Getting AI to do your work
That’s the first step, certainly. If you don’t, your boss will.
The second step is to take the time you’ve freed up and do work that the AI can’t do.
Better pockets
Every coat needs better pockets.
There are categories of products or services where there’s a universal area for improvement. When in doubt, make the pockets better.
The interesting work is in realizing that you might offer a product or service where there are non-universal preferences. Areas where improvement isn’t valued.
The Birkin bag is not a good value or particularly functional. That’s okay, that’s part of the appeal.
We might not benefit by always focusing on the pockets.
When did we lose consciousness?
In medical TV dramas, losing consciousness is something that happens suddenly and dramatically. We can all tell… the body is still there, but the mind is gone, at least for now.
Unfortunately, this happens in real life. At work. In our personal lives. For a few minutes or even a decade or more.
We stop noticing. We fail to appreciate. Most of all, we stop making decisions.
Sheepwalking.
You probably don’t need a medical intervention. Instead, we simply have to find the guts to wake up.
Choice brings responsibility, and responsibility is often accompanied by fear.
That’s okay. You can’t run a marathon without getting tired, and you can’t do important work when you’re asleep.
PS thanks to everyone who responded to yesterday’s post. We sold way more than half of the limited-edition boxes in less than a day. I apologize that international ordering didn’t work in the morning, but the problem is now fixed. Thanks for your patience.
Celebrating the thousand with a special package
UPDATE! Now sold out.
It took less than 48 hours. Thank you for making it happen.
Original post below:
[Lots of links in this post… US offer is here, international is here.]
Ideas travel horizontally.
Not from the creator to the audience as much as from one person to another.
It’s easy to misunderstand the insight of Kevin Kelly’s 1,000 True Fans. Decades ago he argued that the long tail is fueled by circles of people who lean in and support a creator’s work. 1,000 people who show up when there’s something important going on. 1,000 fans who care enough to enable an individual to create something worthwhile.
That matters. But that’s not what makes it so powerful.
Ideas that spread win.
The 1,000 fans go first, yes, but they also spread the word. Part of the creator’s job is to give the true fans something worth talking about, something that advances their mission.
When we make spreading the word worthwhile, the word gets spread.
Today, I’m launching my new book in a special package to 1,000 people.
Click here for more pictures and to order…
It’s seven copies of the book (which comes out in about six weeks), a collectible chocolate bar from Askinosie with a trading card inside, a deck of 54 strategy cards and three month’s access to purple.space, including full access to the Marketing Seminar and Strategy Course as well. The retail value is over $700. I’m working with my publisher and Porchlight to sell the whole box of joy for below cost, less than $125 in the US.
Why overdo it?
Because ideas spread horizontally. Because someone with seven books is likely to give six away. Because I believe that when people have a better understanding of how to use strategy to make things better, they’re going to want to have their colleagues join them on the journey.
And because it’s fun.
It’s fun to interact with the true fans. Your questions and stories and heroics make me think more clearly and find new ways to extend the work. And what an opportunity design and create packaging for chocolate bars, trading cards and a strategy deck as part of my day job.
It all ships in a few weeks. If it’s something you’re interested in, I hope we made enough.
Click here to see all the details. International orders (no chocolate, sorry), please click here instead.
Thank you.
A labor of love
That’s magical. To have the resources to expend labor on something that fills us with joy.
If you’re lucky enough to encounter this, perhaps it makes sense not to confuse the issue by also trying to turn it into labor for maximum profit.
When we focus on one, we often decrease the other.
The bitterness loop
Spoiled leads to bitter.
A sense of entitlement is a trap, because bitterness demands more evidence and seeks to maintain dominance over the other emotions.
When we’re busy looking for more reasons to be bitter, we’re not taking the time to do generative work, to connect and to find opportunities to make things better. These are the enemies of bitterness… it’s easy to make bitterness worse by seeking more reasons to be bitter.
Feeding the algorithm
The marketing consultant told the client that they have to post three times a day on LinkedIn. “It doesn’t matter if it’s good.”
The SEO consultant explained that the website had to be loaded with keywords, and that a big budget needed to be set aside to develop inbound links.
And the job seeker is instructed to make sure that the resume is AI-friendly and checks every possible box.
Feeding the algorithm works when you’re the only one doing it. It works when you seek to fit right into the middle of the lane. And it works if you’re willing to outfeed everyone else–at least until the algorithm changes.
But while someone is going to win that lottery, it’s probably not going to be you.
The alternative is to be uncomfortable. To create remarkable work and leave scale to others. To figure out how to show up in a way that is generous and distinctive, and to refuse the bait that others take when they decide that feeding the algorithm is their best option.
They call it ‘crowd control’ for a reason. If you’re in a crowd, it’s quite likely someone is trying to control you.
If you’re posting on social media or any platform with an algorithm, the real question is: do you work for the algorithm or are you committed to working for the people who want to go where you hope to take them?
Empathy at a distance
… is almost as difficult as empathy up close.
That person that’s not like you, from way over there, the one that’s on the other team–it’s hard to imagine what they’re dealing with. They don’t believe what you believe, they haven’t experienced what you’ve experienced.
And the person right next to you, the one you’re sure you know so well–they are also dealing with a story and a situation that you can only guess at.
Empathy is really difficult. It’s generally worth it. Because empathy is the key to connection, trust and community.
Compared to perfect
Perfect is useful. It’s an absolute measure, a north star, a chance to improve our work.
But it’s also a shortcut to persistent dissatisfaction.
Compared to perfect is helpful when we’re creating something.
But it’s also worth noting that perfect is unattainable. What’s on offer is never perfect, but what’s on offer might be exactly what we need right now.
Practical approaches for more effective teamwork
Give credit, take responsibility
Get aligned on timeframes
Insist on a spec, write one, improve it
Agree on a budget
Keep a calendar
Don’t hold a grudge
Speak up clearly and generously
Show your work
Share your fears
Make promises and keep them
Do the reading
Talk about people only when they’re in the room
Eagerly find someone more skilled than you to do a given piece of work
Don’t hoard information
Wash your own coffee mugs, and someone else’s too
Celebrate in public, criticize in private
Don’t hide in meetings (especially the ones you call)
When you’re not sure, ask
Say back what you heard to be clear you understand
Don’t be late
Say please and thank you
Find and offer dignity
Ask what if
Ask why
Don’t tolerate bullies
When solo work is better, insist. Otherwise, pitch in or ask for help…
Support the people you believe in with honest enthusiasm
Pick your team with care, invest once you do
Relentlessly seek better