A Big Lesson From Amazon: Don't Miss This If You Ever Want To Build Any Successful Brand

There is a saying in Igbo that, “ụzụ ga-akpụ ogene ya nekene egbe anya n’ọdụ”. This translates literally to this line: “a blacksmith that would make a gong should first look at the tail of a hawk”.

Now, here's a photo of a typical Igbo gong…

Image credit: Research Gate 

And, here's the tail of a hawk…

Image credit: Birda 

Any resemblance? Your guess is as good as anyone’s.

The “saying” therefore actually points out the importance of building on a pre-existing model in any undertaking we want to be really successful at.

A pre-existing model takes away the guesswork and the time it would have wasted. The actual project doesn't have to mimic the model line-hook-and-sinker though. After all, a hawk's tail and an Igbo gong actually form different kinds of triangular shapes in their own rights.

But, triangles they both are. That's how much the project should mirror its model unless creativity is dead.

It's why I like to say that, if you want to build a great brand, first find out how some of the great brands were built. Not exactly to copy or mimic, but to emulate them.

Under a definite inspiration recently, I wrote a title on “The Coca-Cola Idea”. It cited a marketing strategy I recently developed, known as 'TDAR Marketing Strategy'.

But, do you know what? I soon had to undertake a revamp of both the LinkedIn post, the link, and the target article on Medium. See why: I got a brand new strategy around the time whose light was almost blinding me from the former.

These changes, the insistence of their urgency, and their utter irresistibility, made me wonder if I wasn't downright unstable, even insane.

Good gracious, just when it seemed I was losing hope in myself, I found this LinkedIn post by Amazon's Senior Vice President of People eXperience Beth Galetti. The post and its target article, made some 2 weeks behind, is about what Beth calls “Amazon Leadership Principles” (or “Amazon LPs” for short) which she defines as “a set of guidelines that sit at the foundation of how we operate (at Amazon, that is)”.

“Whether we’re trying to solve a tough problem for a customer, or making a decision about how to proceed with a major project, we look to the LPs to help steer us in the right direction,” wrote Berth, underscoring the high importance of the LPs to all that Amazon is and ever was.

Then, she wrote the lines that brought my pride back from knows-not-where: “one of my favorite things about being an Amazonian is that I’m forever a student of the LPs - even having been at the company for more than a decade”.

Oh, so someone else - an industry leader at that - agrees that I don't have to be perfect before getting going! Wowwwww!

She was essentially talking about the growth mindset and it's great importance for any human success anywhere. Although I always knew it, it never made so much sense to me until that day. 

Still thinking...

So, after all, I was okay when I suddenly had the urgent need to make those changes based on the rise of new situations and new lights! I should always have room for more growth. And growth is always about changing from one level or one form to another.

Failure to grasp this point at heart, held me back for years. That's until this eureka of sorts I got in recent years which Beth Galetti’s post cum article only reaffirmed and confirmed.

Beth’s article - and by implication the Amazon LPs - dwells a lot on this topic of growth mindset. So, I just got super-elite validation that I'm okay when I sometimes need to be other than I ever was rather than “semper idem” (always the same).

Oh! The points of all I'm saying are:

• We should always be open to new lights.

• We should realize that our new lights point to our new heights.

• We shouldn't ever be afraid to follow a new direction dictated by a genuine new light.

• And that's because we're pulsating humans, not rocks of ages.

Therefore, we should never wait for everything to be perfect before we hit the ground running. Instead, it is okay to get going while we update our projects along the way.

Imagine that Microsoft waited for Windows to be perfect before making it public! Or, that Google waited for Android to have it all before launch! Just as every software takes off and updates from time to time along the way, so should every great brand or project or whatever else that is a human venture.

So, what is that 💡 you've got for the world? Don't be afraid to get it together and get it going. You'll be surprised at the extent of light you will enjoy while it happens.

Another day, I will tell the story of how this is also at the foundation of Awake Digest Magazine. It will be shared on my LinkedIn profile.

Kindly comment what you think here or on LinkedIn to help me shape up better. If you found this helpful in any way, kindly share (See link just below 👇). And thank you as you comply. Again, I'm grateful for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Desmond