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| How does this quote start? "If they sign... Give 'em Rope" ...Or "Give me Freedom or give me the rope" ...And who said it? 2009 RBS Memo ...or 1700 Pirate John Goldenwolf? |
1) Rebels with a Cause 2) Rewrite your Rules 3) Reorganise Yourself 4) Redistribute Power and 5) Tell Tall Tales.
In this post I look at some suggestions and ideas based on the Godfather of Rebellion's suggestions for his 2.0 version of The Pirate Code... an upgrade for the modern era of the true Democratic Society of the 17th Century.
For those who are unaware of the democratic nature and inclusiveness of Pirates and have a different -gold digging, cut throat - view, I'll use a quote from popular culture and an outlaw from 300 years earlier than the Golden Age of Pirates to make the point (One that might appeal to #IndyRef2 and #GrowthCommission fans):
"I shall tell you of William Wallace. Historians from England will say I am a liar, but history is written by those who have hanged heroes"
Need a clue? My son played his son in the BBC's History of Scotland (#ProudDad... Couldn't resist! Lol).
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| Check those big blue eyes of Robert the Bruce's Son, King David as he gets crowned the King of Scotland ;) |
1) The challenge, why this article and change is needed
2) A Suggested 2.0 Pirate Code Article
3) The Inspiration behind the proposed article
4) Some Warnings regarding things to watch out for and try to avoid
In this post I include the suggested Pirate Code Article from the book, before attempting to "manifesto jam" the articles.
I'll do this by including how, where and when Be More Pirate observations are accurate based on my experiences and/or highlighting books and links that support or complement the points made.
Anything in blue text is an extract from Be More Pirate.
Article 1 – Make Shit
Up
All captains and crews profoundly expect, respect, celebrate and appreciate the art of strategically, structurally, intuitively and instantly making shit up. Not irresponsible imaginings, reckless reimaginings and certainly not false or fake news. We champion creative solution finding and positive problems solving based on available facts, the moment of opportunity and the power of practiced intuition. When indecision is not an option, when change is constant and nothing is normal, we’re proudly comfortable to rationally and rapidly develop, test and implement solutions on the spot. We learn from our mistakes, even if we don’t celebrate them, and use them to make making it up better.
All captains and crews profoundly expect, respect, celebrate and appreciate the art of strategically, structurally, intuitively and instantly making shit up. Not irresponsible imaginings, reckless reimaginings and certainly not false or fake news. We champion creative solution finding and positive problems solving based on available facts, the moment of opportunity and the power of practiced intuition. When indecision is not an option, when change is constant and nothing is normal, we’re proudly comfortable to rationally and rapidly develop, test and implement solutions on the spot. We learn from our mistakes, even if we don’t celebrate them, and use them to make making it up better.
In the "challenge" for this article Sam highlights that:
"We need to think on our feet, and for ourselves, to critically assess what's 'right' when things change and when to know when not to follow the crowd or tolerate lies"
If any Be More Pirate fans are looking for a fantastic example of this you may wanna check out this video
I got Jane Jacobs book "The Life and Death of Great American Cities" as part of my preparation for an OU course on Human Geography in 1999... and WOW! What a brilliant mind!
In the interview above the interviewer says he can see why the political left, right and middle would love her ideas ...but also hate them too, to which she replies
"I don't get mixed up in political ideologies... They get in the way"
Fantastic response... and true! Jacobs talks sense about a variety of issues... She also didn't go to university, which she says allowed her to think for herself.
"We need to be able to look each other in the eye and admit that more often than not, we're making it up most of the time anyway, so we should collaborate and make it up better, together"
I was looking for an article that I read a while back advising that there is value in leaders saying
"I don't know the answer"
But couldn't find it. But google "leaders saying I don't know" and you'll see this has value.
It isn't as if it's not beyond blatantly obvious that
1) The politicians had no idea about much during the banking crisis... or with Brexit!
2) The Banks are unlikely to change their ways... Owned by the Govt but can't prevent branch closures?
2) The Banks are unlikely to change their ways... Owned by the Govt but can't prevent branch closures?
3) The retail sector don't have a clue about how to save their high street stores or, in the case of Tesco Direct, make the successful transition from offline to online.
