I joined the BzzAgent campaign to promote The Big Moo and I'm not disappointed. This is an incredibly inspirational book that moves the reader to consider being remarkable. Following in the footsteps of Purple Cow, Seth Godin has gotten The Team of 33 together (some of the best and most creative minds in innovation and remarkable-ness) to write short-storied essays on what it means to stand out from the crowd.
One of the short essays that has stuck with me is Three Steps Ahead. As I've posted before on this blog, if you're living from event to event, you will soon be dead in the water. If you're one step ahead of everyone else, you're still in danger of missing opportunities as you lead. Two steps ahead is cool, but most of your competitors are already there. The key is to be THREE steps ahead. This is where imagination, innovation, and downright super-cool, game-changing vision takes place.
The vision thing often trips up leaders. If you can't see beyond one step ahead, you might need to step aside (harsh but true). Vision based on what you are capable of today or on just the resources that you currently have at your disposal isn't vision - it's reprioritizing.
Vision takes into account what you want to become and what resources and capabilities you will need in the future. The thing is, technology changes so quickly that if you're basing your decision only on what's possible right now, you're not going to be in a very good position a few months down the road.
Pre-order The Big Moo. All proceeds go to very worthy charities. It's an easy read, with not so easy implications. For all of you who love a challenge, get this book in your head.
Tim,
The Big Moo sounds like a great read. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I appreciate your insights and desire to be a life-long learner. Keep sharing!
Posted by: Amanda | September 26, 2005 at 07:40 PM