How I learned to tie my shoes
One of the most crippling things for any brand or organization to say is, “We’ve always done it this way.”
Also known as a closed mindset, “We’ve-Always-Done-It-This-Way” limits a brand’s growth, kills creativity, and creates a blind spot for opportunities.
This came into focus for me recently when I learned how to tie my shoes. Or more accurately, I re-learned how to tie my shoes.
From Bunny Ears to Berluti
I learned how tie my shoes at four years old using the “Bunny Ears” knot and have been using that method for five decades. Why change now?
Then I came across a YouTube video demonstrating how to tie a Berluti knot. This double-loop knot, popularized by a French luxury shoemaker, is famous for never coming loose. The video caught my attention because the laces on my favorite pair of shoes were constantly loosening and coming undone (this is the magical intersection of customer pain point meets marketing pitch). So I decided to learn the Berluti knot.
I felt like an idiot the first 50 times I tried it because my brain kept yelling at me, “Why are we wasting time on this? We already know how to tie our shoes!” But I persisted because I refused to give into WADITW thinking and believed this new method was a good solution for consistently loose laces. I eventually learned the Berluti knot and now use it all the time. At first, my family thought I’d had a stroke because they noticed it was taking me an unusually long time to tie my shoes until explained I was trying a new lacing method.
Why is my story important to your brand?
You might be struggling with change in your business, hesitant to try a new process or a new direction for your brand. You might be stuck in the WADITW mindset.
Is it difficult to change? Yes. But, over time, the consequences of not changing may be more painful than making the change.
Is it difficult to see things in a new way? Yes. This is why someone outside of your organization can help by providing a new perspective and new ideas.
As we head into a new year, I encourage you to take a bold step towards making the change you’ve been avoiding. Break out of WADITW thinking and expose yourself to new ideas and new way of doing things.
Learn how to tie your shoes.
I can help
By the way, if you’ve already decided to make a change to your brand but need some help gaining clarity, confidence, and crafting a specific to-do list, I can help. I offer focused, 90-minute consultations for business owners and entrepreneurs who need a brand review, a website review, or advice on their marketing design.
