Provoke

&PROVOKE

THE TITLE ON MY BUSINESS CARD IS PLANNING DIRECTOR. BUT, WHAT THE DOES THAT MEAN EXACTLY? WELL, I’M IN THE ACCOUNT PLANNING DEPARTMENT. SO, WHAT DO ACCOUNT PLANNERS ACTUALLY DO? WELL, I GUESS THAT’S A MATTER OF WHO YOU SPEAK WITH. AND I AM WITHOUT A DOUBT THAT IF YOU YOU ASK 100 PEOPLE YOU’LL GET 100 DIFFERENT ANSWERS…. AND EVERY ONE, EXCEPT FOR MINE, IS WRONG – MAYBE YOU’LL AGREE AT THE END OF THIS.   I WANT TO RENAME THE ACCOUNT PLANNING DEPARTMENT THE AGENCY PROVOCATEUR DEPARTMENT. I THINK THAT AGENCY PROVOCATEURS IS A MORE APT TITLE AS TO WHAT I BELIEVE THAT WE DO, OR SHOULD DO. I BELIEVE THAT IT IS OUR JOB TO LOOK AT EVERYTHING THAT OUR AGENCY DOES AND TOUCHES WITH A SENSE OF ‘WHAT IF’. FROM BRAND POSITIONING, MEDIA, CONNECTIONS, CONTENT, CREATIVE, CLIENT INTERACTION, NEW BUSINESS, INTERNAL STRUCTURE/HIERARCHY, WHATEVER…. ‘WHAT IF…’ POSE THAT QUESTION TO EVERY PROJECT THAT YOU WORK ON. NOW S E E WHERE YOU CAN GO AND HOW GROUNDBREAKING IT WILL BE.   THIS ISSUE OF & IS DEDICATED TO THE EVOLUTION, OR REVOLUTION DEPENDING ON HOW FAST THIS CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED, OF THE PLANNING DISCIPLINE. I WANT TO INSTIGATE A CHANGE… A NEW MANNER IN WHICH WE WORK TOGETHER AND AN EXPLICIT WAY THAT PEOPLE SEE US AND WHAT WE BRING TO THE TABLE. SO LET THE PROVOCATION COMMENCE.

DON’T WAIT FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO MAKE A CHANGE. IF YOU WANT SOMETHING, MAKE IT HAPPEN. IF YOU DON’T LIKE SOMETHING, CHANGE IT. IF YOU ARE HELD DOWN, FIGHT BACK. WE ARE OUR OWN HIGHEST HURDLE. AND ONCE WE’VE OVERCOME OURSELVES, WE CAN ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING.

LEAD A REVOLUTION

SUBTLETY NEVER GETS YOU ANYWHERE LOOK HOW THE INDIANS DID WITH THEIR SOFT STEPPING WHILE THE EUROPEANS CAME IN FIRING GUNS. IF YOU WANT SOMETHING, YOU HAVE TO GO AFTER IT FULL STEAM AND ENSURE THAT EVERYONE AROUND YOU KNOWS WHAT YOU’RE GOING AFTER. BE BOMBASTIC, BUT BE RESPECTFUL. KNOW WHERE YOU WANT TO TAKE SOMETHING AND THEN LEAD THE CONVERSATION THAT WAY. HAVE COMMITMENT AND TAKE CHARGE. DON’T LET SOFT, SMALL MINDED PEOPLE UNDERMINE YOU OR YOUR CHARGE. IN THE WORDS OF THE GREAT TEDDY ROOSEVELT, ‘WALK TALL AND CARRY A BIG STICK’.

