Today is International Human Rights day. On this day, I’d like to share my philosophy on the importance of human behavior – or humane human behavior, when looking to innovate the next thing.
Whether you want to develop that one genius idea to make it big individually, or you want to contribute to the gift economy and make a bigger impact collectively, there is one revelation, and human data point, that cannot be avoided. So what do I mean by humane behavior? How and where are consumers trending in relationship to happiness and human connectivity. What latest ideas are at work by and for people associated with kindness everyday. Can making yet one more gadget really solve their personal woes. (Other than a quick fix from retail therapy).
Looking around my house at all the toys and stuff, it’s obvious to me that we’ve lost sight of what’s important, especially during the holidays. (My children do NOT need any more toys, Santa!) Speaking as someone who doesn’t play the high stakes game of Venture Capital, or who is not gambling for the next big financial win, I believe that too many people skim the surface of financial data for that short term fix and, they are frankly missing the point. The human point.
I was listening to NPR today about a singer and song writer who was telling a favorite story about a small town experience, where the bartender and owner left her business in the hands of this guy and his traveling companions so she could go home, fix up some pizza, and bring it back to them to feed them. That’s not the type of gift you can buy. But maybe there are ways to keep that and other stories like that alive (podcasts, film, paying it forward).
I’m a broken record when I say this, because I’ve said it several times to past clients who were looking for branding. I believe that, if you are in business to make money without any other clear direction for how, it’s really really hard to get to the heart and soul of your brand and promise to the marketplace, which could result in failure. Part of the reason is that the strategy always shifts where money is king and laser focus is lost on anything but money. But, if you are in business to find / create a better way, chances are high that you will succeed (and success can be highly individual, not necessarily $). In this second scenario, money is the result, not the focus.
So how do we differentiate in a sea of innovators, humanely? What could distinguish you from your competition when looking for the next humane innovation? For starters, I’d recommend looking for and defining a market need with a new lens, and then source your ideas in unexpected places. By connecting new dots, you will find the brilliant idea.
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