Tall Poppies of Business

New Zealand’s tall-poppy obsession could be a powerful tool for emerging business leaders.

Having just returned from time abroad, I am reminded of the many great things about this glorious country. From a lengthy list of the things I love most about New Zealand, I would have to place the generosity of spirit that we Kiwis have, near the top.

With much of my time now devoted to working with charitable groups, I am constantly overwhelmed by the willingness of so many New Zealanders to give to others, to get involved and invest in growing the fabric of their communities and to be able to so warmly welcome people into their homes as if they were family.

Given this absolute willingness to embrace those who may need a hand up, it is somewhat bewildering that our attitude towards those at the other end of the ‘need help’ spectrum, so often receives our uttermost disdain. We are a nation of ‘tall poppy’ bashers.

Those who ‘have not’ or who ‘have just enough’ do not admire those who ‘have a heap’. While there may be a glimmer of admiration of our achievers, very little respect is bestowed on them.

What makes it even more bewildering for me is that this tiny island nation has a very short history and, not so many generations ago, every man, woman and child arrived on an equal footing. Since that time, all Kiwis have toiled endlessly to make something of themselves. Early settlers respected the achievements of their neighbours and celebrated their good fortune with genuine delight.

At some time in our recent past, this generous spirit has been lost. Where did it go? Should we despise our tall poppies?

Last month, I attended the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards. I sat in a room seething with highly successful individuals. As one wit at our table noted, “Walking into the foyer was like wandering through a meadow of tall poppies”. In a night of recognition and celebration, at no time did I feel the need to slash and burn any one of these exciting, positive and generally nice people.

It was after this great night that I began to understand the tall poppy movement’s origins. The tall poppies we seem to want to slash and burn all have a significant profile blended in with their success. These tall poppies have been hand reared by our media. Unfortunately, the media have a propensity to graft on additional flowery details, which can eventually obscure the original achievements of the individual concerned.
While I am not sure if the media have created a hunger for salacious details on our highest achievers or we, the public, are simply predisposed to a form of celebrity voyeurism. Whichever it is, many of today’s tall poppies have been cultivated from a strong foundation of social manure.
A quick review of recent high-profile human calamities certainly exposes our inclination to form deep and unyielding opinions of those we believe ‘should have known better’.

The shameful and very public condemnation of both Tony Veitch and Millie Holmes springs to mind. It is an unfortunate reality that hundreds, if not thousands of other New Zealanders committed similar offences as both Tony and Millie, yet the avalanche of media exposure that both received, and continue to receive, comes as a direct result of their media-fuelled ‘tall-poppy’ status.

The anguish clearly visibly on Paul Holmes’s face, as he fronted up to the media on behalf of his daughter, is an extreme example of the extended consequence for a ‘fallen’ poppy. The massive exposure given to the misadventures, mistakes and personal trials of our tall poppies will often create significant collateral damage in their families and loved ones. Tony Veitch’s public ‘trial by media’ took its toll not just on his career but also on his marriage and his physical and mental health.

A growing number of savvy entrepreneurs have seized the tall-poppy syndrome as an opportunity to fast track themselves into the population’s consciousness.

Marc Ellis would have to be a great example of this. Marc has deliberately courted media exposure to grow his empire. His cheeky demeanour has even enabled him to sidestep several possible poppy toppling events.

The great news for all tall poppies is that the New Zealand public is very forgiving of a fallen poppy. Suzanne Paul’s fall from grace was spectacular but clever use of her effervescent and likeable nature has seen a remarkable return from the cold.

While you and your business may not have the pulling power of the current crop of media poppies, you do have a number of great opportunities to gain positive exposure for your business.

So, for you budding tall poppies, I leave you with a short poppy starter kit.
Make it Meaningful: Make sure that any public exposure you may seek has a sound value behind it. No one likes a glory seeker. Make sure you do stuff for the right reasons.

Clean your house out First: Make sure you, your business and your product/service really are top notch before you invite the public home to tea. No amount of tall-poppy manure can make poor service turn into great service. Work damn hard to make sure you are continuing to improve.

Obtain formal recognition: Enter awards that will give you regional and national status. Not only will the ‘glory’ attached to your win lift your profile but, to achieve such success, it will require you to have your business operating at its best, continually.

Come out of the dark: Your business cannot grow if it has no exposure. Get involved at a regional or national level with the governing body of the business field of which you are a part. Take a role at committee level and begin to have your say on where your trade/profession is heading.

Speak up: Read and become well informed in your field. Form an educated opinion and then be prepared to speak up. Make yourself known to your local paper. Write articles and submit them.

Be your biggest fan: People will only begin to hear you if you keep talking. Send out regular ‘press releases’. These are easy to learn to put together and even easier to distribute to the media.

Give your time to others: Be willing to share your knowledge. Business groups are always looking for business mentors – offer yourself. Select a community organisation that you can support. Join the committee and make a difference.

Annah Stretton