4) Jobs are, at the moment, being lost quicker than they are being created amongst some groups
4) Jobs are, at the moment, being lost quicker than they are being created amongst some groups
The media tells us that the MPs said (So it may be true... it may not, even if it is either the media or MPs may deny it was said "Alternative Facts" and all that jazz... at any point) that Carrillion Directors were
"Too busy stuffing their faces with gold"
And that, just like Enron 10 years earlier, the accounting/consultancy firms and MPs missed what these gold diggers were doing... will these directors suffer most as a result of their actions?
Or will it be the schools, hospitals and their students, patents and staff who suffer more? Obviously the tax payer will at some point, in some way... so the directors can continue with their midas touch of getting government money? After all it's not affected the banks with their bonuses or culture post 2008/9.
I Don't Know... But I Know a Man who Does
Some might excuse these businessmen because, as Sam highlights, they were working on the basis of
"This is the way things have always been done"
and/or
"This worked a few years ago it should have worked now, don't blame me! blame someone else
Blame MPs, the economy, their PA (And throw a bin at staff to demonstrate frustration), or just dumb luck
HOWEVER, in one of the business books that a lot of business people read, Think and Grow Rich, we have a prime example of the concept of "I don't know" working really, really well and being a sign of leadership, critical thinking and intelligence... by a leader from yester-year:
HOWEVER, in one of the business books that a lot of business people read, Think and Grow Rich, we have a prime example of the concept of "I don't know" working really, really well and being a sign of leadership, critical thinking and intelligence... by a leader from yester-year:
"During World War 1, a Chicago newspaper published editorials which called Ford 'an ignorant pacifist.' Ford brought a suit against the paper for libel. When the case came to court, the attorneys for the paper asked Ford a variety of general knowledge questions which were intended to prove that he was ignorant.
Ford was asked questions like "Who was Benedict Arnold?" and "How many soldiers did the British send over to America to put down the rebellion of 1776?"
Ford became tired of the line of questioning and said "If I should really want to answer the foolish question you have just asked, or any of the other questions you have been asking me, let me remind you that I have a row of electric buttons on my desk, and by pushing the right button, I can summon to my aid people who can answer any question I desire to ask concerning the business to which I am devoting most of my efforts. Now, will you kindly tell me why I should clutter up my mind with general knowledge, for the purpose of being able to answer questions, when I hire people around me who can supply any knowledge I require?"
Ford was asked questions like "Who was Benedict Arnold?" and "How many soldiers did the British send over to America to put down the rebellion of 1776?"
Ford became tired of the line of questioning and said "If I should really want to answer the foolish question you have just asked, or any of the other questions you have been asking me, let me remind you that I have a row of electric buttons on my desk, and by pushing the right button, I can summon to my aid people who can answer any question I desire to ask concerning the business to which I am devoting most of my efforts. Now, will you kindly tell me why I should clutter up my mind with general knowledge, for the purpose of being able to answer questions, when I hire people around me who can supply any knowledge I require?"
That answer floored the lawyer. Every person in the room realised it was the answer not of an ignorant man, but a man of education. Any person is educated who knows where to get knowledge when needed, and how to organise that knowledge into definite plans of action" Henry Ford's experiences via Think and Grow Rich
WARNING!
In the warning section I would probably add an extremely important point here:
If you don't find that all important "First Follower"
(No matter how sound, game changing or revolutionary)
Your idea, it will fail... it will end up being a rather lonely party for one
How do I know this? Well now... here's an article from 2012 (It was great fun to write this one!)
I've felt that the ideas and methods were sound... and can prove it. It's all just been a little too "different" and/or a little too early.
So, if you see a fellow Pirate... do yourself and them a favour! Be the change you want to see... Be that all important first follower!
While it includes education examples, this report was written with Pirates everywhere in mind... Hope it helps on your adventure (TY Again to all the authors for their kind permission to reference their work!)
