Innovation is impossible without imagination.
Only when our curiosity overwhelms our certainty, only when we’re more open to the complete possibility of what could be, does everything change.
Kodak failed to innovate. Instead of reading the writing on the wall and adapting to the digital world, they clung to their analog past and went bankrupt. And the irony is, they were actually the first film company to develop digital cameras, and the first to acquire an online photo-sharing site.
And yet, Kodak died with over a thousand digital imaging patents under their belt.
Because they never outgrew the belief that they were in the business of printing pictures.
Had they used their imaginations, had they been more open to the complete possibility of what could be, maybe they still would be.
Entrepreneurs are notorious for being too close to themselves.
Too close to the business, too close to the product and too close to their own perspective. And the problem is, when they’re in too deep, inhaling their own fumes, they start seeing things that aren’t really there. Like a mental magic trick, they create optical illusions that obscure the truth and delay the execution process.
I remember writing a book a few years ago that drove me up the wall. Since the layout architecture was more complex than usual, by the time the document was print ready, I literally starting reading words that weren’t there.
My designer was convinced I was hallucinating. So we met for coffee. And Jeff patiently cleared my eyes and helped me see what I needed to see. Then he told me to let it be. Eventually, we shipped the books in time for my overseas seminar and nobody got hurt.
But could have been much worse. As a freelancer, I don’t have a big furnace to feed.
Other entrepreneurs, ones with employees, vendors and multiple stakeholders, have a much broader constituency to cope with. And the minute they get to close to themselves, things start to get broken.
Smart organizations build external networks. Community platforms, social media outlets and other online listening posts to help them scan the horizon better.
Otherwise, they never get out of their own head.
And the mind can be a dangerous neighborhood.
Hiring ourselves has never been easier.
Thanks to accessibility, democratization and instantaneity of the web, artists and entrepreneurs now have the ability circumvent many of the power structures that used to prohibit us from executing, sharing, promoting and selling our work.
If we want to write a manual, start a podcast, create a blog, host a television show, curate a collaborative novel, open an online art gallery or launch a digital publishing platform, we can (finally) just do it. Art has turned into one big Nike commercial.
The gatekeepers have lost the key, and we’re never going back in our cages.
Which means starting is easier than ever. We can achieve digital immortality with fewer barriers, zero permission and a whole lot of hard work.
But that also means that execution is more important than ever.
And most of us are awful at taking action on what matters.
The decision to play a bigger game changes us.
First, it modifies what matters. We let go of what kept us small. We surrender what kept us comfortable. We walk away from what we assumed was important. And we blow up what would otherwise box us in.
Next, it shifts our posture. We start to operate from a possiblitarian mentality. We engage the muscle of yes. We give ourselves permission to pursue broader venues. And we widen the horizon of what’s attainable.
Then, it opens new artistic vistas. We start to live larger than our labels. We aren’t afraid to have an imagination. We get in touch with the purest part of our creative selves. And we expand our role repertoire.
Later, it invites support. We somehow gain the resources we need. We notice opportunities previously overlooked. We align with new people who are playing a similar game. And we attract an outpouring of affirmation from all angles.
And all we did was decide.
Toto didn’t just pull the curtains apart.
He pulled our fears apart.
He proved that when the voice doesn’t scare us, when the reputation doesn’t intimidate us and when the smoke doesn’t dissuade us, everything changes.
All we have to do is question everything. To spot the ideas that are too convenient to be killed, and let the creative, curious part of ourselves take a risk and pay attention to the man behind the curtain.
That way, we’re the great and powerful ones.
If the first step in selling is stopping the eye, the first step in service is meeting it.
When I walk up to the counter to put in my order, you don’t have to read my mind. You don’t have to perform a miracle. I just need you to care.
Instead of being completely preoccupied with yourself, stop using your phone, stop surfing the web, stop talking to your coworkers, stop reading the paper, stop eating lunch and stop doing whatever else you’re doing for three seconds to extend me the common courtesy of a simple glance.
