“You don’t need eyes to see, you need vision.”
~ Maxi Jazz, Faithless: ‘Reverence’
So often in my line of work as a social and digital communications consultant I encounter blinkered thinking. And that doesn’t just apply to big whackety-whack creative ideas that, in the real world, you might expect would be a stretch to grasp. Pitch the concept of Harry Styles live tweeting as he abseils down the side of a giant marshmallow in central London and you probably deserve blank, dismissive looks.
More-so, it applies to relatively simple concepts and initiatives that many people seem too afraid to embrace. I think it comes from being too task-focused; too concerned with the every day job to be able to see the bigger picture. Too worried about brand guidelines and corporate politics and to-do lists and admin and what other people might think to be ‘brave’ enough to think outside the ever-shrinking box. A failure to embrace ideas that, while not necessarily turning a company upside-down and shaking it until its pants fall off, at least disrupt the status quo.
The Importance of Listening
This short-sightedness and rigidity of approach manifests itself as being dismissive of ideas without giving them due thought and attention. It results in missed opportunities. And I’m absolutely sure it’s not limited to my line of work; I’m sure we’ve all encountered it in one form or another. “That’s not the way we do things”, “we can’t do that because…”, “maybe we’ll look at that at a later date” are the mantras of the blinkered many rather than the adventurous few. But ask any successful businessperson and they’ll tell you that risk-taking has played a key role in getting them to where they are now.
I don’t count myself as exceptionally visionary, but I am capable of extricating myself from the day-to-day to see the big picture, and I like to think that benefits my clients and the people I work with. If they’re willing to listen. Try to think outside of the confines of your job, or the task at hand and you might be surprised where it can take you.
Weekend Wisdom is a series of posts of simple things that inspire me to live and work in a more mindful manner.
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Posted by Paul Sutton
Apart from Vine eh?
Our consumer, fashion and tech clients are loving it.
Touche, Wadds
Actually, that’s a good case in point. I spent about about 45 minutes recording a Vine for an FMCG client on Thursday on my own recommendation and creative idea. It doesn’t change my personal opinion of Vine – I still think it sucks. But that doesn’t mean I’m letting that opinion get in the way of having the vision to use it for clients where I think it’s appropriate. I never said I wasn’t a hypocrite…