GIVE ME AN INCH AND I’LL KNOCK YOU OVER WHILE I TAKE A MILE

‘WHAT IF’ IT’S NOT ‘WHY’ OR ‘WHY NOT’ IT SHOULD ALWAYS BE

‘WHY’ AND ‘WHY NOT’ TOO OFTEN START FROM A NEGATIVE OR DEFEATIST ATTITUDE. THEY ARE USED TO ELEVATE A PLATFORM THAT THE ASKER DEEMS UNWORTHY, UNFINISHED OR JUST PLAIN INACCURATE. THEY ARE STATEMENTS THAT ARE MEANT TO JUXTAPOSE OR COUNTER THE CURRENT WAY OF THINKING. ‘WHAT IF’ IS A CONSTRUCTIVE STATEMENT. ‘WHAT IF WE TRY ____?’ ‘WHAT IF WE TALK WITH ____?’ ‘WHAT IF WE CREATE ____?’ IT’S ABOUT ADDING TO THE CONVERSATION OR IDEA. GOING SOMEWHERE THAT HASN’T BEEN EXPLORED YET. DREAMING AND INSTIGATING NEW WAYS OF THINKING.

WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS

,

YOU CANNOT LEAD A REVOLUTION BY GIVING SPEECHES… AT SOME POINT YOU HAVE TO GRAB A GUN AND HEAD OFF TO BATTLE. STOP TALKING ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE WRONG OR YOU’RE FRUSTRATED WITH. RATHER, GET OUT THERE, DO SOMETHING… DO ANYTHING THAT WILL MAKE PEOPLE TAKE NOTICE AND SEE THE WORLD IN THE SAME WAY YOU DO. BY SEEING YOU IN ACTION, OTHERS WILL FOLLOW. NOBODY WANTS TO BE THE FIRST, SO YOU HAVE TO LEAD.

STOP TALKING START DOING

POKE THE BEAR

IN ORDER TO CHANGE THE WORLD, YOU NEED TO CREATE CHAOS.

CREATE CHAOS

SOMETIMES YOU’RE GOING TO PISS PEOPLE OFF. THAT’S GOOD. IT MEANS YOU’RE TAKING THEM TO A PLACE THAT THEY FEEL A BIT UNCOMFORTABLE. A PLACE THAT THEY HAVEN’T BEEN BEFORE. A PLACE THAT IS UNEXPECTED AND PROBABLY A BIT DISRUPTIVE TO THEIR USUAL WAY OF BEING.

PUSH BUTTONS

THE FOLLOWING TWO PAGES ARE ICONS WHO TOOK THE WORLD BY STORM, NEVER APOLOGIZED FOR DO ING WHAT THEY FELT WAS R IGHT AND CONSISTENTLY BEHAVED IN A MANNER THAT WAS TRUE TO THEMSELVES… I’M JUST SAYING…

EVERY ONE OF US HAS A QUIRKINESS. BUT, TOO OFTEN WHEN WE WALK THROUGH THE DOORS OF THE AGENCY (OR WHEREVER YOU WORK), THAT QUIRKINESS SUCCUMBS TO NEED TO BE PART OF CORPORATE AMERICA. BUT THE ISSUE WITH THAT IS… OUR QUIRKINESS IS WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE, RELEVANT, CREATIVE AND DISRUPTIVE. IT IS WHAT PUSHES OUR INTERNAL, INNOVATIVE BUTTONS THAT REVOLUTIONIZE THE WORLD IN WHICH WE LIVE. WITHOUT THAT QUIRKINESS, WE WOULD ALL BE LEMMINGS FOLLOWING WHAT HAS BEEN DONE FOR YEARS… NEVER CHANGING, NEVER PUSHING, NEVER CREATING THE NEXT BIG THING THAT WILL MAKE ALL OF OUR LIVES BETTER. SO I SAY, RELISH IN YOUR QUIRK. BE WHO YOU ARE. NEVER FOLLOW AND ALWAYS LOOK TO BE UNIQUE AND DIFFERENT. BECAUSE THAT SENSE OF QUIRK IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE STATUS QUO AND THE DISRUPTI QUO.

RELISH YOUR QUIRK

NEVER DO ANYTHING TWICE

DON’T STEAL OXYGEN IF YOU’RE NOT HELPING, GET OUT. IF THERE IS NO REASON FOR YOU TO BE IN A PARTICULAR PLACE OR CONVERSATION – MEANING YOU ARE NOT EITHER EDUCATING YOURSELF OR ADDING VALUE, THEN GET UP, LEAVE AND FIND ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY THAT YOU CAN MAKE AN IMPACT ON.