Caring is not about eye contact. It’s not about nonverbal indicators of interest. And it’s not about another a tired technique that creates the illusion of hospitality.
It’s about bother to acknowledge my presence as a human being.
I know it’s not part of the handbook, but it is part of your heart.
When it comes to your prospects, information is invaluable.
If you can find out who they are, what they read, where they work, what they do, how they think, what’s important to them and how to reach them, you’re off to an awesome sales start.
In light of the digital revolution, however, there’s another piece of information that might be even more valuable than any of those: What they’re saying.
That’s the biggest misconception about the web, more specifically, social media. It’s not a sales tool, it’s a hearing aid. It’s not a cash register, it’s a listening platform. And it’s not a device for tricking people into giving you money, it’s a direct channel into how and why they make decisions.
People are sharing more ideas, more experiences, more opinions and more thoughts than ever before in history. And all you have to do is listen. All you have to do is care enough to understand their world. That way, you can help people with what they’re already doing, instead of artificially squeezing yourselves into their overcrowded lives. That way, you can learn how you fit into their world, not how they fit into you marketing plan.
And if you’re lucky, what they’re saying will soon include something positive about you.
Everybody has an agenda.
Even if we say we don’t, that’s still an agenda.
But there’s no reason to feel guilty about that. If we want something, there’s no shame in making some noise, letting whoever has it know that we want it, and respectfully reminding them why we deserve it.
When we start our phone calls or emails with, “Everybody has an agenda, and here’s mine,” we still lay a foundation of respect, establish expectational clarity and frame the conversation with candor and transparency. To do otherwise is to do a disservice.
What’s more, because so few people are willing to lay their motivations bare, the unexpectedness of this approach makes the encounter more memorable, and often times, more successful.
Not unlike travel agencies, record stores, post offices, encyclopedias, newspapers, movie rentals, yellow pages, television, bill paying, book publishing, photography, pornography, video games, terrestrial radio, real estate and journalism, there’s no reason to think your industry won’t be completely flipped on its head too.
But if you help the industry make contact with the future, if you skate to the where the puck is going to be, you might be able to pivot enough to save yourself.
Netflix, by virtue of its very brand, showed the world that their model was the future. Forget about going to the video store, their flicks stream through the net. The name says it all. No wonder their company made money so quickly. No wonder their company disrupted the movie rental and cable industries forever. Instead of marketing without outdated language, Netflix embedded words into their branding that painted a picture of what could be.
If you want to apply the same thinking to your organization, train your staff to turn feedback into inspiration. Seek out complaints. Embrace anger. Document what your users, employees, customers, vendors and colleagues are telling you. They will tell you how to serve them better. They will tell you how to ride the digital wave to a better future.
Without that kind of listening platform, the web is going to overturn your profession too.
It’s only a matter of time.
1. Good brands are bought, but great brands are joined. Why do you think your employees join yours?
We’ve created a culture of complete honesty, friendship and leading with love. We’re never unkind, my door is never closed and I have never walked in the office in a bad mood. That’s deeply unfair to my colleagues. We do whatever it takes to make each other as happy as possible. There’s constant laughter, while getting a lot of work done simultaneously – because when you participate with each other, you elevate each other.
2. The great workplaces of the world have soul. What do you do to humanize your culture?
I respect people’s right to be engaged by their space, so I’m constantly changing design of the office. This keeps people’s eyes interested in their surroundings on a physical and emotional level. Also, we have great snacks. We choose a different candy bar every month, running a contest to let people select the one they want. This place is brimming with soul. It’s a universe where excellence can blossom.
3. Belonging is a basic human craving. How do you remind employees that they’ve found a
home?
I’m realistic. Work ain’t home. But people belong to the extent that the environment is the best possible. I don’t want to curtail their creativity. There’s no dress code. I encourage people to think about the work, not what they have to wear that day. Also, we’ve done some of the finest practical jokes around, to the point that they’ve become legendary. At the end of the day, the fish stinks from the head, and I never want this place to stink.
Thanks Judith! Learn more about Morris + King here.
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