Why having personality in business is just as important as doing the work

Those of you keeping up to date with us might already know about Keele’s recent increased focus on personality in business.(If you click here, you’ll go through to our specially created micro-site, where you can meet some of our very own members of staff).

Following on from all this, we thought we’d provide a bit more context and background this month as to why providing a strong personal approach in business is now so crucial.

Changing Business Parameters: ‘Design Thinking’

Once upon a time, it could have been enough to have a really good business concept and to work really hard to make something of it. No one’s saying these things aren’t important now, but increased communication and heightened competition via the internet have raised the importance of being able to stand out massively.

In order for companies to achieve this, emphasis is moving towards ‘design thinking’, or, the capacity to innovate and create fresh ways of doing things.

For any one product or service offered today, there are countless others also available to consumers within a few clicks of a mouse. A company today needs an online presence, and they need to show why and how they’re different from others.

So...do you know what makes your business different from your competitors?

Can You Connect?

The one thing competitors can’t steal is personality and personal brand, which is in essence, an extension of the personalities comprising it.

After all, products, prices and sites can all be stolen and skills can be learnt. But no-one can take personality, and if they try - it’s going to be second rate to the original.

Personality also wins customers and partners over, because these days, no one wants to do business with a boring, stagnant and distant enterprise, they want to be interacting with other people.

Can You Collaborate?

A massive part of the trend towards ‘design thinking’ is that it thrives on synthesis-fuelled and collaborative processes. This also relies on the capacity of those involved to get creative, to push the boat out and think of new and individual ways of doing things.

Collaboration: This is another key reason why personality is vital for businesses today.

It’s not enough to have a team of analytical geniuses if no one knows the art of presentation, how to engage others or to affect memorable interactions, no matter how good or strong the business idea is.

Dexterity, creativity and communication now represent fundamental qualities that all companies will, or should, be looking for.

Moreover, ‘personality’ is one of the best weapons a company has available for carving out its own individual space in the business world and for staying remembered.