Climb out of Your Nest and Jump
Each leaf,
each blade of grass
vies for attention.
Even weeds
carry tiny blossoms
to astonish us.
- Marianne Poloskey
Spring has sprung and, like the birds and the flowers, we need to wake up and astonish people in order to get our businesses and our economy growing again. Sadly, I know a lot of smart people at organizations large and small who remain curled up in their comfy nests, hoping that the marketplace will miraculously return to them.
Many have had their budgets cut, and their people are frightened and disengaged. The competitive environment (status quo) is putting pressure on their margins and, in many cases, their very survival. The resulting effect is similar to what happens to people drowning in icy water; they're gradually losing their dexterity, will and consciousness.
Astonishment is the way out of the downward spiral.
Astonishment is about empathy, creativity and experimentation. It’s about turning people on to an idea and bringing it to life for their benefit, and for yours. It’s about developing and stimulating the use of new products and services, as well as the sharing of novel ideas. It's about discovery.
Astonishment is a hunger fed. It's an itch unexpectedly scratched. It’s your obsession with figuring out how to captivate people. It’s about waking up and breaking out of the limiting cycle of best practices, benchmarking, and other forms of ho-hum imitation.
Marketplace success is about uniqueness and passion. It's a by-product of novel ideas that unlock people’s hearts and minds; ideas that astonish and stimulate desire.
Don't think. You've thought long and hard enough. Thinking is now your enemy. Instead, do what you know you need to do.
"You've got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down."
-Ray Bradbury
Tom Asacker - writer, brand strategist and public speaker
Copyright 2011 Author retains ownership. All Rights Reserved
