Toronto, October 22 2012
Anything is obvious once it’s been thought of. The most successful breakthroughs always appear to be self-evident once they’ve been introduced. How many times have you exclaimed “I knew it!” or “I thought of that!” when you’ve been confronted with the Next Big Thing?
As a “motivational speaker”, I talk to more people face-to-face than almost anyone I know. In 2012, I have spoken to over 25,000 people representing 50 different companies from all over the world. They are the best and the brightest but they want to get better. They are winning but they’re scared of losing. They love what they do but they’re willing to go through pain. They control their destiny but they embrace uncertainty. They’re probably just like you. That’s why you’re reading this.
Here’s my blinding flash of the Obvious: the Stars have conditioned themselves to do three things as a matter of habit.
Firstly, Stars do things differently. They understand that routine doesn’t cut it anymore. Automatic pilot won’t get them to their destination. They constantly redefine their role, no matter what industry they’re in. In fact, I see some of the greatest ingenuity in the most regulated industries. The tighter their constraints, the more creative Stars become. But they are not geniuses. They do not take quantum leaps forward. And they don’t have more resources than their peers.
Stars immerse themselves in their realities. They change ahead of change. They compete with themselves. They make the small things big because those are the things they can influence every day. They play offense with the future not defense with the past. They imagine what can be done with what they have, and then they do it. They’re not concerned with the odds against them. They know what kind of forces are with them.
Secondly, Stars talk to more people. They are always reaching out to others. It doesn’t matter whether they’re introverts or extroverts; they talk to the people who will help them win. In fact, some of the most connected people I know are the most understated. They’re also the most open-minded. The only ideologies they embrace are the ones that work. They bring their A-Game to every conversation. They’re always on when they need to be on. They don’t need to be right, they just need to be relevant. They know that the best ideas form themselves one dot at a time.
Stars enjoy talking to others, and their joy is reciprocated. They earn face-time because they produce a high ROT – return on time. They build their personal brand one value proposition at a time. They know that alone-time is important but together-time is priceless. The person with the richest perspective makes the best choices.
Stars discipline themselves to spend at least half their time talking to people, especially those people from outside their company and even their industry. They know that when the student is ready, the teacher appears. And they’re always ready.
Thirdly, Stars share everything. They are generous to the point that others consider unwise. They trust everyone within their communities to do the right thing with their gifts. They know that the more open they are, the more they open new networks and opportunities. They seize the new media to broadcast themselves to the planet. They live the mantra, “one action can become a movement.”
Chris Anderson, founder of Wired magazine and TED talks, puts its best in his latest book, Makers – The New Industrial Revolution: “If you do something, video it. If you video something, post it. If you post something promote it to your friends. Projects shared online become inspiration for others and opportunities for collaboration. Individual makers globally connected this way become a movement. Ideas that are shared turn into bigger ideas. Projects once shared become group projects and bigger than any one person would attempt alone. And those projects can become the seeds of products and even industries. The simple act of “making it in public” can become the engine of innovation, even if that was not the intent. It is simply what ideas do: spread when shared.”
That’s it. See the obvious. Live the obvious. Do things differently. Talk to more people. Share everything. Pass it on. This is Mike Lipkin and I approve this message.