DON’T ASK WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS. ASK WHAT MAKES YOU COME ALIVE AND GO DO IT. BECAUSE WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS IS PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME ALIVE. H. THURMAN

TOO OFTEN WE, AS PLANNERS, LIVE AND BREATHE BY THE GOOGLE SEARCH. UNGOOGLE YOURSELF AND GO OUT AND SEARCH THE WORLD FOR YOURSELF. SEE ALL THE GREAT THINGS THAT IT HAS TO OFFER. LIVE… PLAY… EXPLORE…

UNGOOGLE YOURSELF

GREAT IDEAS HAPPEN WHEN YOU JUST LET GO THE OLD ADAGE THAT A WATCHED POT NEVER BOILS IS TRUE FOR SO MUCH MORE THAN COOKING. STARING AT A BLANK PIECE OF PAPER FOR HOURS WILL GET YOU ABSOLUTELY NOWHERE. IN ORDER TO CREATE, YOU HAVE TO LET YOUR UNCONSCIOUS PLAY. LET IT GO WILD. RELEASE THE KRAKEN. WE HAVE TRAINED OURSELVES AS A SOCIETY TO FOCUS ON A PROBLEM AND IN TIME A SOLUTION WILL COME. BUT IN THE CREATIVE WORLD, THIS IS THE ABSOLUTE REVERSE. IF YOU LOCK YOUR MIND DOWN, THEN YOU WILL STEW AND HINDER YOUR THINKING. BUT, IF YOU JUST BE FREE, YOU WILL UNCOVER SOMETHING THAT YOU NEVER EXPECTED.

STOP TAKING YOURSELF SO SERIOUSLY LIFE’S JUST TOO SHORT TO BE SERIOUS ALL THE TIME. SO PLAY. HAVE FUN. DANCE A LITTLE JIG EVERY ONCE AND A WHILE. SHAVE YOUR HEAD. EAT SOMETHING YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO. REENACT THE FRESH PRINCE VERSION OF TONTO. TELL JOKES. WEAR A COSTUME. SING ALONG TO PAULA ABDUL… WHATEVER. JUST STOP TAKING YOURSELF SO SERIOUSLY.

PROVE YOUR IMPORTANCE THERE IS A REASON YOU’RE IN THE ROOM. MAKE PEOPLE REALIZE WHY. MAKE THEM REMEMBER WHAT YOU CONTRIBUTED.

IT WILL NEVER BE PERFECT THERE IS NOTHING PERFECT IN THIS WORLD… SO STOP TRYING TO PERFECT WHATEVER YOU’RE WORKING ON. JUST PUT DOWN WHAT YOU LIKE AND THINK IS RIGHT WHEN IT’S IN A GOOD PLACE. BECAUSE ONCE YOU’VE MADE IT, IT WILL BE GREAT. AND IT WILL BE DONE. PEOPLE WILL SEE IT AND BE INSPIRED. PEOPLE WILL WANT TO SEE MORE OF WHAT YOU CREATED. THEY WILL WANT TO CREATE THEIR OWN. AND PEOPLE WILL TRY TO MAKE THEIRS AS GOOD AS YOUR GOOD. AND THAT WILL MAKE YOURS GREAT.

JUXTAPOSITION YOU NEED A NEGATIVE CHARGE TO ENTICE A POSITIVE CHARGE. ONE BEGETS THE OTHER. A COUNTER BALANCE OF SORTS.

DESTROY

CONSTRUCT

FIGHT

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FINISHER. DOER AND DONER. COMPLETER. MAKER. CREATOR. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WERE CALLED ONE, ANY, ALL OF THESE WORDS? WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU FINISHED SOMETHING? ACCOMPLISHED WHAT YOU SET OUT TO DO? COMPLETED A TASK THAT YOU BEGAN? TOO MANY OF US START A PROJECT AND NEVER FOLLOW THROUGH. NEVER FINISH. GIVE UP FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER. WE FORGET ABOUT WHAT WE SET OUT TO DO. WE GET SIDE TRACKED. WE JUST PROCRASTINATE UNTIL WE FORGET WHY WE EVEN BEGAN A PROJECT. BE AN ACCOMPLISHER. A FINISHER. A DONER. A COMPLETER.

