What’s a Ph.C?
and other FAQs!
• Wait a minute! Where’s your professional headshot?
I hear you. I could say that I have trouble posing. Standing still is not my best skill. But, the truth is, putting this picture is probably the best way to tell you that I’m a professional speaker, and I love teaching people how to own the stage. (I’m a Speaking Coach too, but more on that later)I
•What is this Ph.C? Please, tell me it's not a typo!
Not a typo.
Ph.C is a term I coined to explain the most foundational and vital skills that are rarely integrated. These are set of skills that are uniquely human, yet they'll be the defining ground of an A.I / Metaverse-driven future.
Ph stands for Philosophy.
If you’ve ever felt bored to death in a Philosophy class, you’ve got my sympathy. Go ahead and blame your teacher! Philosophy is the most fundamental skill we all need, professionally and personally. The trouble is, we rarely learn how to practice it. That’s why I dedicated 3 years of my life to building an academy to help people all over the world to develop Critical Thinking, gain Philosophical Knowledge, and design practical Frameworks to live a flourishing life.
What about the C?
Check out the graph below.
Briefly put, C stands for 6 disciplines: Creativity, Communication, Coaching, Connections, Character, and Cultural development.
Now bring on your blender, and put in Philosophy with these 6 C’s. You won’t get smoothies; instead, a special kind of chisel. Get your hammer and start sculpting yourself. Most likely, you've been doing that. It's just that the Ph.C is the systematic science of self-sculpting.
• Why you have you had a multi-faceted career?
I didn’t purposefully design my career. But, whenever I learned something new, I wanted to integrate it with something else. I’m fortunate that I got to learn from great minds.
My career has been a lot like Hercule Poirot's. A creative and philosophical detective in essence, but when the train stops, I face a new case requiring new knowledge and skillset. At least, unlike detetcive Poirot, I don’t have to deal with crime. However, some of the problems I learned most from were too wicked, even monstrous.
• That’s why you’re still a "candidate"?
Yes. And will always be. No one can give you a Ph.C degree.
As long as you are alive, ambitious, and passionate about making a difference, you will always be learning.
That's how I see my purpose: to learn, share everything I’ve learned, and earn the right to learn some more.
The Ph.C Framework
Right..
An introduction.
LEOPOLD AJAMI
I've lived multiple lives.
I'm a Creative Philosopher.
Adman,
Design Thinker,
Filmmaker,
Teacher,
International Speaker,
Public Speaking & Communication Coach.
Above all, I'm a husband to a heroic woman and a student of the best teacher on earth: My daughter.
In 2002, I read, "From those wonderful folks who brought you Pearl Harbor." Written by the legendary adman Jerry Della Femina, this book inspired me to go into the advertising and marketing world.
It took some years to inspire the infamous TV series MadMen.
I worked as a Creative Director and often fell into the trap of believing that Mad makes Men good. Gladly, I've worked hard to mature and build different yet integrated lives.
I taught myself copywriting, brand strategy, and Filmmaking.
To this date, I still can't believe that I've directed Hollywood star Sr. Jeremy Irons in a short series for Chivas Regal that premiered at Cannes Festival.
(When we meet, remind me to tell you how despite being a debutant in filmmaking, I got the shot).
Mark Pilkington
Author, Brand & Retail expert
“Leopold Ajami is the marketing genius behind the ‘Princess’ Concept which revived and transformed the ‘Nayomi’ brand, and helped me get promoted to CEO!”
Jonathan Steingiesser
Head Of Product Design, Omnipresent
"Leopold has a unique skill to open your mind so you can think about the world in ways you couldn't imagine. With a combination of Philosophy, Creativity, and Psychology, he built an unprecedented method for communication. And – he is by far, the best Public Speaker I have ever seen!"
(Click on the image to watch the series with Sr. Jeremy Irons)
Some of the digital posters produced for the Chivas Campaign
I'm fascinated by Creativity and the process of solving wicked problems.
But, what I enjoyed most was learning about… well, everything!
One day I'm working on a strategy for a corporate bank; the next, I'm examining a baby diaper brand. Wait a min, I probably should try this red lipstick for Maybelline; else, how on earth could I build their campaign?
The joy of learning became irreplaceable. I don't know. Maybe I was born with it. Or, maybe it's… (Why did Maybelline change its tagline? Pffft. Mysteries are born of Maybes.)
Wella Koleston Commercial with Turkish Celebrity Yagmur Tanrisevsin.
You can check my Filmmaking Portolio on Vimeo:
https://vimeo.com/leopoldajami
SOME OF THE CLIENTS I'VE WORKED WITH
As you can tell by now, I've got some strong opinions.
