Stepping Out— When The World Zigs, Who are the People that Zag?
A Set of Values & Behaviors of People who have Important, Different Ways of Thinking, Acting & Expressing Themselves
Part Two of the “Step” Trilogy — Stepping Up, Stepping Out, Stepping Back
There is a degree of sameness that the world produces. Sometimes this is a good thing. I am glad, for example, we have some type of conformity when it comes to: obeying the rule of law, valuing the sanctity of property and person, following the conventions of the road, and having a lifelong kinship to family and friends. These are in fact great things, and I’m heartened that even the most extreme among us adopt these shared principles as paramount.
However…
… in many other matters of profession, I value the person who considers likely the same stimulus, facts and data as many of us, and chooses a different road. A road not followed easily.
… in many other matters of culture, I value the person who looks at the same norms, values and ethics, and finds a different route and imaginable future. A path not easily travelled.
… in many other matters of knowledge, I value the person who arranges, configures and fuses data and insight in new fangled ways to arrive to a different conclusion or inference. An answer not easily arrived at, but well-supported and laid out.
The people who step up are different, perhaps counter-mainstream — in the ways they process the world, behave about the world, and express themselves about the world. They have been labelled: pioneers, originals, tastemakers, trendsetters, mavericks, free spirits, influencers, eccentrics, innovators and iconoclasts. They are certainly “out there”, away from the orthodoxy but in important, fundamental ways.
As a sequel to my Stepping Up post that exalted people well above the passively involved. These Step Ups were the ones that really do the work, the ones that don’t just talk a good game, but actaully do it, the ones that always seem to make things happen. In contrast, the Stepping Out people are defined by a different yet similarly amazing propensity.
Perhaps best expressed by Apple’s iconic “Think Different” campaign (visualized below). As witnessed by the campaigns profiles — Einstein, Dylan, Luther King, Jr., Branson, Fuller, Edison, Ali, Turner, Callas, Gandhi, Earhart, Hitchcock, Graham, Henson, Lloyd Wright and Picasso, these are not merely the fanatics and the angry rebels of our life, they push the human race forward. In their alleged madness and boundary-less invention, there exists true genius.
This post is central to this people who Step Out. It’s my homage and accounting of characteristics to these tall poppies who are resilient to the winds of -as-usual and champions of something-special-different. I hope you find yourself among their ranks (or at minimum in close proximity to some who are):
Stepping out aims to CREATE A DING IN THE UNIVERSE…
Stepping outs exhibit value and substance, not frivolity or mundanity.
Stepping outs see what everybody sees, and usually do something no one has ever done.
Stepping outs are potential icons of a new era — ushering in movements not just more product, recycled media or an improved mousetrap.
Stepping out is a lifelong commitment to better, bigger, bolder, more bountiful and more brilliant.
Stepping out celebrates the deepest thought, action and expression, not the shallowest veneration or narcissistic look-at-me, fame or clicks.
Stepping out is the enemy of average or expected, they perform wonders and unshroud mysteries.
Stepping out is a BEYOND COMFORTABLE…
Stepping out is self-starting — sufficiently motivated to move forward without the help of others.
Stepping out is true resilience — continuing on course in spite of any large difficulties or obstacles.
Stepping out stands up to scrutiny from the establishment — soldiering on where others don’t dream to go.
Stepping out is personal sacrifice —investing more sweat, more time and more opportunity cost than many will tolerate.
Stepping out keeps its sharp edges, refusing to round them off for the sake of mass acceptance, simple comprehension or easier routes to success.
Stepping out puts things on the line — they have more skin in the game and potential blowback, than others are willing to commit in pursuit of a dream.
Stepping out sees through a different PRISM…
Stepping out is imaginative — crystallizing original and advanced ideas and methods.
Stepping out is future-oriented — they see things not as they were or are, but what they could be.
Stepping out fluidly exchanges and ideas concerning marketplaces, workplaces, emerging technologies, cultural norms and/or business models; and frequently across many of these ranges together.
Stepping out precedes the mainstream consciousness, and often even gets ahead of the earliest adopters.
