Sam Visram’s Post

***HOW YOUR EGO CAN STOP YOU CELEBRATING THE SUCCESS OF OTHERS** When you see people on social platforms like LinkedIn doing great things, your ego starts to kick in. Your EGO is the part of your mind that keeps you safe, keeps you in the comfort zone, creates narratives that justify your current situation. In a work context it’s the part of your brain that feeds you narratives like: *Stay in your corporate job. Starting your own business is too risky. *That person has all of these things you want because they had it easier. Etc etc…. The truth is great things only happen when you push through the ego state, and take ownership for your life. In the words of Gordan Ramsey: SUCCESS NEEDS JEOPARDY. I want to thank Danny Buck for posting the below today. It’s a real inspiration to me and what I want to achieve. Congratulations dude! This is what it’s all about. Money is the bi-product, not the goal. * It’s about creating a brand built on connection * It’s about experiences * It’s about being brave and taking risks * It’s about giving your family the best life * It’s about taking enjoyment for the journey What’s your first feeling (honestly) when you see other people you know doing great things? Great to get your comments? #highperformance #creativeconsultancy #cxstory #teamcultures #success

Candy for the eyes…… 👀❤️

AMAR A. This is such a beautiful example of what could be. The story, the colours, the textures, the composition... This is true art.

**Why do we struggle to celebrate our WINS?** After managing creative teams for over 20 years, I’ve noticed how the relentless pace of projects can dull our sense of achievement. Over time, it changes how we interpret success. Here’s my perspective (plus a few personal insights) on celebrating WINS: 1. **We see wins as expected outcomes.**     The standards we set for ourselves can lead us to view success as inevitable, not something to be celebrated. As a result, we often fail to take any joy from the moment—we just move on to the next project. 2. **Focus on the small wins.**     Recognising progress along the way can bring more satisfaction than waiting for the end goal. Often, by the time we reach the finish line, we’re already thinking about the next challenge. 3. **Winning is about optimising flow.**     It’s about creating an environment where you and your team can thrive. While you can’t force success, you can improve the odds by analysing past wins and replicating the conditions that led to them. 4. **Wins are meant to be shared.**     Celebrating victories together fuels motivation. As leaders, our feedback should be heartfelt—people can sense authenticity. And if you’re on the receiving end, take a moment to acknowledge your accomplishments and share them with your team. Great leaders draw energy from seeing their teams succeed. How do you celebrate wins in your team? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

***TRIGGER WORD: FAILURE*** I am massively triggered by the concept of failure. Reasons: - Failure has always been connected with such negative ideas and feelings. - We are afraid of the opinions of others if we fail. The irony is those we think are interested are not. - If we learn more lessons from losing than winning why do we try and create environments where failing is protecting against? - It's only a failure if you fail to course correct. If you let the situation continue to repeat itself, that is the definition of madness. - It's all mindset. Failure is just an opportunity to learn and grow. I made a huge career decision to step away from a successful corporate role to start a new agency (CX Story) from zero. I burned the boats, and put my faith in the universe. I am going to have a lot of setbacks and failures as I grow CX Story. I intend to share these failures and the lessons they come with in the hope that it creates value for others. What are your thoughts on failure? I would love to see your comments? CX Story #Visualmerchandising #Visualexperience #Leadership #Selfdevelopment

WHAT IS THE HOKA SECRET SAUCE? We (CX Story) have been privileged to work with the Global HOKA Retail Team as visual experience brand partners throughout 2024. In just 8 months, we've achieved some truly remarkable milestones together. These experiences along side Vincent Bouillard (A HOKA Employee!!!) winning UTMB this week, has led me to reflect on what makes HOKA truly unique. Here's what I've observed: **THEY PRIORITIZE RECRUITMENT OF GREAT HUMANS:** HOKA takes a holistic approach to recruitment: 1. Technical skills might get your foot in the door. 2. Leadership capabilities and a desire to be part of a team keeps you in the room. 3. Being your authentic self, showing your strengths, vulnerabilities, and what you do to give back, gets you noticed. 4. Having an genuine passion for the HOKA Mission, gets you a seat. I’m sure all of the above list applies to Vincent. **THEY MAKE YOU FEEL PART OF A REAL TEAM:** HOKA's secret sauce: 1. They have loyal, great people in place, creating strong foundations. 2. They ensure team members understand their purpose, goals, and the role they play in the broader company vision. 3. Regardless of your role—vendor, contractor, or consultant—they make you feel like part of the core team. I can testify to this personally, as well as all of my team currently supporting HOKA. **THEY SEE EMPLOYEES AS HUMANS, NOT WORK ENTITIES:** HOKA backs this up with actions, not just words: 1. Leaders like Karin Baust Kurt Lipson and Melissa Gallagher embody this approach, setting the tone for their teams. 2. Teams are encouraged to participate in community projects focused on connection and giving back, without seeking publicity. It’s not about metrics—it’s about making a real impact. 3. HOKA is an experience brand offering technical products, but it’s also about the joy of being outdoors. They excel at encouraging teams to embrace this, whether through events, team-building activities, or simply being in nature. They go big on connection. **CONCLUSION:** So, what's the secret sauce? It's a series of micro-actions that add up to create an unstoppable movement, with the entire organization living and breathing it. A HIGH-PERFORMANCE, PEOPLE-FOCUSED CULTURE.

