What does this image represent? What is The Awesome?
It’s something that I’ve been thinking about for over a year. You know that thing that tickles the back of your mind when you see people doing business and you think, “Wow, that’s it. What is that?” I’ve discussed it with some smart people (thanks Erin).
This is by no means the definitive answer, but:
The Awesome is that thing that happens when you get people out of their comfort zones. It’s that thing that happens when brilliant minds collaborate. Einstein came up with the Theory of Relativity by himself (more or less), but it took hundreds of scientists to unlock the Human Genome Sequence.
In business, people and . This is a mistake. Perhaps it wasn’t a few years ago, but it is now. Not communicating is killing your business.
The Groundswell is the result of the backlash at not communicating. People are tired of being yelled at through television and radio, tired of being sold something and then being forced through work queus to get satisfaction. The Groundswell is going to swallow your business.
Unless you embrace The Awesome.
Your customer service department talks to your customers. They hear them. PR, Marketing, and Sales need to hear what your customers are saying. PR is no longer about framing the message, instead it’s about hearing what’s being said and responding sincerely to the conversation. Marketing is no longer spray and pray, it’s tapping into a need and energizing evangelists. Sales is no longer about how well do you close, but instead about how much do you care.
The Groundswell wins. The conversation will happen with or without you. Conversations move faster than your Marketing & PR departments can move.
Social Media is not the thing. Social Media is a technology tool. The thing that created Social Media, the Groundswell, is the thing. Embrace the Groundswell and they will embrace you back. Ignore them and you will go away.
The Awesome is getting all of your people on the same page, understanding business objectives, and having fun doing it. It’s being real with each other, while at the same time having high expectations.It’s not that you’re wrong. There’s just a different way that you haven’t thought of yet. It’s building the Groundswell within your own company. Its joining the Groundswell to learn about what their needs are.
The Awesome is having fun in business.