Article 2 – Business
Plans Are Dead
We challenge a century old static format as the best structure for the fluid future of our organizations, projects, dreams and schemes. We believe in motivating manifesto that makes clear our vision and we follow a concise but responsive road map with agile measures of accountability. We believe in collaborative ‘working’ and adaptive formats that are regularly used and reviewed in collaboration with not just the whole crew but even our customers, beneficiaries and stakeholders, to openly evaluate success, failure and future scenario planning. No captain will produce a ‘plan’ for only a narrow audience, or a moment in time, only for it to gather dust in an inbox ignored or unused by the crew.
We challenge a century old static format as the best structure for the fluid future of our organizations, projects, dreams and schemes. We believe in motivating manifesto that makes clear our vision and we follow a concise but responsive road map with agile measures of accountability. We believe in collaborative ‘working’ and adaptive formats that are regularly used and reviewed in collaboration with not just the whole crew but even our customers, beneficiaries and stakeholders, to openly evaluate success, failure and future scenario planning. No captain will produce a ‘plan’ for only a narrow audience, or a moment in time, only for it to gather dust in an inbox ignored or unused by the crew.
In the Inspiration section of this article:
"Plan is more like a thread of conversation, evolving beneath a shared vision, that can be edited and improved upon as it evolves"
ABSO-PRATE-FREAKING-LUTELY!
I detailed in my previous Be More Pirate Post how this worked with the FE Commercial Services idea in my Business Development Ideas for FE.
In 2015, when the Education Secretary asked me to pitch in
I had Skype call with the Digital Citizenship Summit founders.
Before agreeing to the call, I checked to see if this movement had their core values on their website... they did and, as someone who is 1) massively collaborative and 2) who's had ideas, but lacked a voice for the ideas to be heard, the core values of
"All Voices Matter" and
"We are highly Collaborative"
Spoke to me. I agreed to help, we even used Pirate examples for this adventure:
If there is one thing that I've found on my travels it's this:
It's one thing to have core values on a website... Finding people who have
Principles, Values and Ideals that you are willing to fight for
...Is another thing entirely!
That observation is not meant as a criticism... it's a culture and character thing.
After all, culture and core values are underrated at the best of times... To then expect people to fight for them like this? Only going to happen with a very particular kind of group and teams!
After all, culture and core values are underrated at the best of times... To then expect people to fight for them like this? Only going to happen with a very particular kind of group and teams!
"When I say fight, I mean actually fight. That doesn't have to be physical, it could be a fights with the system, it could be a professional conflict, a falling out with a friend or a row with a stranger. It could be a war of words, it could be a battle of wills or if could be lobbying, arguing, demonstrating or debating.
But whatever it is, it's a real fight, one where you're putting your neck on the line, you could get hurt, you've got something to lose, it could cost you your job, end a relationship, damage your reputation, or worse" Be More Pirate
But whatever it is, it's a real fight, one where you're putting your neck on the line, you could get hurt, you've got something to lose, it could cost you your job, end a relationship, damage your reputation, or worse" Be More Pirate
This is absolutely the exception rather than the norm...It also just happens to be something that game changing organisations take seriously.
The game changing "Stage 5" companies that Tribal Leadership author, Dave Logan found, take core values very seriously... and how many game changing organisations are their out there?
The game changing "Stage 5" companies that Tribal Leadership author, Dave Logan found, take core values very seriously... and how many game changing organisations are their out there?
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| NB Check the similarity between these teams and NodeXL map maker Marc Smith's community models - esp Stage 5 and Tight Clusters |
The DigCitSummit movement has grown but I decided to move on to other things because the culture (And core values) had changed.
That said, in February I did a quick "5 min favour" but (for whatever reason), there was no follow up to this support... But I had opened a communication channel up.
What to do? Leave the correspondence unaddressed? Or do something not dissimilar to a "manifesto jam?"
Be More Pirate fans... when it comes to manifesto jamming (Especially when things don't quite go to plan), the image below *Just Might* go on to become your best friend when in unchartered waters... or any time you find yourself ship wrecked, rudderless, marooned (Or worse) end up like poor old Stede Bennett.
A great thing about this list is that it's a 90 day strategy... the amount of time that Sam and his business partner, Michelle, gave Livity when they were starting out.
In my opinion, this is absolutely no different to what Jane Jacobs describes in the Life and Death of Great American Cities regarding how the chaos of the city actually creates order.