ACCOMPLISHER

GREAT MINDS DO NOT THINK ALIKE HOW MANY GREAT IDEAS HAVE COME FROM THINKERS WHO THINK THE SAME. GREAT IDEAS COME FROM DIVERSE THINKING THAT PUSHES MINDS TO PUSH EACH OTHER. IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD, FIND A GROUP OF DIVERSE MINDS WHO ALL SHARE A PASSION. INVITE PEOPLE WHO HAVE SUCH DIVERSE APPROACHES TO THEIR THOUGHT PROCESS. PEOPLE WHO WILL ARGUE, FIGHT AND ESCALATE TENSION. LET THEM PLAY TOGETHER. LET THEM THINK ABOUT HOW THEY WOULD ACHIEVE A SOLUTION TO A PROBLEM. THEY WILL USE THEIR DIVERGENCIES TO GO WHERE NO ONE HAS GONE BEFORE. BECAUSE NO ONE HAS EVER THOUGHT OF THAT ISSUE IN THAT MANNER BEFORE. GREAT MINDS DO NOT THINK ALIKE. AND GREAT REVOLUTIONS CAN NEVER BE DUPLICATED.

UNREST IS A MISSION. BUT PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE. YOU MUST REALIZE THAT THE TITANIC COULDN’T CHANGE IT’S COURSE, AND IT SANK. BUT THINK ABOUT HOW LONG IT WOULD HAVE ACTUALLY TAKEN FOR THE TITANIC TO MANEUVER AROUND THAT ICEBURG. BIG CHANGES TAKE TIME. THOSE WHO SUCCEED IN LEADING THOSE CHANGES UNDERSTAND THAT. THE STATUS QUO HAS BEEN IN PLACE FOR A LONG TIME FOR A REASON AND PEOPLE ARE COMFORTABLE WITH THE WAY THINGS ARE… CHANGING A WAY OF BEING IS DIFFICULT AND HUMANS FOR THE MOST PART ARE NOT INCLINED TO CHANGE. SO, TAKE YOUR TIME… LEAD BY EXAMPLE. SHOW HOW YOUR IDEAS WILL WORK BETTER. CARRY A BIG STICK, BUT WALK SOFTLY.

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE

NEVER STOP MOVING. IT’S A SIMPLE CONCEPT. WE SEE IT ALL OVER THE WORLD, WHEN YOU DELAY, YOU DIE. SURE, THERE’S CREDENCE IN STOPPING TO SMELL THE ROSES AND/OR STOPPING TO MULL THINGS OVER. BUT, IN THE BUSINESS WORLD, WHEN YOU DELAY, YOU DIE. SOMEONE WITH JUST AS GOOD OF AN IDEA WILL COME ALONG AND SHOWCASE THEIR WORK, THEN YOU ARE SECOND-FIDDLE, PRESENTING AN IDEA THAT’S NOT NOVEL, NOT REVOLUTIONARY, NOT PUSHING THE STATUS QUO… JUST ANOTHER IDEA THAT CAME SECOND. THE SOLUTION… WHEN YOU HAVE AN IDEA, MAKE IT GOOD, GET IT OUT THERE AND THEN PERFECT IT. BECAUSE WHEN YOU DELAY, YOU DIE.

DELAY DIE =

WHEN YOU STARE AT SOMETHING FOR LONG ENOUGH, ALL YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU THINK YOU SEE. ONE OF THE GREATEST FAULTS WE HAVE AS HUMANS IS CONDITIONING. WE ARE CONDITIONED IN EVERYTHING WE DO. WE ARE TRAINED. WE SEE WHAT WE’RE TOLD TO SEE. WE DO WHAT WE’RE TOLD TO DO. WE BELIEVE WHAT WE’RE TOLD TO BELIEF. BUT, SOMETIMES WE NEED AN OUTSIDE INFLUENCE TO COME IN AND PROVIDE A DIFFERENT MANNER OF BEING. A NEW SET OF EYES TO SEE SOMETHING THAT WE MAY BE OVERLOOKING. A NEW WAY OF WORKING THAT COULD TAKE US DOWN A DIFFERNET PATH. A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON THE USUAL.