🚀 Chief Everything Officer: Reflections on My First Month solo @CX Story 🚀 What a month it's been since I decided to go it alone. Here are some hard but important lessons I've learned so far: 1. **Reputation is Everything:** Your reputation is built on your thoughts, words, and actions. That is what people connect with. In past roles, my reputation helped forge valuable relationships, some of these connections have already helped give me my first steps with CX Story. It was never planned that way but I’m never the less grateful. Now, the hard work really begins building trust with new clients who don't yet know how I operate and the value I can add. Like being the new kid at school. It’s the next step forward I need to embrace. 2. **Skill Development:** Going solo has pushed me to enhance my skillset. Without a team, I've had to deep dive into technical work that was previously handled by (funnily enough) my team. Understanding every aspect of the business in a deeper way than before has forced me to get better at what I do. So it turns out there are some benefits to going back to move forward. 3. **Selective Reconnections:** I've had many individuals and businesses try to reconnect, especially those who disappeared when I left my previous corporate role. While I understand this is the nature of the game it’s not the game I want to play anymore. My energy is now focused on building meaningful, and supportive partnerships that have longevity. 4. **Valued Support:** I have immense respect for those who stayed in touch and have actively supported me on this journey. Your support is invaluable, and I will always remember it. When the time comes to ‘pay it forward’ I’ll be ready. 5. **Client Perspective:** I used to be the client so I’ve always had a deep understanding of the fears and challenges facing brands when designing visual experiences and managing creative teams. What this month has taught me is what it’s like to be on the agency side providing the visual support and consultancy. I’m already finding that the magic is happening with brands when the relationship feels respectful and balanced. These are the individuals I want to work with. 6. **Admin is Crucial:** Administrative tasks are critical. The stakes feel different when every decision impacts your own finances. Miscalculated margins and consulting fees are now the things that keep me up at night! I’ve learned the hard way to make these tasks a priority. Here's to many more months of growth and learning from mistakes 🌟 #Entrepreneurship #Visualmerchandising #SoloEntrepreneur #LearningJourney #Visualexperience

**Building High-Performance Team Cultures: The Three Pillars of Success** The last 12 months since I left my corporate role have not been easy (It’s been an emotional journey I can’t lie). The one thing that took the longest to process was the feeling of not being needed. I realised how much energy and pleasure I get from leading teams and the responsibility that goes with it. The parts of my career I look back on with most pride is always connected to individuals not project success. This was the catalyst for starting CX Story. I wanted to start a Visual Experience agency that not only focused on supporting brands create unique physical and digital storytelling activations, but also an agency capable of consulting with brands to build the foundations of high performance creative teams. In April I was given the opportunity to partner with UGG to lead a workshop for their Global Retail Team in California focussed on Building High Performance Teams and Cultures. Karin Baust (Thank you for the opportunity!) The session covered three foundational pillars: - How do you create purpose? - How do you create connection? - How do you create trust? Here are the highlights: 1. **Creating Purpose** - You have to know where you are going! You have to understand the ‘why’ behind your work. Having clear personal goals and objectives are key to this. - It’s also about finding your shared team purpose. Concepts and ideas unique to the group. Engagement and commitment focused on achieving common objectives. 2. **Creating Connection** - Strong interpersonal relationships and a sense of belonging enhance collaboration and communication. Encouraging open dialogue, celebrating diversity, and fostering inclusivity are key to building connections within the team. - Connection is as easy as it sounds. It’s just about putting the processes in place to ensure you prioritise connection.  - The importance of listening as a skillset. 3. **Building High Levels of Trust** - Trust is the cornerstone of any high-functioning team. It is built through transparency, consistency, and mutual respect. When team members trust each other, they are more likely to take risks, share ideas, and support one another. - It’s about working as a collective to create a set of Team Behaviours and Values (Thats the easy bit). Then it’s about holding each other accountable all of the time, and finding operational ways to embed this into how we communicate internally and externally. Investing in these pillars not only drives performance but also creates a resilient and adaptable team ready to tackle any challenge. #Leadership #TeamCulture #HighPerformance #TeamBuilding #Trust #Purpose #Connection #Success Feel free to reach out if you'd like to learn more about building high-performance teams and how I can help!

FEWER CLIENTS + DEEPER COLLABORATION = GREATER RESULTS You would be forgiven for thinking this equation could be applied to any start up business. A justification for having less clients and spinning it in a way that sounds positive. The difference is that we have made this equation central to our business model and how we intend to grow long term. FEWER CLIENTS = - Ability for me to have direct involvement in every project we do. - Greater focus on projects and goals (more opportunities to create magic). - Ability to create stronger connections with clients (the fun bit). - Communication levels that match client needs (we make ourserves available) DEEPER COLLABORATION = - Being able to get to understand the needs of the client in a deeper way. - Provide tailored brand experience services to match client needs. - Understanding that honestly is everything. Clients want partners that admit to mistakes, find solutions, and improve. - Ability to provide clients with the same project teams for every project. GREATER RESULTS = - Results focused on brand amplification and connection (Consumer facing). - Results focused on creating connection and engagement within in house teams (Team facing). We are privileged to have a select group of client partners already onboard that are benefiting from our bespoke brand experience services. We stand by our strategy and will only be taking on three more client partnerships in 2024. If you are a client or brand that would like to explore what we have to offer please reach out directly to me. Happy to chat!