Did you ever find yourself logging on to Facebook or Twitter and thinking, "I wish I'd thought of that"? Or how about queuing up in Starbucks and asking yourself why you didn't come up with the notion that people would be more than happy to pay over £3 for a cup of coffee?
We've all been there, but what might surprise you is that you may well be amongst the many thousands of people that did invent Facebook. You sat at your computer one day and a little thought went off in your head that said, "Wouldn't it be cool if there was a way to tell everyone what I was doing right now."
The difference between you and the guy that did invent it (apart from the fact that I don't have an overwhelming desire to smack you in the mouth) is that you didn't do anything with your idea. Those people you see on Dragons Den have what they refer to as entrepreneurial spirit. In simple terms, they got up off of their backsides and took action.
Now let's be fair, there are plenty of ideas out there that are just plain rubbish, but the only reason you know about them is because the creators took the plunge and put them on the shelves. Some of these ideas will flourish and many more will never make their creators rich. Regardless, those people will be satisfied that they at least had the courage to try.
Many people at the moment are a lot more reserved. Taking the plunge in an economic downturn makes about as much sense as booking JLS to sing at your next corporate function - lots of money and zero staying power, it's just not worth the expense.
None the less, a lot of those same people are currently sitting on the next genius marketing idea. A campaign so clever that it's not only going to generate revenue, but it's probably going to win awards. This one campaign is THE SINGLE GREATEST IDEA SINCE GOD SAID LET THERE BE LIGHT. But of course, your Financial Director simply cannot sign off on it, because there is no budget.
AAARRRRGGGGHHHHH! Are we back to this again? A bunch of non creative, scared, conservative number crunchers who cannot see beyond the end of their calculators. Why should you have to "sell" good ideas within your own company? Weren't you hired in the first place for your creativity? Perhaps they liked you because you had a track record of taking risks that proved to be successful. Whatever it was, it seems to have vanished amidst a fog of fear and doubt and guess what, as soon as the economy picks up, you'll magically become creative all over again!
See my point? If you're not being allowed to flex your creative muscle, you need to do something about it. You need to point out that the rewards will outweigh the risks. You need to put your best foot forward and show your company that you mean business.
The next time you see a problem and find yourself thinking, "Someone should do something about that", remember that you ARE someone, and go and do something about it.
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3 comments:
It seems that every blog post you make, you have a chip on your shoulder. I would suggest you get out of sales and do something different. Not really a good attitude to make people want to buy from you or your company.
My friend, I have been in sales for over twenty years and I have had my equal share of successes and failures.
The title of my blog is the Merchandise Rant - a chance to vent at all those people who accept all the mediocity that exists in the world and moan because there is nothing they can do about it.
We can all strive to do more. Those clients with whom I have the best relationships share all the same "chips on their shoulders" that I do.
You are of course, more than entitled to your opinion, but might I suggest that if you choose to offer me some career advice, that you not do it from behind a veil of anonymity?
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