Stepping out makes connections between apparently disparate things.
Stepping out revels in contradictions, inflections, hacks, extremes and rarities.
Stepping out spots signals early, sifting through the noise to the important messages hidden in the constellations of the fringe.
Stepping out CHANGES THE WORLD…
Stepping out goes beyond bottom line profit, there is an elusive more.
Stepping out does not benchmark itself versus a competitor, it seeks unrivalled impact.
Stepping out changes the world, and frequently changes your view of the world.
Stepping out is fine with being niche, but being the best %^%^$&*89 niche ever.
Stepping out may not engender sainthood, as they have an uncompromising passion and intensity that can rub less committed people the wrong way.
Stepping out creates awesomeness and beauty in places where frequently those descriptors are never used.
Stepping out has a HIGH BAR …
Stepping out has a good internal bartometer and social awareness for what true breakthrough represents.
Stepping out doesn’t just invite attention, it demands respect.
Stepping out is judged by its impact that’s so much longer than the daily news cycle, current quarter or attention span.
Stepping out has a global playground, a universal expanse, and an amplitude of disciplines.
Stepping out can be played with, retooled and never fully perfected, at least in the eyes of their originators.
Stepping out CASTS A LONG SHADOW…
Stepping out starts tipping points, but may get bored and move on before the eventual ideavirus ever spreads.
Stepping out plants seeds, that grow and pollinate into trees of functional and emotional value.
Stepping outs are role models that serve as what’s possible to the next genrations’ minds.
Stepping out considers and telegraphs the wide-ranging implications and actions of their discovery.
Stepping out is the best of human nature striving for good, not some clique sycophant or fame chaser trying to catch lightning in a bottle.
Stepping out is the ESSENCE OF BRAVE LEADERSHIP …
Stepping out is intrinsically motivated — driven by internal, soul stirring rewards.
Stepping out is able to rally others to a cause — inspiring others to do good work for you, and with you.
Stepping out is having unrivalled and unwavering passion beyond “the job.”
Stepping out embraces personal, social and organizational uncertainity and risk.
Stepping out is T-shaped — balancing deep expertise with broad knowledge, harnessing cooperation and competitiveness.
Stepping out is addressing a wicked problem that’s big enough so that you don’t adequately know the answer, the solution or the proposition at the start of the voyage.
Stepping out is NOT JUST DIFFERENT FOR BEING DIFFERENT …
Stepping out just isn’t appearing different, it gets listened to.
Stepping out may have ego, but it is not vain.
Stepping out is not merely creative, it drives utility.
Stepping out just doesn’t generate attention, it provokes reaction and deeper contemplation.
Stepping out just doesn’t play the game, they change the rules of the game (as it’s still being playted).
Stepping out is not just fashion, it has longevity and extended interest.
Stepping out may be sartorial, but can never be judged merely by its wrapper.
Stepping out is respected and revered after the current zeitgeist of opinion has passed.
Stepping out PASSSES THE TORCH AND ENABLES OTHERS TO STEP OUT
Stepping out enables others to piggyback and to step out in their own way.
Stepping out builds bridges — unlocking the potential of others together, and letting them benefit from the collective breakthroughs as well.
Stepping out popularizes new ways of doing things, shielding others from the vice-like grip of the status quo.
Stepping out infiltrates the minds of others with an unshakeable breakthrough, concept, narrative and truth that can’t be repressed.
Stepping out is enduring, outlasting their originators, well beyond the timespan of their lives.
Audentes fortuna iuvat — Fortune favors the bold.
What are your own thoughts on stepping out? And who makes your list of people that zigged when zagging was likely the method of current common sense? Please celebrate them as many frequently are those everyday heroes away from the spotlight — they deserve your attention.
Sean is Managing Director of Futureproofing, Founder of Grey Swan Guild, Head of Cygnus Ventures, author of multiple books (Wikibrands, Uncertainty and Futureproofing), publisher behind over 20 research reports (The Customer Zeitgest, Emerging Technologies 30, Metatrends, Corporate Innovation Playbook) podcast host, venture builder, board advisor and keynote/executive briefings performer with substance.
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