The order out of the chaos here? Sending an email in Feb to support the DigCitSummitIRL event in April, has evolved to become a conversation about organising an Edcamp and discussions about the rationale for an EdTech incubator... so no harm done and progress has been made.
The conversation with detractors done and dusted... now it's on to talk core values and ships articles with The Pirates ;).
The conversation with detractors done and dusted... now it's on to talk core values and ships articles with The Pirates ;).
Thiel's Law:
"Beginnings are Special - A start up messed up at it's foundation cannot be fixed" Zero to One (And his "PayPal Mafia" have 7 Unicorn companies... Scotland has 2?!)
Anyone who looks at the body of work that I've been involved with (the many overlapping projects Sam discusses as being the future of work), will see that I look for the right culture...Then try to implement ideas that would nudge the needle forward... for as long as the cultural conditions are fun and getting s**t done.
There are also people and projects that I care deeply about... but they may not hear from me for a long time. These people are never far from my mind though. It's just that sometimes, you really, really need to know how long a woodpecker's tongue is... and hope it might all come together to be a work of art at some point (Or at the very least something that's a little more than a scribble!)
The One Key Trait that Einstein, da Vinci, and Steve Jobs Had in Common
"Workers caught between dissatisfied customers and uninspiring leaders and becoming disillusioned and disengaged"
Been there, done that... got the T-shirt.
I gave someone who, when I worked with them, would describe them self as a friend and Mentor... but ask me how many times we've spoke since I finished up with them in the last few years after giving 10 years of my life. I watched helpless (As my warnings weren't heard/heeded) as an organisation I cared for slipped into decline.
Today I totally agree with Peter Thiel
"Why work with a group of people who don't even like each other? Many seem to think it's a sacrifice necessary for making money... Free agents check in and out on a transnational basis, is worse than cold...If you can't count durable relationships among the fruits of your time at work, you haven't invested your time well" Peter Theil Zero to One
LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! The tensions that responsive.org feel need to be balanced today:
More predictable
-> Less Predictable
Profit -> Purpose
Hierarchies -> Networks
Controlling -> Empowering
Planning -> Experimentation
Privacy -> Transparency
Profit -> Purpose
Hierarchies -> Networks
Controlling -> Empowering
Planning -> Experimentation
Privacy -> Transparency
In the warning section Sam encourages
"Create as much collaboration as you can, with the team and ideally even with your target audience and other trusted stakeholders"
I'm not going to tell you... I'll show you. Pirates keep an eye out for (What I hope will be) a treasure map coming through via your inbox. Hope you like the introductions and suggestions ;)
"Losing touch with your crew, customers, culture and reality because you're falling into an existential crisis loop aka business planning"
In Adam Grant's book Originals he highlights how Lucy Stone and Elizabeth Candy Stanton were aligned on the mission of the Suffrage movement.
However, the values and how to achieve the goals differed and caused disagreement and rifts... IMHO a very strong example of ensuring that everyone creates and then signs up to your code before setting sail.
Another conversation to have before setting sail might be
At what point do we sell out and conform?
At what point do we return to normal life?
At what point do we return to normal life?
This may be due to failure like the communes of the 1970s - But as Jobs has been called a Hippie... and, as other commune residents became tech entrepreneurs:
Did the experiment really 'fail'?
Burning Man looks pretty successful...
What is Burning Man if not an evolution of the commune spirit?
Or will conforming be due to success? At what point to we say:
"We've got our treasure (Whether improved social condition or cold hard cash) Let's return to shore and be consultants for the Navy"
"We've got our treasure (Whether improved social condition or cold hard cash) Let's return to shore and be consultants for the Navy"
If the latter conversation isn't had and articulated with all stakeholders at the start, will the organisation look like a "sell out" if some key Pirates conform... thereby calling the rest of the organisation, who want to continue with the adventure, into question and lose credibility and/or support from volunteers who got behind the efforts?
