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The Power of Being Different
Lesson 2: How to
eradicate incrementalism from your life. In the previous lesson we looked at incrementalism, which is basically, gradual improvement, from
a general perspective. One of the conclusions we could draw from that lesson
is, that incrementalism blocks creativity. Well, that is not only the case in
business, but in our private life as well! Although, again, it's not always wrong to perform a step-by-step process in
order to improve a good product or service over time, it should never be a rule
of life to merely improve existing models or patterns and not come up with
something entirely different. If you like games, for instance, you probably
remember how excited you were when the Sony play station came out. This was not
just an improvement of an existing product, but a revolutionary step in
game-playing! Tom Peters encourages his readers in "The Brand You 50" to do some thorough
self-examination in order to find out how they can be different; to discover
the fields in which they distinct themselves from others (p. 102). In this book
Peters also gives a number of very useful tips on how to make sure that you are
injected with fresh ideas regularly, and, hence, eradicate incrementalism from
your life. Here are a few things, derived from that book that will trigger your
creativity: ¯ This
is your life. Your unique journey. Forget what
"they" will say. Do what "you" feel is good. ¯ Ask
yourself: What do I want to be? ¯ Become
your own brand. "Brand You." ¯ Establish
your personal brand; create a Yellow Pages ad for you. What
would you write? ¯ Make
sure that all things you are involved in, are interesting to you. Call them, if
nothing else, like Tom Peters does: WOW
Projects! ¯ Commit yourself fully to The Project Life.
Pursue Mastery. ¯ You -- Brand You -- are a "package." ¯ "Inc." yourself. Become accustomed
to the mindset: I am a company. ¯ Don't
hush anymore; speak out! Brand You is
about what you value! ¯ Work
on your capabilities. Brand You demands
a rich, diverse portfolio of skills. ¯ Be multiple applicable. This will prevent you
from becoming "obsolete." Brand You Warriors wear at least Eight Hats ¯ Paint a compelling, technicolor word picture
of who you are. (In the sessions on
Radicalism, we will get deeper into this part) ¯ Walk the Talk. ("Be the change you want
to see in the world." -- Gandhi) ¯ Turn crummy little tasks into Hopelessly Cool
Projects. It is possible! It depends on your approach toward what you're doing.
If you see it as a positive challenge, you may surprise everyone! ¯ Work with what you've got! Make it a
masterpiece! ¯ You are your portfolio: Think Quality of
Project Portfolio ¯ You are the WOW-ness of every
project. So: Score WOW-ness! ¯ Focus! ¯ You are your Clients I: Brand You is
defined by his/her clients: Who they are. Who they aren't. So:
listen to them! Connect with them! ¯ You are your Rolodex: Make it a habit
to meet interesting people. The freakier, the cooler. And one more thing: be
loyal and credible! ¯ Make
sure you can add to your "product line" (= what you're
excelling in) regularly. ¯ Dare! Daily. ¯ Build your own "Brand You" web site. A really
cool one! ¯ You are your own P.R. agency. For starters:
Join Toastmasters if you need some upgrading. ¯ Work on your Optimism. (Spreaders of doom +
gloom rarely attract followers!) ¯ Renew regularly. ¯ Learn from anyone. Anywhere. Any time.
Become a sponge for Cool Stuff. (Work on exposing yourself to cool stuff.) ¯ Install your own personal "Board of
Directors" with people that you admire and trust. ¯ Be a leader in your own life. ("Leadership"
is independent of formal position. Period.) ¯ Obtain
power. Know how to play politics. Power matters, and stuff that gets done demands superb political skills. ¯ Develop your own marketing plan. We are all
in sales. All the time. You need not only know what your product is, but also,
how you will sell it best! ¯ So what is your product???? ¯ Be
a Free Agent. In every aspect of your life. Take responsibility. Be creative! Be
different!!!! So, this is Tom Peter's book, The
Brand You 50, in a nutshell. If you really want to make sure that you maintain
your creativity and only use incrementalism when it is strategically the wisest
thing to do, you should buy this book and regularly read a couple of pages. It
helps. Self test: Summarize for yourself the most essential lessons you think you have learned
from this session. Save them, and you'll have a great tool for the future. What did we do: Write, in not more than 100 words, what this lecture was about in your
opinion. What have I learned: Summarize in not more than 100 words (your own words) what this information
about incrementalism means to you specifically. How will I apply it: Explain in not more than 200 words how you think you will apply the
knowledge you gained through this lesson in your personal life. You are now ready to become a radicalist!
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