Don't be a sprinter

In business the race is always won by the marathon runner not the sprinter.  A business doesn't begin to thrive overnight.  To stay competitive and relevant, and offer valuable services and/or products that truly benefit clients and customers, it is absolutely necessary that your brand says "we are here for today, tomorrow and for years to come".  "We are offering ideas, services and products for the ages".  The worst thing that could happen is that your communications comes across as a trendy company that may be here today but gone tomorrow.

I came across this company the other day. . .

Now this reads on their website's homepage and I thought to myself: does a company really want to be known as an organization that specializes in 'web 2.0 services'?  The internet and technology are evolving and changing so fast that to base who you are and what you do mainly on an aspect of the web would be precarious.  A few questions I would put on the table:

1.  What happens when Myspace begins to lose its lustre (and it already has).  Facebook is already proving to be much more nimble and flexible and a medium for "better" communication between people looking to really connect.

2.  What happens when email is not the most efficient or effective medium for communication (this is already happening). 

3.  What happens when 2.0 is no longer the buzzword that everyone is using and web 3.0 kicks in. Web 3.0 is on its way. . .

There are a handful of things that companies don't want to be and I imagine irrelevant has got to be somewhere close to the top.

As a company it is valuable that you plan for the here and now, but not at the expense of your long term thinking.

The Innovation Zone

By Kalen Jericho

Watch your step!  Complicated, difficult, and challenging work ahead!

So now that we're standing on the 'Threshold' of the 21st century and we know that there is no plan . . . It's not about me . . . and I'm making excellent mistakes (please reference the previous post on Dan Pink), What do I do to achieve some success pushing the boundaries?

After all I'm an innovator, I'm a leader, I'm not held back by tradition or some narrow minded focus. I have some really bright ideas and I know some really brilliant people. Tom, (MySpace's Tom, the founder, former owner and now multi-millionaire persona) is one of my friends. I'm supposed to be a success.

No. Sorry. Not quite.

You're not an innovator until you understand some sphere of knowledge well enough to innovate it. You're not a leader until you've worked your way up. And you can't free yourself from tradition until you know what tradition is and make a conscious effort to do something different.

In the world of innovators and witty thinkers who read flashy energetic magazines like Fast Company and see themselves on the next cover of Inc. . . .we 'smarter than the average bears' forget that we have to know the basic information. We have to take those initial steps. And we have to be willing to invest some time and some energy in comprehending the fields that we're actively bridging.

There is a certain advanced knowledge that is derived from persistence and basic hard work to study a particular field or topic. Even the cool kids have to do their homework, especially if they want to graduate to the next level.

Catch phrases and key words like innovation, convergence, cool, emerging, cross-marketing, etc. are overused and undefined in any practical manner. So, don't start spouting from the innovator's dictionary unless . . . UNLESS you know and understand your sphere of innovation.

Tom is everybody's friend, that's the gimmick. Having him listed on your MySpace profile doesn't make you an innovator by association. Become an expert in just one thing and go from there. Tom did the groundwork and so should you.

Johnny Bunko. . . (oh yeah!)

Question:  What happens at the intersection of US Ave. and Japanese Blvd?

Answer:  The convergence of career guidance, manga, movie previews, and book writing.

AKA - Super Cool Innovation.

I attended a great event this past Wednesday organized by my good friend Michelle James, CEO of The Center for Creative Emergence. Her event featured New York Times best selling author Dan Pink to an audience of about 140 people. He discussed his most recent book -  The Adverntures of Johnny Bunko A very cool career guidance book for the 21st century. The book discusses the 6 lessons of satisfying, productive careers.

1. There is no plan.

2. Think strengths, not weaknesses

3. It’s not about you.

4. Persistence trumps talent.

5. Make excellent mistakes

6. Leave an imprint.

Pick it up.  Johnny could be just the person you've been looking for. . .

Convergence (our peeps)

Now the intersection is where.

Convergence is what happens once you get there. 

So when you arrive, what exactly is happening?

(the slow death of thinking outside the box. . .)

Novel ideas.  Emerging strategies. Changing landscapes. 

These folks know all about it. . .

C3

Chicago Media Summit

. . . and so do we.

Convergence DC

                                                                         *Image above created by Tim Boucher

The Intersection

As was discussed in the previous post, the intersection is a more relevant way of thinking about and looking at the market; in terms of figuring out how to innovate and create new solutions in the 21st century marketplace.

I initially came across this idea when a friend of mine introduced me to a book called The Medici Effect by Frans Johanesson.  He talks about the intersection in slightly different terms but as I looked at the premise of his ideas and what's happening in today's market. . . he is definitely onto something.

One reason the intersection is so relevant is because as the saying goes "nothing is new under the sun". Now look at the very idea of "thinking outside the box". That is exactly what the idea supposes you do - search for other ideas, solutions and answers by leaving the "box" and what currently exists behind, and create something entirely 'new'.

Now with intersectional thinking, it too looks to create something unique. But instead of leaving the box, let's look at multiple boxes and see how we can combine them and design, construct or build something different. The intersection gives you a context in which to work with - existing products, services, and concepts. You then take another set of existing products, services, and concepts and "converge" them, producing something entirely new and unique.

Prime example - Cirque du Soleil. Prior to this organization, the ideas of theater, the circus and storytelling were for the most part separate and distinct.  These ideas entertained us in their own individual ways. Reading storybooks at home in the comforts of our own refuge. Going to see the circus on a sun-filled and vibrant Saturday afternoon. Attending a Friday night theater show with dimmed lights, great actors and wonderful costumes for our entertainment pleasure. Guy Laliberte and Daniel Gauthier founders of Cirque du Soleil were far ahead of their time as they converged these ideas and today bring us the spectacles of Mystere, Qudiam and Corteo.  

Other intersectional ideas - Wikepedia (encyclopedic information, the internet, volunteerism), Busboys and Poets (restaurant, bookstore, and theatre), and Netflix (video rentals, the US mail system and social networks).  These are just a small fraction of the examples that are redefining today's market. 

Is the intersection for you?  Maybe, maybe not.  But continuing to espouse the mantra "thinking outside of the box" will not differentiate you from the competition and that is the name of the game.  If you want to be on the leading edge, begin thinking at the intersection.  It just might prove to be worth your while.