I hope that the links below help demonstrate how I worked through my core values to help identify how I would deal with tricky situations with people/organisations. This has proved especially useful when dilemmas and difficult descions have to be made
Dave Logan's (Tribal Leadership) Click Down Core Values exercise may also prove to be really useful
Start with Why
My why has been that
1) Education is broken. Where are the prior Education Secretaries today? A 4 year stint with an ego maniac ain't gonna fix much... let alone the problems with education
3) Scratch your own itch. My kids have been let down in their education in exactly the same way that I was
Look for the Bright Spots
Then ask yourself (And/or go on a Pirate scouting expedition), who is doing things well?
Then ask yourself (And/or go on a Pirate scouting expedition), who is doing things well?
If there is no one in your industry doing things well, think of examples of innovators in other sectors and ask if/how you could apply the idea to your sector/work.
I have done this will all of the edu reports that I've worked on (Social Media in FE, Business Development in FE, Story Telling, Culture in Edu, EdTech Development)
For me the bright spots are KIPP Charter schools... Who just happen to have their own Pirate code in the form of a committment that every one - students, parents and educators - sign up to.
I have done this will all of the edu reports that I've worked on (Social Media in FE, Business Development in FE, Story Telling, Culture in Edu, EdTech Development)
For me the bright spots are KIPP Charter schools... Who just happen to have their own Pirate code in the form of a committment that every one - students, parents and educators - sign up to.
Mike Fienberg's "Great Teaching and More of it" is a fantastic Pirate article for EdTech startups too!...Speaking of EdTech, the 'bright spot' for me here (what's the true potential of Technology in Edu) would be Sugra Mitra's "Hole in the Wall" project.
Article 3 – Make the
Citizen Shift
It’s time to evolve the human race beyond the mindset of solely a ‘consumer’ and the dangerous, destructive and limited relationships it has created. We will perform a forced reset on the language of consumerism that in turn will help us to develop more interesting, involved, interactive, mutually respectful and naturally more beneficial, respectful and rewarding relationships between our organizations, our audiences and finite resources of our world. All pirates undertake to advance the evolution of the idea of ‘the citizen’ as the dominant defining thought of our audiences and communities, and of our future.
It’s time to evolve the human race beyond the mindset of solely a ‘consumer’ and the dangerous, destructive and limited relationships it has created. We will perform a forced reset on the language of consumerism that in turn will help us to develop more interesting, involved, interactive, mutually respectful and naturally more beneficial, respectful and rewarding relationships between our organizations, our audiences and finite resources of our world. All pirates undertake to advance the evolution of the idea of ‘the citizen’ as the dominant defining thought of our audiences and communities, and of our future.
In the Challenge section Sam highlights how
"Branding ourselves as consumers is a clear sign we are no longer in charge, but instead are subservient to short term and self interested goals"
I don't think that this community being established in a place with the history of Silicon Valley was an accident - the Gold rush of the 49'ers, William Shcokley, Fred Terman - the technical and collaboration innovations these people helped establish... followed by social experiments like Gaskins commune and Whole Earth Catalog creators and The Well Founder Stewart Brand's ideas.
How many tech entrepreneurs today were the Hippies of yesterday?
"It may sound unlikely, but there is in fact a strong connection between the utopian movements of the ’60s and the tech industry
...Brand was also an enthusiast for counter cultural design ideas as a way to build a new society. In an issue from 1971, he called for the creation of an “Outlaw Area,” a territory removed from civilization, where human community could be reinvented. “Any design fantasy is just loose talk until it happens,” he wrote, suggesting that the Outlaw Area would transform our understanding of what human beings were capable of, “bending reality off into unimaginable directions with no restrictions save the harsh ones of nature.”
The consumate Tech Pirate Steve Jobs talks about the Whole Earth Catalog in his famous Stanford Commencement speech... To what extent could ideas from books like Be More Pirate (as well as New Power) re-examine Brand's ideas with a Pirate Code 2.0 upgrade?
The aims and people involved with The Well sure do have a familiar ring to the ideas of the Godfather of Rebellion and Be More Pirate's calls to action.
An undeniable comparison with this article and The Well is "Own your Words" and the Subject, Consumer, Citizen and Quickefire Concepts "New Citizen Project" image Sam shares in his book.
New Citizenship Project founders, Jon Alexander and Irenie Ekkeshis, encourages their community to
"Think of people as citizens, and you must start by asking what the purpose of your organisation is"
I have some questions for Edu and EdTech people to consider regarding this point
- How many educators help develop your product?
