Check out this image …. and the article that it relates to.
I just find this an amazing image that captures and ignites my imagination. Its the type of imagery that makes you wonder what is ‘not possible’ when human ingenuity is unleashed. Human ingenuity combined with passion is so powerful that it can overcome any challenge. Where does this passion come from, well it lies in a purpose and a vision and how they ignite with an individual.
Can you image floating up to the edge of space and then gliding back down. For the entrepreneur who is driving this vision:
“I am somebody driven by big ideas, and space travel is huge”
“… end game is as beautifully simple as the way it takes flight. Seeing the curve of the planet from that altitude will give ordinary folks a similar view to the one that’s held astronauts in thrall since the first manned space mission, one that she hopes will be transformative.” “They will see it for the very first time,” she says, “as this biological entity that we inhabit and depend on.”
So is there a role for big bold ideas in your business, no matter what business you are in? Is there a place to challenge and stretch beyond imagination what is possible? The answer is a big YES.
No matter what business you are in. you need a big bold ideas person. Someone who is always challenging the status quo and coming up with new ideas that makes everyone crazy but at the same time makes everyone think and keeps them on their toes.
Efficiency and the pursuit of profit (through cost reduction) dulls and then deadens competitiveness. Slowly but surely the most successful and profitable businesses lose their edge as they work their ‘proven formula’ of success. Its like they get locked on train tracks and can’t do anything but follow that proven path of success. Often they can’t even see what is happening until they are so far down the track that they can’t come back. Their former customers and the market, and probably their competitiveness, got off those train tracks a long time ago.
Call these people in your organisation mavericks if you like. They are someone who challenges the norm. But they are not simply knockers, that is, someone who is always throwing bricks at everyone else’s ideas but are not contributing anything themselves. They are someone who does not think like everyone else in your business. They are someone who is not afraid of challenging the most sacred paradigms in your business, but they are also someone who is connected with your purpose, vision and most important the needs of your customers.
There has to be a connection between why you exist as an business (your purpose) and these big bold ideas. If not, l believe you won’t be able to respond to them in a effective manner. These mavericks are in fact leading your organisation to the next level, and beyond, of customer value.
But always keep bear in mind the option of ‘parachuting’ this idea out into a new business if its really a great idea that deserves a chance of succeeding.
These mavericks need to be A-Class people and they need to be protected as the ‘status-quo’ will often attack them to preserve what presently exists. They are, I believe, a rare bread and very hard to find but if you want to build a great business then you need this boldness in your business. It may be you at first but as the business grows it will need to be someone else.
So who is your maverick? Enter their name here ………………………………….
