"Think big enough to dream, start small enough to prove, & move fast enough to win!" - Futurist Jim Carroll
A variation on my original innovation phrase!
Here's why it matters!
- Visionary Ambition. The size of your vision determines the size of your potential success, so think big and pursue audacious goals. Reject self-imposed boundaries because the only thing limiting your opportunity is the limitation in your inspiration.
- Velocity of Action. Speed is a superpower, and decisiveness is non-negotiable. Slow is the true risk, often resulting from aggressive indecision. Narrow the gap between opportunity and action by always prioritizing execution.
- Strategic Experimentation. Clarity isn't found; it’s created through action. Champion small, rapid tests and prototypes—or "experience sprints"—to generate valuable experiential capital. The goal is to build fast, test cheap, and learn always.
- Continuous Reinvention. The only strategy that guarantees long-term survival is the velocity of continuous reinvention. You must reject the notion of a guaranteed legacy, as future success won't come from chasing the ideas of the past.
- Defiance of Complacency. Never be comfortable in your complacency, as it creates an illusion of invincibility that prevents necessary adaptation. Innovation demands you demolish your fears and challenge assumptions before they become organizational vulnerabilities.
- Disruption Over Maintenance. A downturn is the ideal time for strategic action; leaders build while managers cut. Choose to disrupt rather than simply maintain outdated models. Continually re-examine your business strategy instead of clinging to inertia.
- Embrace Uncertainty. When "clarity is not an option," you must choose ambition and maintain focus on long-term growth. Contradictory uncertainty is your new normal, and your ability to act despite it is key to securing a long-term win.
- Radical Skills Architecture. To maintain pace, you must be a perpetual skills architect, relentless on knowledge discovery and continuous learning. This prepares you for the Acceleration Skills Gap, ensuring your team is ready for the different jobs of tomorrow.
- Failure as Fuel. You must take pride in your losses because they teach you about your wins. Failure is a necessary exercise and a powerful learning opportunity to be embraced. Fail on your own terms and quickly convert setbacks into forward momentum.
- Battle Internal Barriers. Address the internal obstacles that derail bold ideas, recognizing that committees are an infrastructure designed to race you to the bottom of opportunity. Achieving a bold future involves intentionally demolishing your fears and confronting the internal issues that hold you back.
It's Monday! Get moving!
Futurist Jim Carroll first started using this mantra in a keynote in 2007.