Agencies & Consultancies

Training for agencies at all skill levels

  • Account management
  • New business
  • Confidence
  • Productivity
  • Writing
  • Motivating teams

In-House Comms

Training for in-house communications professionals

  • Best practice
  • Demonstrating value
  • Brand recognition
  • Confidence & Credibility
  • Media training

Kickstart Your PR!

Two-day intensive public relations workshop

  • Capturing media attention
  • Brand recognition
  • Engaging content
  • Supporting sales and marketing

Big Fish Balance

Mental health and wellness for communications professionals

  • Beating Burnout
  • mindfulness
  • Work-Life Balance
  • Mental Health in the Workplace

Kickstart Your PR!

Two-day intensive public relations workshop

  • Capturing media attention
  • Brand recognition
  • Engaging content
  • Supporting sales and marketing

Resilient Leadership Lessons from an Incredible Business

I came across a fascinating story this week: a Japanese business that was established to offer refreshments to pilgrims praying for pandemic relief...1,020 years ago.

Resilient Leadership Lessons from an Incredible Business

Ichiwa, a small family-run business, has been selling mochi for generations from it's small wooden shop in Kyoto. The shop is set up next to an old shrine, where they serve the toasted rice-flour cakes fresh and hot to its visitors.

Naomi Hasegawa, the operator of Ichiwa, says she's not concerned about her finances in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, even with the loss of tourism.

"Ichiwa takes the long view - albeit longer than most. By putting tradition and stability over profit and growth, Ichiwa has weathered wars, plagues, natural disasters, and the rise and fall of empires. Through it all, its rice flour cakes have remained the same."

And Ichiwa isn't an outlier in this mindset; Japan is home to over 33,000 business that have been running for 100 years or more, and 3,100 that have been running for over 200.

Here's what we might be able to take away to help ourselves as leaders:

Know when to stick to the knitting and when you need to diversify to survive.

"If you look at the economics textbooks, enterprises are supposed to be maximizing profits, scaling up their size, market share and growth rate. But these companies' operating principles are completely different. Their No. 1 priority is carrying on; Each generation is like a runner in a relay race. What's important is passing the baton."

Kenji Matsuoka, professor emeritus of business, Ryukoku University in Kyoto

Ichiwa has declined many opportunities to expand, including offering delivery with Uber Eats. Instead, it does just one thing and does it well.

Think long-termThink long-term. Don't prioritise short-term profits, even if you have to focus on that side temporarily. As all crisis comms experts will tell you, focus on where you want to be post-crisis.

Have a higher purposeHave a higher purpose: that might be looking after employees, supporting the community, or always striving to make a product that inspires pride. This is a key pillar of personal and professional resilience.

Hat-tip to the @LinkedIn News team for sharing this story in the first place.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/02/business/japan-old-companies.html

Training Courses for PR and Comms Agencies

show all

All of our training courses for agency professionals

talented with clients

Be credible, effective and prevent problems

talented in the office

Manage time, people and campaigns with ease

talented with the media

Writing and pitching stories that get noticed

bigfish balance

Wellness Programmes for PR and Comms Professionals
Advanced Presentation Training
with Clients

Become a captivating and effective presenter

More

Awareness of First Aid for Mental Health
Big Fish Balance

FAA Level 1 Award, Regulated Qualifications Framework

More

Beating Burnout
Big Fish Balance

Stop stress from dragging you down

More

Becoming a Manager
in the Office

Incorporate great management techniques into your daily life

More

Bespoke Leadership Coaching
in the Office

By application only

More

Bite-Sized Leadership Coaching
in the Office

Rapid coaching conversations

More

Client Management
Talented with Clients

Improve and develop your working relationships with each client

More

Confidence and Assertiveness
in the Office

Say what you mean, professionally and directly

More

Creating Work-Life Balance
Big Fish Balance

Don't choose between your career and your life: have both

More

Crisis Communications
with Clients

Where do you start when it all goes wrong?

More

Grammar Crammer
in the Office

Grammatical errors and how to avoid them

More

Getting Buy-In
with Clients

Influencing and Persuading

More

Internal Communications Training
in the Office

On demand courses for internal comms professionals

More

Improving Personal Communication Skills
in the Office

Make good working relationships great

More

Kickstart Your PR!
with the Media

Introduction to PR

More

Mastering the Art Of Writing
Talented with the Media

How to write almost anything

More

Menopause in the Workplace
Big Fish Balance

How it can affect us, our work, and what to do about it

More

Mental Health in the Workplace
Big Fish Balance

Cultivate good mental health

More

Mental Health for Managers
Big Fish Balance

Create greater mental wellbeing in your team

More

Mindfulness in the Workplace
Big Fish Balance

Keeping your focus in times of chaos

More

Management and Leadership Training
in the Office

Get the best out of your team

More

Neurodivergence Awareness in the Workplace
Big Fish Balance

Embrace Neurodivergence for a More Inclusive Workplace

More

Neurodivergence for Managers
Big Fish Balance

Unlock the Potential of Neurodivergent Team Members

More

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
Big Fish Balance

Equip yourself with the tools to build more confidence

More

Practical Creativity for PR
in the Office

Power up your brainstorms and boost your creativity

More

Practical coaching skills for managers
in the Office

Increase your team's engagement and productivity

More

Professional Impact and Presence
with Clients

Stop being overlooked

More

Editing and Proofreading Other People's Writing
in the Office

The seven steps to successful editing

More

Presentation Training
with Clients

Make every presentation more engaging and effective

More

Refresh your press release writing skills
with the Media

Be more successful at getting your stories published

More

Social Superstars
With the Media

How to Make Your Clients' Social Media Communications Shine

More

Supercharge Your Writing
with the Media

Take your writing to a higher level

More

Supervising First Aid for Mental Health
Big Fish Balance

FAA Level 3 Award, Regulated Qualifications Framework

More

Pitching to the Media
with the Media

Get more of your stories published

More

Time Management for Remote Working
in the Office

Manage your workload from home

More

Time Management
in the Office

Manage your workload and get tasks completed on time

More

Writing compelling content for the media
with the Media

Make your writing effective, engaging and shareable

More

Writing effective news releases
with the Media

Get more stories published

More