Being a ’silver surfer’, Chairman, CEO, NED, etc., gives me a privileged position of ‘outside-in’ insight into this industry which is still highly embryonic and quite naive in some ways; occasionally exhibiting the inconsistency of an early stage teenager! I am also ‘contemporary’ (some might say contentious) in my views on business management. I firmly believe that business sustainability is only enabled by developing real underlying value in the enterprise. Value that is founded upon market positioning, brand, image and stakeholder value with financial gain being the OUTCOME of leading, aligning and managing these essentially non-financial assets.

I am therefore always mystified by individuals and enterprises seeking short term gain by seemingly ‘following the money’. For example I recently read of an exclusively SEO ’start up’ seeking to invest big sums to ‘grab’ market share … WHY? Is it because they saw it as a quick turn investment? In my humble and biased(?) opinion, to REALLY make a success of SEO you need to know and have major influence on how websites work and vice-versa. Furthermore, social media is rapidly growing in terms of its influence on SEO/WEBSITE effectiveness. To  enter an already fairly mature yet dynamic and aggressive market in such an exposed manner seems at best, high risk.

DIGITAL now encompasses an ever expanding domain. With such rapidly growing technologies and techniques, the power of the collective (enterprise brand/image/credibility/etc.) needs to be harnessed TOGETHER with enabling the individual to express their flair and develop their own brand/image/credibility. Enterprise is then enhanced by the individual and the individual enhanced by the enterprise whereby such pro-active engagement enables each partners aspiration to be mutually enabled ….. engaging warp-drive if you will.

This takes enlightened leadership and staff engagement and is what true HOLISTIC benefit means.

2 + 2 = 6

Such an approach is also where stakeholder (enterprise, staff, client, partner) engagement is truly empowered. The focus for both enterprise and individual is therefore on mutually inclusive contribution and value add as opposed to I/me/my financial gain; albeit when WE get it right, mutually sustainable financial gain is a natural outcome.