Hey everyone, here we go. . . . . .
IN OUR WORLD
Remember the advertising adage; “What happens in Vegas, stay’s in Vegas.” Well, I guess that doesn’t apply to the stomach flu. I brought back the worst case of the stomach yukes in history! I was in bed for three straight days. Even as I type this missive I still have somewhat shaky legs! I get sick about once every 10 years, so I guess I don’t have a lot to complain about, but DAMN!
I know the Eastern part of our country has been slapped silly by snow in the last few weeks, so I feel kind of humble when I mention this, BUT when you get 20 + hours of snow falling out of a Southwest sky, it’s pretty wild. It looks like Aspen in the metroplex. Our city is paralyzed by a dusting, so when you get 4” you just shut the door and hunker down.
I had the great pleasure of my work this week all being in town. So I was able to drag my sorry sick butt around town instead of getting on a plane.
It was fantastic to renew an old relationship and to kick off a new one!
I am now well past 350 movie lists sent out and will pull the little notice next week.
THE ANNUAL TOP 10 AND BOTTOM 5 MOVIES OF 2009 LIST IS READY TO ROLL. SEND ME A NOTE AND I WILL GET YOU A COPY
HEY, YOU CAN FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER –CREATIVEVENTURE
AND ON FACEBOOK – STEPHEN HARVILL!
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
Complexity is like a force of nature. Think of gravity. Gravity is a natural phenomenon by which objects of mass attract one another. Complexity behaves like gravity. Organizations are pulled to it. Ideas are attracted to it. It is seductive and companies often find themselves its victim.
In a series of recent meetings with a couple of clients I have witnessed this natural force attempt to take hold of two completely different strategic plans.
A company embarks on a new idea they are developing the core components that will provide the framework of the idea. I watch and listen as layer upon layer of ideas make it into the plan until it is nearly bursting off the whiteboard. We need to do this. We need to do that. If we do this, then we will need to do that. Soon the discussion has veered away from the overriding goal and side discussions breakout over subsets of ideas. A flipchart sheet is torn off and added to the wall of complexity. Oh the humanity of it all.
This is not a unique story. I see it time and time again. Like gravity, complexity is also POWERFUL. Think about how much energy it takes to break the hold of gravity. Watch a jet plane take off and imagine the force it takes to move that much mass and to “break the surely bonds of earth”.
My value is often the hard fought disciplined method of thinking called THOUGHTFUL REDUCTION. The ability to take critical thought to a process and discover what is and is not of impact to a plan, to an idea. Here are a few simple steps to get you started.
- STOP: Almost everyone can sense when something starts to spin out of control, but they simple don’t know what to do. The answer – STOP. Simple stop the process. Gather everyone’s thoughts and take a short trip down memory lane to rediscover the actual goal of the plan.
- BARRIERS: Barriers are not always bad. Create a barrier to the planning process. You are all familiar with my barrier. It’s the number 3. Nothing gets planned with more than three parts. PERIOD. Three is my “speed of light” number (nothing can go faster than 186,000 miles per second).
Get started with those two in your battle against the evil forces of complexity.
ENTERTAINMENT
MOVIES: From Paris with Love and the Lightning Thief. Illness knocked me out of the movie loop and I have a doubleheader on the agenda for this weekend.
NetFlix Fans: North Dallas Forty: A friend sent me a FANTASTIC book, The Ultimate Book of Sports Movies. I am going to give you the Top 10 during the next few weeks. Here is their choice for # 10
TV: Being sick in bed this week I have actually had my fill of TV. Believe it or not. Oh, I still will watch all my favorites, but I cleared out my DVR backlog. Try The Human Target. It’s really cool.
BOOKS: Y Size Your Business – Dorsey: Lots of people write lots of stuff about the huge gaps that exist in workplace generations. It’s interesting stuff. There are about 80 million “Y’s” out there (folks born between 1980 – 1990). Two key aspects of Dorsey’s definition is the search for learning opportunities and their need for challenges.
MUSIC: Here is someone new to me. I really Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit.
WEB SITES: Another way to get computer vids to your big screen.
SOUTH OF NORMAL
One of my favorite trends to watch is “tryvertise” , where part of the add campaign is the ability to try whatever is being marketed. Think the sample aisle at Costco, but on a more focused level.
25 Degrees Above Celsius is a Singapore based idea that combines a bookstore that sells only cookbooks with a sample kitchen and a café. They pick a book off the shelf and try a recipe then add it to the menu in the café. The idea has hit pay dirt in Singapore and they will be brining the idea to the US in June. Check them out at www.25degreec.com
Drop me a note with your comments at steve@creativeventures.com
Thanks for stopping by and until next time, Adios and Aloha.
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