When asked what they value most about the Edgeware experience, Edgies consistently say, “talking and learning with like-minded people.” It’s about the right people (positive, motivated, open) exchanging ideas (conversation, mutuality, reciprocity, collectivity). Peer learning. Collaborative working.
“For the really difficult questions, conversation with respected peers is the only path to learning… as we move more rapidly towards a bright green future, we are going to find ourselves more and more in terra incognita, doing things and creating things and combining things that have never before been done, created or combined. In order to do this well, we have to help each other by sharing what we’ve learned.” Alex Steffen at worldchanging.com
We’re watching a stream from the 2009 TED Conference from Barry Schwartz on the increasing need and value of what he calls ‘practical wisdom.’ He actually mentions Aristotle and the Greek values understood as the ‘virtues’ at one point, which indicates his understanding of the Aristotelean category of knowledge called phronesis. Phronesis is the kind of knowledge we need to live and to act well. For Schwartz, for Edgeware (and maybe even for Aristotle) to deal with people in any way, at any time, for any purpose, is a moral act.
Old way: intrude everywhere, manipulate emotions, sell hard.
New way: invite selectively, befriend authentically, offer irresistibly.
Is this a genuine change or is permission / relationship / generosity marketing just a new way to sell people stuff they don’t need?
If marketing (or networking) makes you feel like a sleaze, you’re doing it wrong. You have a great product or service that fills a real need. Make sure the right people, the people you can most help, know what you offer and how it’s different from the other options (hello marketing). Let them make an informed choice. Rinse and repeat.
An old old problem: how to provide a balance between leadership and ‘ownership’ in your team or your workforce, optimising efficiencies and innovation simultaneously.
A distinction can be made between ’spider’ structures (strong centralised power in the ‘head’) and starfish structures (no ‘head’, distributed power, strong central ideology). The US government is a spider; al-Qaeda is a starfish. Spider groups have CEO’s; starfish groups have ‘catalysers’, facilitators skilled at harnessing the Wisdom of Crowds.
Practically speaking, a hybrid structure might be what suits. Brafman and Beckstrom’s excellent analogy holds true for the largest and the smallest groups. Highly recommended. Pick up Surowiecki’s ‘Wisdom of Crowds’ as well.
There are four things to say about generosity.
1) It’s an accessible behaviour. A generous act can be as small and simple as giving someone ten dedicated, alert minutes of your individied attention.
2) In order to be generous, you have to imagine yourself out of your Self and, just for a minute, think of what it would be like to be the other person. Having thought this through, giving something creates benefit for them.
3) By giving something (even a few minutes of attention), you also create benefit for yourself - for the same reason.
4) Generosity creates the possibility of gratitude. Saying (or feeling) ‘thank you’ lifts the spirits and builds confidence.
Generosity can be a useful business practice. It need cost very little, it builds good will, trust and confidence, it generates customer value and it enhances your brand.
Get RSS updates