But, I promise they're backed up by a systematic validation.
Advertising taught me how to justify my ideas, but then I kept wondering:
How can I know that I know?
Is there a scientific method of proof?
And, what about ethical principles?
Could Creativity be used for good and evil purposes and still be called Creativity?
Why does everyone seem to know what is good, and very few can validate why it's good?
Overwhelming questions and problems give me peace and a sense of purpose.
(You can see some of my work at the end of the site. But stick around. Something unexpected happened!)
Next stop? Athens.
From those wonderful folks who brought you… Philosophy.
You know the value of asking questions.
But they are useless without a method to ask them and a system to answer them. And I'm happy to say that I didn't really know that and failed miserably.
In 2014 I wrote a book called 'Novel Philosophy' that investigates the integration of Creative Thinking, Literature, and Philosophy. I was so proud of it, and my publisher too.
But have you ever had a fruit salad and couldn't tell exactly which fruit tasted what?
Many books, especially in the self/professional help industry, are written like a fruit salad. They might have some good techniques, but they're made up of a mongrel philosophy. I was guilty as charged.
But, later, my philosophy mentor said to me: "At least you had the intellectual honesty to refrain from publishing a fruit salad."
What would you do if you spent months working hard on something and discovered that it doesn't meet your ambition?
That’s me, bragging about all my notebooks that I kept since 2006!
I still have some, under the bed.
Well…
I booked a seat with wonderful folks who teach philosophy – unlike any other.
I spent 4 years studying, got a scholarship to a Philosophy Mentorship Program, and developed my own theory on integrating Creativity and Philosophy.
To my surprise, I convinced some clients to help them build their internal philosophy to guide their brand and culture. They even joined me on intensive workshops on the Philosophy of Communication.
When I showed my wife that they were paying me handsomely, she said:
"Nice. This seems like a legitimate job. But please, would you mind reading less Aristotle to our daughter? She's still 6 months old."
"Sure," I said.
But my wife never specified what she meant by "less."
One sentence less?
While studying the integration of Philosophy and Creative thinking, I decided to build a house for those wonderful folks of inspiration known as muses.
But, since I was learning to become a scientist, I had to develop a scientific lab, not mere inspiration.
By the end of 2014, I had founded Quse Qommunications.
A communication agency with a new work methodology. It's all in the name, Quse: The Questioning Muse.
We became one of the fastest growing agencies in the UAE, with clients like L'Oreal Group, Reckitt Benckiser, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Bourjois, Wella, and Zurich Insurance.
We launched global brands like Nyx, Kiko Milano, Chuck e cheese, and the L'Oreal Make-up genius app, which event campaign scored the highest record of downloads in one night globally.
But…
Have you ever felt that you've got something that can impact the world, yet you're keeping it for yourself? I have, and I'm pretty sure you too.
Next? Thunder in the gut.
To those wonderful folks out there hungry to learn but too bored by conventionality.
Now that I had a fully systematic, logically connected philosophy – I brought them "Novel Philosophy Academy."
I started giving lectures, workshops, and training to students and professionals worldwide. For the past 3 years, I have visited more than 10 countries and supported and mentored individuals to find their purpose and develop their future skills.
I figured that if they could earn their "Ph.C degree", we could all build a better, ethical, rational, and emotionally fulfilling world.
With a Philosophical blueprint, they could design their voice and pitch meaningful ideas. What could the end goal be if not human flourishing and happiness?
Many of those wonderful folks became my students or clients.
Some, dear friends.
They taught me every day how to become better than yesterday.
Productiveness drives me to learn, share everything I've learned, and earn the right to learn some more.
Carrie-Ann Biondi, P.h.D
Philosophy Professor, and Curriculum Developer at Higher Ground Education.
“Leopold is both serious and playful to work with. He takes ideas seriously, but knows how to use creativity, humor, and design to great effect in making complex material accessible to the layman. I’ve gone from having a boring style of academically reading a paper to creating engaging presentations that have an audience leaning forward in their seats. I’ve still lots to learn, but look forward to more advanced public speaking coaching support from Leopold to help me on my journey!"
Robert Begley
Entrepreneur, and TedX Speaking Coach
“Whatever problem you are trying to solve, whether you need creativity, philosophy, communication, coaching, innovation, or even personal guidance — look no further than Leopold Ajami!"
I enjoy producing my Podcast, “Ideas On Trial”
and, sometimes, others invite me to theirs!
Want a closer look?
You can check some of my work here:
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Speaking
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PR, Events and Digital
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Films
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