Paul over at Hee Haw Marketing thought I should re-post my living manifesto. And Paul is a pretty bright guy—so I'm taking his advice. One distinction about this version—I'm including this photo with it which was taken in Central Park on a beautiful Autumn day just like today. I think I'm drawn to this image because on that day we took a rowboat ride in Central Park and it was delightful. But the sad thing about it was that in all my years of living in NY, I never took advantage of doing something like this. So this photo is inspirational to me because it serves as a simple reminder to always make the most of where you are at—while you can.
An Incomplete Manifesto:
Ask.
Ask questions. Lots of them.
Ask the silly ones. The ones that no one else wants to ask. Ask about
the bigger idea. Ask about the details. Ask why—but also ask yourself
why you are asking the questions.
Believe.
Do you believe in what you do? Would you rather be doing something else? Believe in what you do. Or find a new career.
Be Someone’s Hero.
Everybody needs a hero. We just don’t want to admit it. Find someone
who needs a hero. Not your boss—but the person looking for guidance—a
word of encouragement or inspiration. Be that hero even if your own
heroes don’t exist for you.
Stop Talking.
Talk
is cheap as the cliché goes—what have you produced lately? Make it a
point to end your week with at least one tangible piece of something
that can be saved, printed, shared, or produced. If you can’t do it in
your job—do something on your own.
Be The Change Agent.
There
are two types of people. Those that dream of change and those that
make change happen. But we all start out as dreamers—the difference in
going from Dreamer to Agent includes taking ACTION. Build bridges.
Get out of your discipline. Infect others with ideas. Don’t be
satisfied with “OK”. Change Agents are not Rogue Agents—if you are
really interested in change, you’ll do whatever it takes to make it
happen.
Play In Someone Else’s Sandbox.
Traditional
people don’t like it when you get up all in their space. They'll
become possessive, protective and territorial. All the more reason to
get in their sandbox. Invite them to play—even if they don’t want to.
One day, they may change their mind.
Let Go.
People are more informed and
empowered than ever. And there are no signs of this slowing down. By
handing over control to customers, you’ll be sending this message: “we
trust you”. After all, a brand lives in the hearts and minds of the
customer—and as many are discovering, an “open source” brand helps
generate delight, demand and authentic loyalty. Give your customers
the tools they want and the experiences they crave. Then get out of
the way and see what happens.
Be Experienced.
The brand is the
experience and the experience is the brand. That said—you can’t
generate a successful brand experience if you haven’t experienced some
things for yourself. Do you know what it’s like to schlep a mini-van
full of rowdy children from location to location? Have you wired up a
home theatre? Take extreme measures to relate to your customers. Be
them for a day. And if you can’t—spend some time with them. It’s the
fastest way to go from theory to reality. Being experienced equals
better experiences.
Think Rational. Be Emotional.
People
are both unpredictable and predictable in the same breath. We all act
upon logic at times and emotion at others. It’s the Human Condition.
So how do we satisfy our fickle, unpredictable selves? Meet people’s
rational needs—and do this exceptionally well. Then, surprise and
delight them on an emotional level. It’s common sense thinking—yet
difficult to pull off. If it weren’t, every experience would be as
satisfying as an iPod, RAZR, Google or Harley-Davidson.
Tear Down The Wall.
Corporations
thrive by having distinct departments and teams. Collaboration is
encouraged—but authentic collaboration rarely happens. Why? Because
it’s messy business. People are born with egos. Egos need to be
un-learned. Replace your natural born ego with intense curiosity. Do
this and you’ll be able to break down barriers, and do great things.
When Harley-Davidson wanted to design their first high-performance
motorcycle (the V-Rod), they went to Porsche for help. That’s checking
ego at the door.
Get Real.
Few people know that the
hugely successful Motorola RAZR was nearly scrapped before it ever had
a chance. Why? Because some manager thought it was too much form over
function. Rather than request further research, the designer simply
had the concept prototyped. Once the phone was made real—it quickly
gained internal momentum. The rest of the story is history. Make
something real—and people will decide for themselves.
Be Both Evangelist and Agnostic.
Do
you believe in something? Be an advocate for it. Others will see your
passion and know that you have a vested interest in what you do. But
when it comes to using creativity to solve real-world business
challenges—be an agnostic. Throw pre-conceived notions out the
window. Don’t make assumptions and do your best to avoid personal
bias. Innovation comes from seeing the world through the eyes of a
child.
Make Sponge Bob Your Hero.
Sponges
soak up the world around them. When squeezed, they give some of it
back. Do your best to learn from others—soak up the everyday knowledge
and expertise that others have to offer. Then, when it’s your
turn—give something back.
Just Do It.
The best theory is the one that gets practiced. Thinking is great. Thinking without doing is not.
