Marketing makes change happen. And for humans, the change is rarely linear. There’s a moment before and a moment after the decision is made. Some people find the moment thrilling, others are unnerved by it.
When a salesperson fails to open the door for the leap, the customer is ill-served. The status quo is powerful and left to our own devices, many of us would fail to go where we hope to.
On the other hand, when the marketing and sales folks push too hard, trust is broken. People end up being manipulated into actions that they’d rather not have taken, and relationships fall apart.
Forward motion happens when individuals and organizations decide to adopt a posture of possibility. And that’s enabled by marketers ready to help them embrace that possibility.
March 6, 2022
There’s a mythology around people with famous resumes. Folks who have worked for brands we’ve heard of and on projects that have been successful.
We give the benefit of the doubt to someone who did “app development at Slack” or “sales at Google.” But what this generally means is that they were patient and pretty good at going to meetings.
Show us the code you wrote. Show us the difficult presentations you were able to produce. Most of all, show us the work you did when no one asked you to do the work. When you’re on your own, what is important enough to you to ship?
We need teamwork. But we also need people who can master their tools and ship the work.
March 5, 2022
The map might be correct, but that doesn’t mean it will work.
The sign might be legal, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be effective.
We’re surrounded by instruction manuals, videos, announcements and all sorts of other forms of instruction.
But a map only works if it helps.
Finding our way, getting the job done, changing our minds–these are forms of wayfinding. And our internal layout of the world doesn’t match the way it is actually built.
You can drive to your childhood home blindfolded, but you probably couldn’t draw a route of how to get there for someone else.
Realizing that our job is to help others find the way is half the job.
March 4, 2022
“I’d like corn for dinner.”
So, six months ago, you’ll need to plant the corn so you can harvest it today and cook it tonight.
Or you can drive to the farmer’s market this morning, buy a few ears and have it tonight.
Or you can walk over to the supermarket and get a can.
Or you can press this button on your phone and dinner will be here in twenty minutes.
I write this blog but I didn’t program the website.
Everything we do uses materials and tools that were made by someone else. When we built Yoyodyne thirty years ago, we spent millions of dollars to build email servers that you could rent today for $50 a month…
The question that isn’t asked, but that must be asked, is: Which part are you going to do yourself?
If you’re a photographer, does it make sense to edit your own work, or should you send it out to someone who is twice as good, half the price and faster than you are?
We act as though we’re locked into this decision, but in fact, we make it again, every single day.
What are you doing today that only you can do? What would happen if that’s all you did all day?
PS Akimbo (my weekly podcast) is now over 200 episodes. You can find it all the normal places (Apple, acast, site)
March 3, 2022
Who invented the smartphone?
Well, certainly Alexander Graham Bell, Antonio Meucci, Hedy Lamarr and Edison and Tesla had something to do with it. And the folks at Fairchild. And Palm and Cisco and General Magic and countless others.
When we insist on waiting until it’s done before we share it, we walk away from the most important component of innovation.
March 2, 2022
Reassurance always runs out. Reassurance implies that the only reason to go forward is because it’s certain to work. Reassurance is futile.
Encouragement means that someone sees us, understands us and believes in us. Even (especially) when things don’t turn out as we hoped.
Encouragement lasts. Encouragement is self-fueling and self-fulfilling.
March 1, 2022
When a client, a boss or an employee makes a special request, it’s okay to get a little bent out of shape. It might cost you extra time or money, it might be a hassle, it might not be deserved.
And then you can say no.
But if you say yes, then it pays to be in it. 100%.
If you’re not, your yes was worthless. It ceases to be a favor if it comes with grumbling.
Holding a grudge means that our hands are too full to do our best work.
February 28, 2022
Industrial systems thrive on predictability. It smooths out the supply chain, improves efficiency and makes many of the participants more comfortable.
Tomorrow is like yesterday, but perhaps a little faster or cheaper.
But breakthroughs, creativity and human connection don’t come from predictability. They come from unpredictable interactions with unknown ideas and voices.
Just about all bestsellers are surprise bestsellers. All big ideas come out of left field. But if you spend your time looking at left field, they’ll come out of right field instead.
Chaos is uncomfortable, particularly if you’ve been indoctrinated in the industrial mindset. But if the right people and the right conditions are present, chaos creates possibility.
Do it with intent.
February 27, 2022
The easy problems are often an illusion. If they were real and they were easy, they’d be solved already.
Difficult problems, on the other hand, stick around until someone with insight, dedication and commitment shows up and gets to work.
Seeking out difficult problems is far more effective than avoiding them.
February 26, 2022
It’s not high school.
But some of the advice that people are embracing reminds us of those days… Things that everyone tells you that aren’t true:
It’s possible to get rich quickly without taking risks (not really)
Just because someone bought some crazy dog currency or NFT and got lucky doesn’t mean that you will. It’s remarkable when someone beats the odds because, by definition, the odds are always hard to beat.
Every social media platform has stars and if you follow the path, you will become one (not most people)
There are more media stars now than ever before in history. But the nature of the power-law curve is clear: in order for a star to be valuable, most people can’t be one. Doing what the last star did is not likely to get you what the last star got.
The best way to build a following online is to be fully authentic (oof)
Keanu is not Neo. He’s an actor. Youssou N’Dour doesn’t go on stage when he feels like it, he goes on stage when it’s showtime. The world will never know you, but they will judge you. Or at least the you that is presented when you go online.
The hardest part of online commerce is building your website (well, no.)
Actually, it’s simply the part you do before you go live. It’s the clothes you wear, not the way you actually engage with the world. The hard part is finding an audience and earning the benefit of the doubt. The hard part is creating community, leading and building something people want.
Freelancing is like having a job without a boss (alas)
Well, you still have a boss. It’s you. And you might not be a good one. Freelancers spend part of their day doing the work, and the rest of the time earning better clients.
The hard part of the work is doing the work.
February 25, 2022
