It seems strange to think that Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away, but we are now eyeing the year-end holiday season.
This is traditionally my slow time of the year, when I get to plan for the new year and get some writing done, but thanks to the continued popularity of the Repeatable Successful Acts platform and the One Level Above Expectation strategy, I will find myself 
on the road working with clients just about until you can hear sleigh bells. November has me headed to some cold parts of the country with trips to Minneapolis, Milwaukee, New York and San Francisco. It's hard for a Texan to think "sweaters."
One of my constant challenges is to keep my current topics up to date with cutting edge examples to support my ideas. This requires a steady diet of research, of culling sources for the most impactful information available. In October I presented the UPSIDE DOWN THINK program, and there was a person in the audience who had seen it in September. He came up to me after the program a
nd expressed amazement that it was practically a new program. I am often asked where I get my material and thought I would share that with you:
- TWITTER: By following some of the great thinkers out there I find that Twitter can act as a fantastic source of information. Try following Guy Kawasaki and Mark Clayson. If you are not using Twitter as a resource, GET STARTED! It's FREE – www.twitter.com
- SEEKING ALPHA: My friend Bill turned me on to this financial news web site where you can customize your search to form a daily email – www.seekingalpha.com
- FAST COMPANY Magazine: I read this publication, in its traditional hard copy form, cover to cover. It is well-produced and easy to read. Sign up at www.fastcompany.com
- WIRED Magazine: More technical than Fast Company, but a great resource for cutting edge ideas. Sign up at www.wired.com
Those are four good sources to get your brain moving!
The Law of the Paradox of the Anomaly
By denying scientific principles, one may maintain any paradox. -Galileo
Business success is built on modeling, the process of repeated aspects of formal and informal processes. There are literally thousands of business models in play around the world. A good example is the "Bait and Hook" model. This 20th century example is familiar to everyone. Provide a basic product at a low price then charge a recurring fee for associated products or services. Get the Razor cheap, but pay out the nose for the blades. Get an inexpensive cell phone but pay a high price for minutes. My favorite is to buy the incredible multi-functional printer for a song and watch the investment in ink cartridges add up. The idea is that a model has value in its ability to be replicated. Models are recipes, kind of like baking. In baking you need to be precise in your measurements, temperatures and times to make the end product delicious…every time you bake it.
But, there are paradoxes to the idea of repeatable models, true processes that lead to contradictions. Don't think of baking, but think of cooking gumbo: a little bit of this and a little bit of that, a pinch of this and a smidge of that.
The new idea of how things are done often flies in the face of tradition. Here are a couple of ways to see the power of the paradox:
COMPLEXITY SUCKS: Harvard Professor Richard Levins writes, "Too many parameters lead to insoluble equations, and besides, the results would have no meaning even if they could be solved." There is no subject I stress more than simplicity. I use a model of "thoughtful reduction" based on a maximum of three parts. Simplicity is a key to many of the paradox models in play. From the elegant interface of Apple's hardware to the structure of internet shoe giant Zappos, simple is a substantive goal. Companies that can map out a simple connection to value can create models that operate just outside the norm. But be warned, here's what "simple" isn't: EASY.
SIMPLICITY HAS TO WORK: It's not just a matter of reducing, it's a matter of WORKING! Comedian Stephen Wright tells the story of buying a map of the US at actual scale. "It took me all summer to fold it." Though highly simple and accurate at 1:1 scale, the map is not very practical. Simple has to work. Adam Smith in The Wealth of Nations saw the difficulty in connecting value. He saw it as the "value of use" vs. the "value of exchange." In his Water/Diamond Paradox Smith showed that water, which is critical in the equation of use, creates little economic value, so it was free. Diamonds, however, lack real value of use yet have a high value of exchange. This paradox of value gave rise to over 60 pages in Smith's epic economic treatise published in 1776. Bottom line: simple has to make sense within the context of your business and YOUR definition of value.
Here are a few simple paradox examples:
HITACHI TRACK BALL TV REMOTE: Why are all TV remotes the same, about 47 tiny buttons, of which we use about seven? Hitachi has attacked this model with a simple roller ball prototype that connects directly with an intelligent TV screen interface. It is a contrary idea to every remote out there. A real paradox of design and simplicity.
LOCOPOPS: Taking the Popsicle to a new level. North Carolina-based Locopops has taken a very simple and paradoxical journey into selling unique, exciting, and delicious popsicles. They have a wonderfully simple retail model directly connected to their web strategy. This direct connection gives a complete and simple client experience. Popsicles are now way cool! Look 'em up.
NIKE: Get rid of the "crap." When Mark Parker took over as CEO of Nike he got a call from Apple emperor Steven Jobs. Parker asked for a little advice and Jobs told him this, "You make products people lust after, stunning products of function and design, but you also have a lot of crap. Get rid of the crap and focus on the stunning." Apple carries less than 30 products.
You can find your model. You can build your own paradox, a contradiction to the status quo of your field.
It's about finding your "simple ground," and then not just holding it, but advancing it.
Crowdsourcing: Now in beta, UK-based Myoo Create ("Myoo" is short for "me" and "you") aims to help organizations put the crowds to work solving environmental and social challenges. Organizations begin by signing up with the site and posting a challenge they'd like to see solved. They also offer a specific prize for the best solution. The Myoo Create community then brainstorms and submits solutions to the challenge, which then become available for evaluation, voting and feedback from other participants on the site. The process varies with each contest, but generally there's one prize for the crowd favorite, while the ultimate winner is selected with the input of expert judges. Organizations involved so far include Levi Strauss & Co. and National Geographic.
NBA Twitters: The NBA's New York Knicks are one of the best "social media-represented" teams in all of pro sports. The Knicks, with 11 players active on Twitter, are using social media to connect to fans. This is quite a reversal from a year ago when players were banned from saying anything in public. What's your social media policy? Do you connect to your clients using every tool possible?
US Home Sales on the Rise: In September, US existing home sales jumped 10% to 4.53 million. This rise is the largest on record. Now we are still far from a healthy home sales market, but recent months have shown positive signs for this lynchpin measurement of economic health.
Interested in these ideas?
FOLLOW STEVE ON TWITTER.COM —
CREATIVEVENTURE
FOLLOW STEVE ON FACEBOOK.COM —
STEPHEN HARVILL
You can contact Steve at steve@creativeventures.com or give him a call at 972-490-7717.
See more at creativeventures.com and stephenharvill.com
