Sometimes, extraordinary things simply come together. But not without creativity, insight from others and the past, commitment and much work along the way.
Looking back and reflecting on a flight from Captiva to San Francisco in April 2010, those ~6 hours of reading Seth Godin'sLinchpin-- and some invaluable time to really think -- had a significant impact on me and what's to come moving forward. It's a timely book for executives, teams at work, families, college students, community groups, etc.
Instead of posting a long point of view here, I included links below to some other readers' reviews. And if you're feeling tired or are short on time right now, The Linchpin Manifesto will provide some inspiration. Click, print and post on your wall if you want a reminder of Linchpin beliefs and actions:
Intrigued? These posts provide a glimpse of what the book covers and how others perceive the value:
Collaborating, loosening the reins on creative control, sharing information, crowdsourcing, automatically extending trust, being exposed to more risks (not necessarily real), and engaging with authentic communications are all indications of openness in business. As your customers, employees and community members in general become more adept at using social and other related technologies (i.e. mobile), they will push you and your business to be even more open. Guaranteed.
Charlene Li, founding partner of Altimeter Group and co-author of Groundswell, recently released her new book, Open Leadership. I was very fortunate to be able to participate in the early stages of her book's development and review, and think it's a must read for anyone who values and understands the currency of relationships in business. Further, if you believe social technologies are changing how we do business then you'll find Open Leadership is a great resource and business-case builder. Here's a quick preview about why Charlene wrote the book and what's in store:
There are many tools and take-aways in the book and online via the open-leadership community. For example, Charlene discusses how all open-driven objectives create common benefits, in that they:
Remove friction: removing barriers in business, and providing more access to information and people, lowers the cost of decision making
Scale efforts: a culture of sharing means things spread faster and wider
Enable fast response: the real-time nature of social technologies means you can respond quickly to needs and opportunities
Gain commitment: businesses that win the hearts and minds of stakeholders gain business and competitive advantages
For me, this book fits like a glove because I tend to be an open person and prefer to work with other open leaders and practitioners. Close to home, I doubt that I would have landed a dream job this month if both employer and new employee did not share a passion for innovation and openness.
Try moving out of your comfort zone to reap the rewards of really being open for business.
Why don't we get the best out of people? Sir Ken Robinson argues that it's because we've been educated to become good workers, rather than creative thinkers. Students with restless minds and bodies -- far from being cultivated for their energy and curiosity -- are ignored or even stigmatized, with terrible consequences. "We are educating people out of their creativity," Robinson says. It's a message with deep resonance.
A visionary cultural leader, Sir Ken led the British government's 1998 advisory committee on creative and cultural education, a massive inquiry into the significance of creativity in the educational system and the economy, and was knighted in 2003 for his achievements. His latest book, The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, a deep look at human creativity and education, was published in January 2009.
In this poignant, humorous follow-up to his fabled 2006 Ted Talk, Sir Ken Robinson makes the case for a radical shift from standardized schools to personalized learning -- creating conditions where kids' natural talents can flourish; this video clip is just under 17 minutes and worth the time to watch and share:
You bet! And I'm counting on this fact, and some factoids from this video and 2009 results at Lyris, for an upcoming presentation. I lead our community practice at Lyris and social media is right smack in the middle of an infusion that includes customer engagement, thought leadership, traditional media, community intelligence, mobility, response management, and brand-building activities and investments. Of course -- analytics, communications, innovation and teaming are required behind the scenes to successfully bring it all together.
If you're having trouble selling social media and networking strategies and programs to your boss or leadership because of a perception that it's difficult to create and measure ROI, watch this video for some ideas and proof points; share with others too...
One thing leads to another on the Web. I was just browsing my Twitter account and a timely tweet led me to a blog post, that led me to have an epipheo experience. That's the beauty of the Internet -- it helps us to make connections (ideas, people, decisions, inspiration, etc.) that, if we're open-minded and patient, can lead to something valuable.
