We live in a VUCA world

In his first visit to SA since 1995, Kevin (who's a staunch All Black supporter) says that business is a bloodsport, and he gets up everyone morning wanting to win. He referred to the famous quote from Vince Lombardi: "winning isn't everything, wanting to win is."

"One of the most important things to win is great leaders, and the only role of leaders is to create more great leaders."

This is the age of the idea

Kevin says that we live in a VUCA world, a world that is Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. But Roberts goes to say he believes we actually live in a SuperVUCA World, which is a place where everything is Vibrant, Unreal, Crazy and Astounding.

"We live in the age of the idea, and ideas change the world, just like that. And great ideas come from everywhere, especially from the edge." Unfortunately there are people everywhere who want to kill ideas, who say it'll never work or we've tried that before, Roberts names these people as the "Abominable No-Men". It's the crazy people that will keep ideas alive and make them happen.

"Great ideas don't need money, they don't need frequency, they just need to be a great idea, that has electricity, that has vibrancy, that has emotional stimulants. Great rational ideas don't move, they sit, but great emotional ideas have fire. We're in the business of creating those, cause that's where our future lies, we want to help transform our clients' business and reputations, and we do that by giving them fantastic ideas."

Return on Involvement

Roberts claims that we're not in the attention economy any more, we're now in the participation economy, where consumers want to be part of an idea, they want to be invited and inspired to join. Gone are the days of Return on Investment, it's now about Return on Involvement that matters for brands.

"It's very interesting hearing what consumers say, it's interesting knowing what they do, but it is fascinating figuring out how they feel, this is where inspiration comes into play."

Great brands are not brands at all, they're movements. Companies like Apple are much more than a brand now, they're almost a way of life now, creating innovating new ways to live. These big companies including Facebook and Google, are big on executing ideas. According to Roberts, they spend 20% on assessment, 10% on deciding, and 70% on execution, this is how they have stood out from above the rest.

He says there are criteria needed for being a great leader, which include being purpose driven; letting their emotions rip; making things happen and fulfilling the role of the business. Roberts concluded his presentation by saying that the role of brands today is to make the world a better place, and these can be done through great ideas.