The circus has come to town! Cirque du Soleil is currently impressing audiences in Zagreb, with the unique combination of dynamic acrobatics, music, art and appealing colourful costume design.
The world's most popular circus with hundreds of shows across the planet, didn't just get there by chance. I left my seat feeling overwhelmed and truly amazed. After thinking about what I saw, I realised we could all learn a thing or two, businesses and entrepreneurs from Cirque du Soleil – here are my observations:
1. Everyone is a star
During the whole show from start to finish, you see that everyone has more than one role. If you are a trapeze artist you probably also move sets and remove items from the stage. There are no individual heroes - everyone is a star in this show. Cirque du Soleil hand picks their teams, searching for talented teamplayers. They all probably have more than one talent and their job is to not only share those talents but also support the talents of others. The Circus is a team.
2. Practice
These performers and acrobats are by far the best in their field. They have become the leaders of their game. They have done this by practicing. Dedication and discipline. They practise and do the specific thing that works, and they practice it over and over again. They continue until they've mastered it to perfection then practise more and more.
3. Never forget the reason for your work
Cirque du Soleil is there to entertain. To astonish and amaze us all. That is exactly what they did. While practising the trapeze or jumping through hoops day in day out, performers could easily lose sight of what they want to achieve. To remind its 3000 employees of the end product, the company hangs show posters and photos throughout its Montreal complex. When they have a day off, they are given free tickets to experience the show as the audience sees it. So, if we translate that to our business; how can you help your employees feel the customer experience they are trying to create?
4. Re-invent your own formula
If this circus just felt happy with the success of the early nineties, there wouldn't be where they are today on the global market. Don’t stand still with the current situation of your own success. Cirque is always experimenting with fresh new elements successfully (music from other writers, more dance, various uses of film, and imaginative staging). They continue embracing new challenges.
5. Be Consistent
They don’t practice lots of variations to stop themselves from “getting bored”. Simply, they’re always looking for the best (easiest and most graceful) way to do something. But as soon as they find the specific move that gives them the desired result, they stay with it – anything else could end up as a disaster. Consistency and commitment every time.
Kao vlasnik Libris komunikacija i voditelj edukacijskih programa u Velikoj Britaniji i Hrvatskoj, Peter donosi dodatnu vrijednost u ZIMO kroz nove marketinške i komunikacijske ideje, alate, naputke i praktične savjete.
