"Don't tell me what you value. Show me your budget, and I'll tell you what you value." - Vice President Joe Biden's dad
Most people like us agree on a lot of things. For example:
“Climate change is bad. We need to do something.”
“We care about company culture. It's important to help our employees level up so we can stay competitive.”
“Innovation is crucial. We want to be a market leader, and that means taking risks.”
But, interestingly, the minute you present a solution that will save the environment, improve culture, or prompt innovation... Everyone is suddenly nowhere to be found. It’s crickets and tumbleweed.
I meet so many smart, talented non-marketers who still believe their idea should sell itself. I'll break it to you now: no idea ever sells itself. You just don't see the leader behind-the-scenes working hard to make their idea seem to spread "organically."
The host of the Future Tech podcast, Richard Jacobs, interviewed me about why the best innovation doesn't always win. We discussed why technical leaders–scientists, engineers, researchers, innovators–need to embrace storytelling.
“This is policy.”
When someone cites policy on you, it’s hard to push back. It’s a strong frame because the person uttering these three little words has the power of an entire organization behind them. Who are you, a mere mortal, to challenge policy?
Never mind if the policy doesn’t make sense in your situation. Policy is policy.
What can you do? When you’re trying to do something new, you might have to deal with the most dreadful kind of person: a bureaucrat.
Read MoreIf you are pitching ANYTHING–getting funding, getting a meeting with a decision maker, getting picked to win an RFP…
You should assume that your audience is skimming your note. When your memo arrives, most people are busy doing something else.
They are feeling dull, distracted, or cranky. They are scrolling through their phone. They have 15 browser tabs open and running late.
![Make Maps, Don't Just Follow Them [Accidental Creative podcast]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a63ce8249fc2bd3d2b85ef8/1534438445182-V4OQLEPAK4OQPDLQ06Z2/Wes+Kao+Accidental+Creative+podcast.png)
I had the pleasure of being a guest on the Accidental Creative podcast hosted by bestselling author Todd Henry.
Our conversation is relevant if you're a creative, people manager, founder, intrapreneur, or change agent building something new.
On the episode, we dive deeper into:
+ How to embrace map-making as your core mode of operation
+ How to present your ideas so that others can receive them
+ Why it’s important to have a “spiky” point of view
If you’re leading a product launch, at some point, you’ll want to talk to real customers. This is an important step and you should keep a pulse on what people want.
Here is where the problem comes in.
When you’re researching, it’s easy to schedule and execute a bunch of customer development interviews.
You pat yourself on the back and say, “I’m being iterative, putting myself out there, and testing my idea with customers!”
Read MoreMost of us say we want feedback. That is, until we actually get it. Then we get a little defensive:
“Well, actually, what I meant was…”
“I see what you’re saying, but you misunderstood.”
“Really? Because you’re not great at that either!” (A classic.)
These are all ways of saying, “Thanks for your feedback, but you’re wrong." You know how to give feedback... But how good are you at taking it?
Read MoreA deadline doesn't really feel like a deadline until it's inches from your face. That's unfortunate--by that time, you're about to get punched. That feeling quickly spreading is called panic.
You should always feel like there is a deadline looming. "Looming" sounds ominous, but it's not. It's the realization that you'd better be moving forward each day.
There's always a deadline coming up. Even when you think there isn't, you'll soon realize there is--when you're grasping trying to make something happen quickly overnight.
Read MoreIt's a popular idea to delight your customers. But is there a point when you reach diminishing returns? Is there ever a reason to choose intentionally not to delight customers?
Read MoreIf you’re immersed, will you learn by default?
It's easy to think we can absorb through osmosis, that we'll hum along and improve simply because we're present.
But immersion and proximity are not sufficient.
Learning is a result of deliberate thinking. Not osmosis.
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