- How many students help develop your product?
- Do these stakeholders share in the business success?
(More than a T-Shirt + some stickers + a "shout out" on Twitter) - Do founders Skype in to classes to discuss their story and work with educators and young users?
In the warning section Sam makes an important point that this is not anti-capitalism or an anti-globalization ideology or idea. It's a natural development of where things are at.
"The next stage in our development and deepening of our relationships between individuals, organisations and environment"
I hope that this report Developing Relationships & Delivering Value which, with kind permission from the authors, draws on the work of these awesome books highlight how and why this is the case, with solid examples from companies like Google, Apple and Microsoft.
Article 4 – Take Happiness Seriously
We take happiness seriously, and give deep happiness the place and importance it deserves. We see happiness as a strategic driver for success, productivity and creative output, but also as a strategic objective in and of itself. We do not believe happiness is a nice-to-have, we believe it is a need-to-have. We make happiness a starting point, not just an end point; we use our intention to achieve happiness to inform the decisions we make, the environments we create and the projects we undertake. We endeavour to measure, manage and share the proof we accumulate that happiness is symbiotic with great work, great impact, great relationships and greater effectiveness. We do not conform to a one-size-fits all happiness, nor expect to be happy every day, but accept and respect the right to make happiness the goal.
We take happiness seriously, and give deep happiness the place and importance it deserves. We see happiness as a strategic driver for success, productivity and creative output, but also as a strategic objective in and of itself. We do not believe happiness is a nice-to-have, we believe it is a need-to-have. We make happiness a starting point, not just an end point; we use our intention to achieve happiness to inform the decisions we make, the environments we create and the projects we undertake. We endeavour to measure, manage and share the proof we accumulate that happiness is symbiotic with great work, great impact, great relationships and greater effectiveness. We do not conform to a one-size-fits all happiness, nor expect to be happy every day, but accept and respect the right to make happiness the goal.
One of the things that Community Managers look for and the definition of a true community is "Sense of Belonging," we all want to be valued and respected in our home and work lives.
I have found Tom Mandel's example with The Well pretty had to beat... Having such a strong sense of belonging that this is the place you choose to spend your last moments of your life, that's a pretty tough example to beat when it comes to finding a sense of belonging!!
When you're not getting paid to implement your ideas, the only two things to ask yourself are
1) Am I having fun?
1) Am I having fun?
2) Am I getting s**t done?
If neither are present in the projects I'm involved with... I walk the plank... jump ship... leave... move on, and do so immediately!
In the testimonials page on my website includes references to "Oh The Places You'll Go" and "The Little Engine that Could"
I've worked on project where we've used Pirate articles to have fun while getting s**t done.
I've worked on project where we've used Pirate articles to have fun while getting s**t done.
There is also a practical reason for this as I want to be able to tell stories after the project is finished in a way that a 3rd Grader could understand to tell the story of what we did, and how... and because it's just plain fun.
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| Chris Sacca first step for Happiness is the same as Sam's Be More Pirate |
We demand to love work, we demand to learn as we
work, we demand to be proud of what we do and demand to have the tools and
support to give us every chance to do it well. We demand that our work make us
and the people in our community better, not worse, we expect to be rewarded for
our creativity, to establish friendships, fulfillment and knowledge and the
financial compensation we are worth and expect this to cover our needs. We want
life/work balance, not the other way round. We intend to live up to the promise
of technology, efficiency and flexibility. We commit to understanding our own
inner engineering for effectiveness and refuse to submit to conditions, clocks
or cultures that don’t get the best out of us. We expect the people and
organizations we work with to involve us in created the core values and that we
then align them to a “Noble cause.” We will break the tyranny of emails,
meetings, to do lists and any other anachronistic trappings of an old way of
working, if they don’t work for us, and we won’t stop until we’re judged on our
output, not input.
My watch broke... I don't miss it!
My Blackberry broke
(Yes... I said Blackberry. Yeah go on laugh it up... I'll just wait til you've finished pointing and laughing at the tech dinosaur. Finished Yet? No? I'm parient, I can wait. Can we continue now?)