PERSPECTIVE

WHILE IT’S IMPORTANT TO BRING IN OUTSIDE INFLUECERS TO PROVIDE A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE… WE NEED TO TRAIN OURSELVES TO THINK DIVERGENTLY. TO FIND NEW PERSPECTIVES. TO SEE THE FOREST FOR THE TREES. WITH THIS IN MIND, TRY A FEW ‘EXERCISES’… ONE OF THE MOST STATUS QUO ACTIVITIES THAT EVERY ONE OF US PARTICIPATES IN IS THE MORNING ROUTINE. AND WHILE IT’S VERY DIFFICULT FOR MANY OF US TO BREAK OUR ROUTINE, BECAUSE ROUTINES ARE OFTEN SET FOR REASONS… TRY A FEW THINGS OUT. •  NEXT TIME YOU’RE AT THE GROCERY STORE, FIND A CEREAL THAT YOU’VE NEVER EATEN BEFORE,

BUY IT AND BREAK IT OUT RANDOMLY. •  BRUSH YOUR TEETH WITH YOUR ‘OFF-HAND’. •  TAKE A DIFFERENT ROUTE TO WORK. •  SPEND 30 SECONDS JUST SMILING AT YOURSELF IN THE MIRROR. THEN SMILE AND SAY GOOD

MORNING TO 25 PEOPLE.

EXERCISES …

BE YOUR OWN PERSON. STOP SHOPPING AT THE GAP. BE YOUR OWN MAN. HAVE YOUR OWN IDEAS. DON’T WEAR KHAKI.

KHAKI IS CONFORMITY

ANYTHING THAT CAN BE DREAMT

CAN BE BUILT

DON’T DREAM IT, BE IT

DO NOT COMPLY WE MAY NOT AGREE ON THE TOPIC AT HAND, BUT THAT’S OKAY. LET’S BUILD ON THAT. BUT, LET’S NOT COMPROMISE OR CONFORM TO EACH OTHERS IDEAS. RATHER, LET’S FIND SOMETHING GREAT ABOUT EACH AND USE THAT TO PROVOKE A SOMETHING ENTIRELY NEW.

IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A CHANGE THEN MAKE A CHANGE THE ONLY THING HINDERING YOU FROM DOING WHAT YOU WANT TO DO IS YOU. IF YOU REALLY WANT SOMETHING, TAKE THE REINS AND CHARGE FULL FORCE AHEAD. THE MOTTO THAT I’VE ALWAYS LIVED BY IS DO WHAT YOU THINK IS RIGHT AND BEG FORGIVENESS LATER. BUT, YOU HAVE TO HAVE GUMPTION AND INTEGRITY… BECAUSE IF YOU CHARGE FORTH IN HASTE, THEN YOU’LL BUMP ALONG, HITTING EVERY POTHOLE AND HINDERANCE YOU ENCOUNTER ALONG THE WAY. SO, MAKE YOUR CHANGE. DO YOUR DEED. BREAK THAT STATUS QUO AND LEAD THAT REVOLUTION.

THINK THE IMPOSSIBLE IF SOMEONE SAYS YOU CAN’T DO SOMETHING… TAKE IT AS A CHALLENGE. PROVE THEM WRONG. GO AND CREATE SOMETHING THAT NO ONE EVER EXPECTED AND NO ONE HAD EVER DREAMED BEFORE.

WE ARE STORYTELLERS

WHAT IS THE NEXT WAY TO TELL YOUR NEXT STORY?

I CAN’T TEACH YOU TO BE CREATIVE… ALL I CAN DO IS HELP YOU REALIZE THAT YOU ARE.