Feb
19th
Fri
19th
They Say I'm Extreme
- They say: I’m extreme.
- I say: I’m a realist.
- They say: I demand too much.
- I say: they accept mediocrity and continuous improvement too readily.
- They say: “We can’t handle this much change:”
- I say: “Your job and career are in jeopardy; what other options do you have?”
- They say: “What’s wrong with a ‘good product’?”
- I say: “Wal-Mart or China or both are about to eat your lunch. Why can’t you provide instead a fabulous experience?”
- They say: “Take a deep breath. Be calm.”
- I say: “Tell it to Wal-Mart. Tell it to China. Tell it to India. Tell it to Dell. Tell it to Microsoft.”
- They say: The Web is a useful tool.
- I say: The Web changes everything. Now.
- They say: “We need an initiative.”
- I say: “We need a dream. And dreamers.”
- They say: Great design is “nice”.
- I say: Great design is necessary.
- They say: “Effective governance is important.”
- I say: Bold, brash boards that are representative of the market served – more than a token woman or two and an empty seat for the “forthcoming Hispanic” – are an imperative. Now.
- They say: “Plan it.”
- I say: “Do it”.
- They say: “We need more steady, loyal employees.”
- I say: “We need more ‘freaks’ who routinely tell those in charge to take a flying leap…before it’s too late.”
- They say: “We need Good People.”
- I say: “We need Quirky Talent.”
- They say: “We like people who, with steely determination, say, ‘I can make it better’.”
- I say: “I love people who, with a certain maniacal gleam in their eye, perhaps even a giggle, say, ‘I can turn the world upside down. Watch me!’”
- They say: “Sure, we need change.”
- I say: We need revolution now.
- They say: “Fast follower.”
- I say: “Battered and bruised leader.”
- They say: “Conglomerate and imitate!”
- I say: “Create and innovate!”
- They say: “Market share.”
- I say: “Market creation.”
- They say: “Improve and maintain.”
- I say: “Destroy and reimagine.”
- They say: “Normal.”
- I say: “Weird.”
- They say: “Happy balance.”
- I say: “Creative tension.”
- They say: They favor a “team that works and lives in harmony.”
- I say: “Give me a raucous brawl among the most creative people imaginable.”
- They say: “Peace, brother.”
- I say: “Bruise my feelings. Flatten my ego. Save my job.”
- They say: “Basic black.”
- I say: “Technicolor rules!”
- They say: “We need happy customers.”
- I say: “Give me pushy, needy, nasty, provocative customers.”
- They say: “We seek Harvard M.B.A.s.”
- I say: “I seek certificate-free ‘Ph.D.S’ from the School of Hard Knocks.”
- They say: They want recruits with “spotless records.”
- I say: “The spots are what matter most.”
- They say: “Integrity is important.”
- I say: “Tell the unvarnished truth, all the time…or take a hike.”
- They say: Diversity is a “good thing.”
- I say: Diversity is breath of fresh, creative air – absolutely necessary for economic salvation in perilous times.
- They say: It’s “daunting.”
- I say: It’s “a hoot.”
- They say: “Zero defects.”
- I say: “A day without a screwup or two is a day pissed away.”
- They say: “Think about it.”
- I say: “Try it.”
- They say: “Plan it.”
- I say: “Test it.”
- They say: “Radical change takes a decade.”
- I say: “Radical change takes a minute.”
- They say: “Times are changing.”
- I say: “Everything has already changed. Tomorrow is the first day of your revolution…or you’re toast.”
- They say: “We can’t all be revolutionaries.”
- I say: “Why not?”
- They say: “We can’t all be a brand.”
- I say: “Why not?”
- They say: This is just a rant.
- I say: This is just reality.
- From: Seth Godin’s The BigMoo (via JM)