So I reached out to the creative folks at epipheo studios on their blog. Let's see where it goes. Here's their epipheo that inspired mine...
I sometimes ask myself this question. Fortunate for us, a high school student met Richard St. John on an airplane and was curious about this too. Richard had an idea -- ask the same question to hundreds of successful people who participate at TED, and here is what he came up with. A little over 3 minutes of video and 8 words of wisdom. FYI, the video is from 2005 (and not new to the social web) but I think the tips and humor are timeless. Do share with others.
I couldn't resist two nights in a row of IDEO posts. I think this topic is worth learning more about and sharing because we all have a stake in our climate, especially if you have children. Tune into Tim Brown's brief video about the Living Climate Change initiative:
IDEO and Tim Brown are institutions in the world of design and innovation. I say this with much respect and admiration for the Palo Alto, CA based design firm and well-traveled designer. Tim Brown's recent presentation at TED 2009 in the UK is a good, 16 minute overview of how and why to apply "design thinking" for today's tough challenges. Yes, and for those questions that need a creative approach and mindset:
Truth be told, I interviewed at IDEO in 1998 during the same period I was interviewing at Sun Microsystems. To this day, the two rounds of IDEO interviews were the most unusual and stimulating I have ever experienced. The questions they asked seemed odd to me at the time. Years later, I realized they were applying a form of design thinking during the interview process -- probing not only to see if I was qualified for the job but also to determine if we were a good fit for their unique culture.
Long story short, Sun offered me a solid marketing position and salary that I decided to accept. The decision was made because Sun was a more recognizable brand, a technology leader that seemed right given my career path, and the offer was better than the compensation range that IDEO was discussing. More honesty: To this day, I wonder if I made the right decision by going with Sun. No regrets, though.
Funny thing is I was so impressed with IDEO in general (and my interview experience) that I eventually hired them for an "eBusiness Innovation @Sun" consulting project, including Tim Brown and Tom Kelley; one of the Kelley brothers who actually interviewed me years earlier. I will always remember the thrill I experienced during our one day workshop in San Francisco with a diverse team of Sun and IDEO talent; I want more of that creator juice and experience.
I'm a fan of IDEO because they continue to lead in their industry, they impressed me with their work while at Sun, and I continue to find their ideas, practices and thought leadership timeless and highly useful. So it goes without saying that I will apply their design thinking in a new, creative project I'm leading now with a diverse and talented team at Lyris. More on this another day.
Dan Pink has a colorful background and it has nothing to do with his last name. His diverse work experience, research, writing, and point of view about creativity and 21st century business is refreshing and not to be ignored. He's also an entertaining speaker for people who are interested in contemporary business and social issues.
Dan and I chatted in 2004 when I was building Creator Connection, an online community for creative people and independent professionals. At the time, he was writing a new book called A Whole New Mind and I was hopeful that Creator Connection would be referenced in the book; it didn't happen. No worries because I read the book when it was published months later and learned a few things about how the world is moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age -- a world where art, creativity and innovative teams play new roles in the workplace.
I've been following Dan's writing over the years and was happy to come across this passionate discussion recorded at TED in July 2009. The video clip is just over 18 minutes long and I think it's worth a listen if you're a business, marketing or technology leader looking for an edge. Hint, autonomy, mastery and purpose are business ideas worth spreading:
I've been thinking a lot lately about how to take creatorbase to a whole new level. This cat definitely has more than one life, as it has evolved a few times since the original vision (Your space to create.) and launch with Vignette collaboration software in 2002. Work-in-progress and aesthetics aside for a moment, creatorbase has always been about collaboration, idea exchange, social media and community services.
Assuming the creatorbase history and aspiration resonates with you, I'd like to know what realistic goals you would like to achieve with creatorbase? Before providing your comments to this post, kindly think of the future creatorbase as a:
digital and in-person community
magnet and tool for creators, worldwide
Yes, these are high bars to set but it's worth establishing some context for your ideas and comments. Thanks for your efforts!
