, is how you do everything.”
It’s how you gain credibility and establish a reputation. Or not.
It’s how you approach life with rigour and verve. Or not.
It’s how you want to be remembered. Or not.
Always wanting to improve and strive for perfection, I also realise that you can do anything, but you can’t do everything. Some things have to give. (I keep reminding myself of this!)
If you want to grow as a leader, you need to decide what to focus on, and also what do ignore.
Onwards.
Custom packaging ordered
What a difference 2mm can do!
We’ve just placed an order for our ‘Leadership Compass’ packaging. Working with Belmont Packaging, it started off as a simple idea based on a ‘Toblerone’.
We’ve gone through several iterations since then. We’ve made the insert rectangular, enhanced the design of the die cut Scholar Bee, and made a few minor modifications to the dimensions.
Known as the ‘X-Wing Version 2.0’, the special insert will pop neatly inside an A3 poster tube. And it’s amazing what a difference 2mm in length can do. No more rattle.
The board gets die cut next week. Exciting times ahead!
Picture frame perfection
I visited an old friend today—with our latest A3 posters.
Chris Orme is an expert in his field. He’s been in framing pictures for 26 years. And I’m proud to call him a friend.
Chris started life as a screen printer, before setting up his own business—specialising in picture framing. 26 years later, Orme Gallery is one of the largest picture framing specialists in the UK. Chris also has an eye for detail. Let’s call it perfectionism—and his super power.
We discussed several options for the three prints (codename: black/grey/red). The aim was to create a set of three prints that can be used when filming future videos and tutorials. We eventually chose an arctic white mount with a matt black inset, set within a 40mm black wooden frame. We also chose a glass with very low reflection rating.
Can’t wait. These posters will look amazing once professionally framed!
A digital product brochure
No turning back—our new product brochure went to press this week.
We’ve called it our ‘Modern Leadership Development Programme 2023/24’.
Please drop us a line if you’d like a physical brochure posting out. If you prefer a pdf version, you can get a instant access by hitting ‘download’.
It’s funny, no matter how many times you proof read, proof images and proof the design—there’s always something that can be improved. (Let’s call it the inner perfectionist!)
Please let me know if you spot any mistakes or design improvements. We can update the digital version immediately—although the hard copy will have to wait until a reprint!
Dusting down the book shelf
How often do you dust down your book shelf? I’m talking figuratively here, not literally. (Although you can if you like).
Yesterday, I pulled out a few books on customer service and sales. Yes, it’s time to start selling. Although the first page I opened talked about “Goods aren’t sold. Products and services are bought.” Hmmm. Interesting.
Half a dozen books—mostly American. A real blend of Socratic Selling, Self Help and Successful Habits. But there was one book that jumped out… Raving Fans! by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles.
First published in 1993, I’ve had Raving Fans! on my bookshelf for 15 years! And although familiar with its content, ashamedly, I’ve never read a single page—until yesterday.
Now I’m a Raving Fan about Raving Fans!
The synopsis is simple. Just having satisfied customers isn’t good enough anymore. To compete in today’s business environment, you have to create Raving Fans.
The content may have been written 30 years ago. But the principles are as relevant today (if not more so), than they were back in the 1990s.
So what books are hiding on your bookshelf?
Perhaps you should dust down your bookshelf this weekend. Enjoy!
Print proofing Product brochure
Can’t wait to see the final product.
What you see here is our new product brochure—or more specifically, the printing proof used before we go to press.
It’s been 4 weeks (and the rest!) in the making.
The cover design uses a square image of the Leadership Compass wrapped around the spine.
We’ve also matched the image to the Leadership Playbook (check out the grain pattern).
Product dimensions: 170mm x 240mm.
Print proofing posters
I visited our printers today. An opportunity to proof a few posters—and a new product brochure.
This photo shows an ‘Epson proof’ of our A3 posters. (Very excited about this one).
You can see the CMYK colour charts running vertically, together with full colour palette on right hand side. This detailed information will help the printers when it goes to press next week!
You can also spot two other posters in the background. A perfectionist pink poster with a Thick Red Line. And a dove grey 'Excellence In Progress' poster in the top right corner.
All posters will be 4-colour lithographic printed on 250gsm silk paper.
Perfect to brighten up your office walls.
Racing Pigeons
What can pigeon racing can teach us about leadership? In this week’s The Sunday Scholar, we ask the important questions that could help you, your team and your organisation.
Available as an email newsletter, The Sunday Scholar is also a podcast to download.
Listen up, and enjoy the read.