{latest in a developing series on Smashing Paradigms}
For my story-telling explanation of the definition of a Paradigm, see “What is a Paradigm“.
One way of defining a paradigm is “an unconsciously held belief that limits us from fresh thinking” or “we’ve always done it this way”
(c) smasherofficial.com
In Positioning Strategy, you can either choose to go with the market, or go against the market. If you choose the latter, when others “zig”, you “zag”
The degree to which you choose to “zag” though, is very important. You can go slightly away from what everyone else is doing, or you can go radically away.
If, as a leader, you sense that going “radical” is the right path, I strongly encourage you to bring in some outside perspective to challenge your thinking, as the reality is that we typically can’t “think outside the box” when we are in the box already, as it were !
When we are “in the box”, we can’t see outside it, so we will unconsciously limit our thinking.
Recently I was at an event where two businesses were merging and integrating. A repeated phrase used was that they would “raise the bar”. When it was my turn to share my thoughts, I simply said “there is no bar”….
Am not sure anybody understood, but I was referencing what I wrote about in “Smashing Paradigms – Growth Mindset and Pole Vaulting“, in that “The unconscious belief carried by the group was that there is a bar, a limit to what can be achieved.”
There is no bar.
Now, i leave you with two very “zag while others zig” Superbowl campaigns, one very recent, and one that has gone down in history.
I leave it to you to decide how much they Smashed Paradigms, how much they “zagged”.
As you consider these campaigns and your own business, your own leadership, how much do you Zig, and how radically do you Zag ?
The first is a recent campaign by Volvo, where they didn’t even buy an ad. Instead, they encouraged people to tweet about Volvo when OTHER car companies advertised during the Superbowl. Certainly very different and “out of the box” thinking.
https://youtu.be/xZe1rVgT0WE
The second campaign dates back to 1984, and for anybody ever involved in advertising, they know immediately which ad I’m about to show you. Regarded as the greatest TV ad ever, it only ran once. This was the moment Apple challenged the IBM near monopoly on personal computers and they didn’t even mention the product until the last 10 seconds, and they never showed the product.
Now, a bonus. To me, the greatest ad ever wasn’t “1984”, it was another one by Apple, but it shifted Apple from a cult product to a near religious cult. It still gives me goosebumps ever time I watch it.
Here’s to the crazy ones.
In closing, the script of this, a limited edition Gaping Void print of which I bought for two clients and friends in Cayman when Steve Jobs passed away in 2011. You know who you are, and here’s to you, crazy ones !
