To infinity and beyond

Salvete.

The first week away from the VTSSB and the Apparatchiks has been very relaxing as Cicero awaits the call to help and assist some other business seeking marketing enlightenment.

In meantime it is great that the affairs of state are now in the hands of others. That the pressure of ensuring and assuring your liberty, your freedom and identity has been lifted. And that others have shouldered the burden of manning and guarding that wall that marks the boundary between freedom and anarchy. It can be tough as an Apparatchik.

But with time on his hands this week Cicero has been watching cartoons and is struck by the creativity and imagination of those who put together these films. In particular he is in awe of those who make cartoons like ‘Toy Story’, ‘Finding Nemo’ and, his particular favourite, ‘Cars’.

Delving deeper Cicero has discovered that these films are all made by the one company, Pixar, who seemingly have found the formula to produce hit after hit, and the process to produce creativity and imagination.

Now you might say that creativity and imagination is not a process. And you might be right but all businesses can create the environment where creativity and imagination is allowed to flourish, grow and develop, and not be stifled. And here Pixar are doing some great stuff from which we can all learn.

And on your behalf, Cicero, with time on his hands now that the burdens of state have been lifted, has investigated the Pixar story to bring you tips and wisdom.

Firstly Pixar puts people before projects and ideas. It does not start with the idea and then hire the people to execute. Instead it hires creative people and then encourages them to generate ideas. In this way their people are a creative and enduring asset with real ownership of the idea from end to end. How often do we see in business people being brought into execute something they don’t own, who adapt and modify the idea to fit their paradigm and then walk away when the results don’t materialise?

Secondly Pixar devotes a lot of effort to getting people to work together. Usually people collaborate on specific projects but pay little attention to what’s going on elsewhere. With Pixar a sense of collective responsibility is fostered with its people showing unfinished work in daily meetings and so get used to giving and receiving criticism. In addition any member of the team can at a regular time in the day ring a big cow bell summoning anyone with 30 minutes to spare to gather around to collectively brainstorm a problem. What a brilliant idea? As they say no one has a monopoly on wisdom. These systems of constant and collective feedback are designed to stop problems becoming a crisis and to provide teams with a constant source of inspiration. Surely all businesses might benefit from that.

And thirdly teams are encouraged to conduct formal post mortems once their films are complete with each review having to identify at least five things that did not go well as well as five that did. How often is that done in your business? How often do you sit down and review marketing campaigns, product launches, projects and the like along these lines?

None of this can guarantee that your company will be as creative or as imaginary or as successful as Pixar. Creativity depends on serendipity as much as planning. Managing creativity involves a series of balancing acts: giving people the freedom to be creative but doing so within a corporate structure; creating a powerful and successful corporate culture that is not too stifling.

But getting it right is in itself an act of creativity. And getting it right means too that for business success the sky is truly the limit. Or as Mr Lightyear would say ‘to infinity and beyond’. Are you and your business ready for the ride of a lifetime?

Batty? Brilliant? The choice is yours.

Is it only me…….but this should be child’s play.

It would appear that the Health and Safety Gualeiters did not disappear into the long grass with the Last Lot.

As evidence Cicero has heard about a young couple keen to encourage their children to be independent, are letting their two primary age children cycle to school through the leafy lanes of south London unsupervised.

Shock! Horror! Naughty parents! What kind of an example is this to set young people? Do they not know that 4x4s were invented just for that sort of activity?

It would seem that this is the views of the Nanny at the school, no doubt advised and counselled by some taxpayer funded Health and Safety Gauleiter, who is now threatening to report the parents to social services for some level of child abuse or neglect. What has the world come to?

Not it might only be me, though I doubt it, but surely social services would be better employed looking after the Baby Ps of this world rather than harrying and harassing middle class yummy mummys who choose not to send their young people to school by 4x4.

And in any event when was it decided that it was wrong to teach our young people independence? Was I out of the room when this was decided? Surely independence is a good thing. Why is it good for a country to be independent but not its people? Is this so the State and all its apparatchiks have something to do? Is this why some fear independent thought so much?

It is a miracle that Cicero has survived to such a ripe age. When he was a wee laddie the Health and Safety Gauleiter had not been invented. He had no one tell him when and where he could not cycle; he was able to play freely in the streets and fields without fear with all the other wee lads and lassies until it got dark unsupervised; he did not require a high viz vest, safety goggles and hard hat to play marbles. Ah those were the days.

Cicero hopes that the parents of the Biking Two have the courage to challenge and ignore the Gauleiters and Nannies. And that the Two Caesars take urgent steps to stop such errant nonsense.

And now for some really really bad news.

Cicero will not be around for next 2 weeks. He is off to learn new skills and experience new experiences. Enjoy the break. You will be able to get through the weeks ahead. Support and counsel each other. You will be fine.

Have great two weeks.

Et semper sis felix. Semper sis fortunatus.