"Be awesome - Change the world".
It probably comes from several conversations I have had lately with friends about the state of the universe, and my own disappointment over some of the technical progress we have made (or not made) as a species in the past decade. Maybe it is just because we are in January and I typically spend this time of year re-thinking my life choices, reviewing where i sit in the grand scheme of things, and deciding how I am going to improve myself and my environment for the coming year.
I believe it is everyone's responsibility to continually improve, push the envelope, and think outside the conformist box - for themselves and the world at large. Unfortunately, the mainstream world does not really share that view. It has been my experience that progressive thinking and challenging the establishment can actually be detrimental, which is the exact opposite effect that it should have. Creative people should have the freedom to be creative, solve problems, discover solutions without the threat of being thrown back into the conformist box.
I have seen this time and time again with the companies I have consulted for in the past and am thankful to be working with one now that understands the creative mind. Aside from a few select companies I know of, most corporate institutions prefer maintaining the status quo so that they can gauge performance against an even background. This may help managers measure comparative performance and allow human resources to pigeon-hole employees into nice calculation boxes, but it does nothing to grow "people" and expand opportunities.
I understand that there is an element of humanity who are starving for structure and actually like being inside the nicely predefined "box" where everything is known and predictable, but creative people stagnate there. For some people, it is comforting to know that the job starts at nine and ends at five, that there is a performance target to meet, but not really to exceed too much, and that you will only stand out if you are outside that known performance band. Forcing artists, designers, programmers, architects and writers into tightly controlled spaces where there is a predefined start and stop, where free thought is discouraged, is a company killer.
I worked for a software company years ago that was driven by conformity and tightly controlled processes. The workday was defined as nine to five in the office where employees could be constantly monitored for productivity, and working outside that construct was forbidden. The concept worked for many years when it was all about a simple, UNIX character based engine and was very technical in nature, but then the product evolved and we needed artists, writers, and young programmers to develop and deliver the new flagship software to the masses.
- Writers wanted the freedom to write from home where they were comfortable in their surroundings - denied.
- Young programmers played video games to free their minds so they could be more creative and productive in shorter bursts - fired.
- Graphics artists for the user interface and marketing material preferred to work in the early morning when they were most creative, right after crawling out of bed - denied, then replaced.
- Creative managers who understood the needs of these employees bent the rules to help them achieve results - reprimanded then fired or quit.
Then that company died.
Everyone can let out a cheer at this point because the natural order of things is preserved - bad companies and their senior executive who do not understand the creative process will ultimately fail.
The opposite has also been proven to be true. One only needs to look as far as the phenomenal success of Facebook, where the money, structure and corporate order has always been a secondary concern to the creative genius that fuels it. From the CEO to the newest code monkey, from the database guys to the marketing people, they just want to do something cool and when they have achieved coolness, they reach further to see if they can be amazing. That focus has created a $25 Billion empire that is still just trying to create something cool.
Even brick and mortar companies that have been established for a century are recognizing that the world is changing and it is doing so rapidly. The future is being written by 18 year old students in university dorm rooms who do not care for pigeon-holed boxes and traditional corporate structure. There is a whole new breed of entrepreneur on our door step about to make an appearance on centre stage and they are ready to conquer the universe, but unlike their predecessors they have the tools to do it. Companies no longer require walls, desks and front doors, they require rack space, storage volume, and will power. I have had the privilege of working with some of these up and coming professionals and they are a force to be reckoned with… or joined and supported.
So traditional business should take note and react to the needs of the new workforce if they want to survive. If the current establishment does not sit up and take notice, some 18 year old is gong to eat their lunch and they are going to do it at 2AM from their dorm room wearing flip-flops and board shorts.
The key to surviving in the new reality is still rambling around in my head…
"Be awesome - Change the world"
