HAPPY PLACES VIDEO INTERVIEW: MARCEL & NICOLE TALK
Marcel and I met at House of Beautiful Business in Lisbon Oct 2018. It is the most wonderful experience with even better ‘humans’ that attend. He lives in Amsterdam and we knew of each other when I attended Picnic in Amsterdam 10 years ago. Marcel was Creative Director there at Picnic Event. We caught up on so many things during our afternoon chat in Shoreditch. An inspirational talk.
“They are the ones that I felt were at the best place to effect change in companies, especially with technology. Because it hasn’t been educated out of them, to look at something different.”
Rough diamonds
It is not an easy space to be in. Bringing the outside world in or effecting change in large companies. It takes a certain kind of personality, because most people say that they want change, but they don’t really want change. I have spent my career pretty much cutting through the bullshit of what really needs to be done and implementation of making it happen. And that really need a certain kind of personality. I ran a programme called the ‘Rough Diamond’ programme at this large organisation which was a diversity talent programme.
And it was getting kids in from the age of 14 to 16 about to be expelled in parts of London like Hackney and Greenwich where they ordinarily think that their future would be a Tesco’s checkout, and they’ve never really been at a company like a large marketing agency. So it was bringing them into a space. And then not only have them come in for a week but really have the time to work with them and give them kind of an insight into how they could effect change in those kinds of companies. To ask loads of questions.
They are the ones that I felt were at the best place to effect change in companies, especially with technology. Because it hasn’t been educated out of them, to look at something different. That insight in the early days when I was asked to bring in an innovation lab into an organisation. No one really knew what that looked like, I didn’t know what that looked like. But I knew that it would involve different personalities.
My book is called Rough Diamond, and it is based on this idea, of finding those people, the rough diamond in society who will question things and ask ‘why’, ‘who says’ and ‘why not?’. They are the ones that will push forward constantly with change.
“I was able to be that person where management said no, and I did it anyway.”
“I work with people who really want to create a space where they know that they don’t know but know that they need to change”
Serendipity
Every day for me is a new opportunity. I’m a big believer in serendipity. You put certain things in place but then you allow yourself the ability to go to random places and meet people. The ability to have a cup of tea with someone who ordinarily wouldn’t cross your path.
And then do a video with them. And find a random café that allows you to film. And who knows what then happens after that. It is about being open minded and open hearted every single day to new opportunities, possibilities.
But in a little framework, like I talked about like the semesters, there is always a tangible framework that you work within to make things happen.