(Yes... I said Blackberry. Yeah go on laugh it up... I'll just wait til you've finished pointing and laughing at the tech dinosaur. Finished Yet? No? I'm parient, I can wait. Can we continue now?)
Nope... I don't miss not having a mobile at all.
(Reason: 1) I like real buttons, 2) Hate touch screens, 3) Don't have much money... so didn't get it replaced).
One way in which I would question/challenge this New Work Article is via the example given in Flow about the 90 year old woman who has been doing the same thing every day since she was 8 years old.
Has she worked for 82 years of her life?
Or has she never worked a day in her life? Because it's a case of
If you do what you love and love what you do... is any of it work? Or is it all fun?
In the inspiration section Sam highlights the misery, more work less results situation that is their world of work. In the solutions section he advocates for is Results Only Working.
A model that I have been a big fan of is Marshall Goldsmiths (Author of "What got you here won't get you there...") where his pitch to coach executives for a 12 month period goes like this
"Pay you what you think my time is worth at the end of the year"
A live or die by your sword business model!
A live or die by your sword business model!
Sure you might not be able to coach every exec from Jerk to model/superstar employee... or you might get the odd low ball valuation for your time and efforts... but it certainly does demonstrate a confidence in your ROW ability to deliver results!
Results Only Working is somewhere that things could get a little bit interesting in this post too... It could help me validate my work while helping to develop some of the Be More Pirate ideas.
I have been working on a model where I've felt that (once everything is in place), I would be able to do in a few months what it would take a sales person using traditional calls and emails a year to do and, not just for one company but multiple organisations, at the same time.
Wouldn't it be fantastic if this model was achieved in a few weeks with Sam's "Godfather of Rebellion" Mission and Adventure?
Article 6 – Embrace
Diversity to Raise Your Game
We believe diversity of thought, background, experience and understanding
is a driver of competitive advantage, creativity and productive cultures. We
who desire to create projects, products, content and campaigns for the future,
know the importance of reflecting the future we want to see, one of interconnected,
collaborative, communicative, creatively colliding cultures. We commit to
recruitment that opens doors to more than the usual suspects, we will go the
extra mile to find the talent that might not have found us. We commit to
accepting we all have prejudices, and then commit to challenging them, along
with expanding our own filter bubbles and stretching our unconscious biases to
breaking point.
OH! The irony of this final Pirate 2.0 article! What may well be one of my last edu posts has close links to my very first post (And is probably just as long and rambling... Lol! Must do better!)
I wrote my first ever blog post because of the lack of diversity in society. I also considered that the reason Private Edu did well was because of the culture as:
1) All parents valued edu enough to pay for it, and
2) It's a Pirate Code culture... The parents all want the best for their kids and they are part of a community where the "Old Boys" will help open doors for one another.
This happens the world over in the privileged classes... whether through the Fraternity's like Phi Kaps (Skulls) or the Alpha Epsilon Pi that Mark Zuckerberg was so desperate to get into, the Free Masons or the Family Background advantage that Lewis Termin found in his 1920's longitudinal study of highly gifted children.
What if... Those from the slums had this kind of support and network?
- We've seen through Jane Jacobs that "Unslumming" is possible
- (You just need to give a shit instead of moving on)
- We've seen how unconcious bias can be detrimental to all
- We've seen what KIPP and Livity have done in deprived areas, and
- We've seen how excited people can get about politicians through #IndyRef, when there is a genuine sense of hope and change.
Sam's book highlights who was responsible for starting the clean up during the London Riots... and it's one of the closing comments in my first post. So here is the comment one more time.
This time in the hope that others will pick up on the work I hope that I've started, been involved with and/or attempted to have an impact on.
This time in the hope that others will pick up on the work I hope that I've started, been involved with and/or attempted to have an impact on.
I've learnt a lot since that first blog post... I've met a lot of fantastic people... I hope the idea, story and knowledge transfer will be good enough to see others pick up on some of the ideas. I know down to my core the ideas have value.
I left paid employment to try to make them work... Go ask how many
I left paid employment to try to make them work... Go ask how many
"I'm in it to make a difference"
MPs have or would do that?
