The Top Click Moments of 2012

The world is random

@Frans_Johansson

Predictability has plummeted to an all-time low. In fact, expert predictions and strategies are fast becoming obsolete.

This means predictability has plummeted to an

all-time low. In fact, pundit predictions and strategies are

fast becoming obsolete

Today, success doesn’t come from a

well planned strategy, but rather

a moment when luck and preparation

collide: A click moment.

Here are the top “click moments” of 2012

Jeremy Lin

A mix of bad luck and good fortune spread ‘Linsanity’ across America. Every team passed on Lin during the 2010 NBA draft, and he spent two uneventful years around the league. But in 2012, a slew of fluke injuries hit the New York Knicks and Lin found a home. Within weeks the undrafted point guard with zero Division 1 scholarship offers hit the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Baylor College of Medicine set out to cure cancer, but they discovered a more lucrative drug: male birth control. The compound was developed to attack cancer causing genes, but researchers found that it blocked sperm from reaching maturity instead. Nearly 20 years ago Pfizer was also surprised by the side effects of its angina drug, which became the fastest selling blockbuster drug in history: Viagra.

Male Birth Control

50 Shades of Grey

After reading Twilight, a 40-something television executive was inspired to write a fan fiction story. Erika Leonard had never written a book before, but her first draft would become the bestselling book of 2012: 50 Shades of Grey. It didn’t take her 10,000 hours to become the most successful writer of the year. Just an idea and, well, passion.

Recovers.org

On June 1st, a tornado hit Munson, Massachusetts. Relief volunteers showed up, but were turned away due to a lack of planning. Two sisters took it upon themselves to coordinate a response. “On June 1st we weren't disaster experts,” they said later, “but on June 3rd we started faking it.” The result was Recovers.org a website that allows communities to organize their own relief plan. A commenter on TED summed it up best, “It took two amateurs to show FEMA how to do its job.”

KONY 2012

Who would have thought that a 30-minute online documentary about an African warlord would garner over 112 million views on YouTube and force Congress to appropriate funds to a previously unknown Humanitarian disaster? The idea revolutionized both non-profits and international aid.

Pinterest

In 2010, Ben Silbermann and Evan Sharp met for a friendly beer. They discovered that they shared an interest in collecting. They thought, “Why not develop a way to digitally display your collections?” Despite no background in programming the duo would found Pintrest, one of the web’s fastest growing social networks. In 2012 it became mainstream.

The 47 Percent

“There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what…who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims...These are people who pay no income tax…and so my job is not to worry about those people.”

Ironically, Romney received just 47% of the popular vote.

Rodworks

Rodworks was a boutique iron works shop with stores across a handful of states. Last year they didn’t have an online shopping cart, but today they are a story of the power of social networks. A Pinterest user built a table and placed an Ironworks rod above it. Users spread the unique art across Pinterest and afterwards, an onslaught of media coverage followed.

Create your own click moment in 2013

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CLICK MOMENT NEWSLETTER AND RECEIVE A FREE COPY OF THE MEDICI EFFECT

REJECT THE PREDICTABLE PLAN. Chances are that someone else has arrived at the same logical path. Randomness is what will set you apart.

MAKE PURPOSEFUL BETS. You can never be sure your idea will be a winning bet. But if you are sure you can afford the potential loss of each, and have the passion to keep making them, randomness will favor you in the end.

HARNESS COMPLEX FORCES. Unintended consequences, unanticipated cascade effects, self-reinforcing loops—there are many forces swirling around us that are not taught in business school. We can make these mysterious phenomena our allies.

CREATE A COLLISION-PRONE ENVIRONMENT. The more people and ideas you encounter, the greater chance you have for serendipity to strike.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CLICK MOMENT NEWSLETTER AND RECEIVE A FREE COPY OF THE MEDICI EFFECT

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CLICK MOMENT NEWSLETTER AND RECEIVE A FREE COPY OF THE MEDICI EFFECT

“Here’s a great new idea: get this book...it is a terrific read, smartly researched, full of stories you find yourself repeating to others.” —MANAGEMENT TODAY

“He obliterates the idea that success comes from analysis or planning or strategy, and suggests that it has much more to do with serendipity or randomness than we'd like to believe.” — WIRED

“Consider this book the millennial response to carpe diem... A bit of science, a lot of psychology, a touch of wannabe Malcolm Gladwell, and the courage to click.” — BOOKLIST

“The Click Moment is an informed and measured account. — FINANCIAL TIMES

@Frans_Johansson

Image Credits

London Olympics 2012Jeremy Lin

Mitt RomneyPinterest

DrugsFlooded Taxis