This is an important talk about how A (art) is often forgotten when people talk about the core subjects of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics that often provide a gateway to higher level jobs. Art may not necessarrily have a reputation for higher level jobs, but people who are creative often make the most difference. There are a lot of CEOs who have high levels of creativity. I’ll let John Maeda explain better…
I wanted to share this video because of how jam-packed it is with inspiration and nuggets of knowledge. John’s call-to-action for the entire school is both inspiring and daunting, however, in his speech he makes it feel welcoming and possible. I hope that you can take the time to listen and possibly be inspired by this speech.
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This video will inspire you no matter where you work or what you do.
Please enjoy.
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Beauty has a tone. Its not a tone you hear with your ears or see with your eyes, but one you realize upon reflection. When the passion of the creator emanates from the piece, you are experiencing a truly great work of art.
Once again, I’ve come across another T.E.D. talk that really resonates with me. The talk was by Rory Sutherland. He speaks of how companies who “sweat the small stuff” by paying attention to detail in their business actually get a greater response from their customers than companies who throw large amounts of money at really big and expensive ideas.
He goes on to talk about how people, companies, or governments who have really big budgets, tend to look toward really big and expensive ideas because they believe in the premise that big budgets an big ideas are what moves progress and drives customer response. He then proceeds to show examples where companies have paid attention to the smaller details, spent much less money, and created ten times the customer response. The impact of which was a positive and memorable customer experience.
I agree, and believe the idea of sweating the small stuff is important to understand for any business or organization. Also, like Rory, I would be interested to find out if someone can come up with a word to fit the model he created for his talk. I have re-created it below.
Whats the word for the greatest impact at the smallest price?
The word should define the process of creating ideas which have the greatest impact but cost the least amount of money.
I would encourage you to listen to his talk, think about the concept, and try and come up with the mystery word for that model. Also, try and think how in your life, or business you can incorporate this idea of sweating the small stuff.
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Why do you do what you do? Why do you believe what you believe? These are all questions we should be asking ourselves whether we are running a company, or living our individual lives. I believe that people really need to focus on why they are doing what they do and less on the results of what they do (paycheck/profit/gratification/acceptance).
Simon Sinek really wraps it up perfectly in this T.E.D. talk, and I couldn’t put it better. I would recommend that anyone who owns a company or is in a position of leadership to watch this video. In fact, I would wish that everyone watch the video.
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Often when we get upset about something it can put a serious damper on our mood. Sometimes our bad mood can last all day, and consequently bring down the mood of others around us. Nobody likes being around someone who is upset and being avoided is sometimes the trigger that puts us in a worse mood. Here is a great article about the anatomy of upsets. The article explains how recognizing the true cause of our upset can often help get us out of a bad mood and therefore start feeling better which, in turn, should keep the people we care about around us.
I have begun to focus on how I set and achieve goals. I have begun to make them concrete, such as, “I will have 10 up-to-date quality portfolio pieces by July 14th, 2010″. I set that goal 2 weeks ago. Since then I have one out of ten complete. It is amazing how focused you can become when you make your goals attainable and specific. I am also beginning to renew my focus on my own personal growth. It is all about doing and being in action, and less about comparing yourself to the success of others.
Andrea put it very well in her recent blog post and I recommend everyone read her entry.
You can see it here: Andrea’s Perspective
Spoiler Alert: I love her ending. It is something my chiropractor quoted to me a few weeks ago when we were discussing how I was ‘trying’ to do the stretching he was recommending. “No. Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.” - YODA
I hope you are all working hard at stopping all the trying, and beginning to start the doing!
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