Educators make a difference every day and do work a ton of overtime and do lots outside of work...but they also can be critical of EdTech entrepreneurs (especially EdTech sales people)... an Pirate Code Article on diversity seems a good place to question the assumptions that can be made about sales, profits and commission etc in education. If this is what EdTech people were interested in, they'd be in an easier sector to reach and engage.
As I say, educators make a difference every day, under challenging circumstances and cultures, but I wonder how many would leave the safety of paid employment to try to make a difference?
One final word: Stede Bennet Vs The Oracle... And Profile Persona
The last Pirate that we are introduced to in Sams book is to tell a cautionary tale of the dangers of being a wannabe pirate, simply because you're bored with your life and/or are having a mid-life crisis.
Equally, the authors of "New Power" will tell us that those using New Power (Even if it's to good effect) don't and won't always win against "Old Power."
I have some advice about the observations that Sam Conniff Allende makes that I hope might help.Oracle's John Able provides some invaluable advice in these two posts
I only read these articles last summer, but love both. I think that
Is extremely sound advice indeed!
"Know the end before you start"
Is extremely sound advice indeed!
When I started out the two the articles that spoke to me the most were Termin's 1920s study and the extent that the situation was unchanged in Theodore Dalrymle's "Life at the Bottom" and in particular the chapter on
"In times of uncertainty we need networkers as much as we need leaders"
Given this comment, and my exploration of what major tech companies do differently Collaborate Vs Collaborate became something of a "How to" re achieving 'The Big Clean Up' to address the heart breaking examples Dalrymple provides in Life at the Bottom.
I'm delighted that someone who has just left an organisation where the young people who were involved with their work said "This is what school should be like," is now looking at leading a Pirate 2.0 rebellion... Perhaps they'll be able to pick up on some of this work.
Finally, was Lost in the Ghetto enough to see me take some painful, difficult and unconventional decisions? No it was not! Not by a long shot! IMHO You need to have skin in the game.
Profile the Persona for the Beachhead Market
In Bill Aulet's *Must Read* Disciplined Entrepreneurship he advises that your startup or idea has a person in mind that represents your "Ideal Target Market" a persona to think of as you discuss and develop your ideas.
In my case this has been my own kids. They are not a part of a postcode lottery, they are not some "Every Child Matters," "BIS," "Big Society," "Curriculum for Excellence," "Empower Head Teachers" play thing of someone who's only going to be in the job for 4 years.
Nor will my kids be in school in 20 years time when the latest magic wand solution and restructure that's currently being strategiesed and planned will be realised!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nor will my kids be in school in 20 years time when the latest magic wand solution and restructure that's currently being strategiesed and planned will be realised!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Although the grand plan will never ever, ever be realised... because in no more than 4 years - less if there's a reshuffle - any good work will be scrapped by the new party and/or Education Minister looking to make their mark with a newer, bigger, better idea).
“The areas of deprivation in the UK have not shifted a great deal since Dickensian times, and any talk of a new approach of the kind I fervently believe would work has led us to nothing but lots of strategizing, meetings, papers, conferences, seminars, websites...and when the money runs out, there is nothing left to show, no tangible results and so, of course, the show moves on” Andrew Mawson (Now Lord Mawson) The Social Entrepreneur who "Unslummed" Bromely-in-Bow.
Nor do these politicians "eat their own dog food" because policy makers send their kids off to private schools... a clear admission of how much they believe in themselves and the services they provide??
Nor do these politicians "eat their own dog food" because policy makers send their kids off to private schools... a clear admission of how much they believe in themselves and the services they provide??
I have acted locally and did what I could for my own kids (And we came close Edcamp - DYW & Tech Companies)... and hoped that any wins might help others.
I don't think I would have put up with all the crappier aspects of that result from "A Life Among the Pirates" if I didn't have this particular (And very personal) persona in mind... or the knowledge that no one was coming to save us (BOY! How right I was on that last point!)
When I finished Be More Pirate, I discussed the book and our journey with my 17 year old son, I said
"I'm not sure I've been the best dad"
Understandably, there was not the biggest protest on that particular observation...But, I hasten to add, we have found examples from the Great Depression so we can highlight that maybe these circumstances will work out to be a positive in the long run.
When I asked
"Do you think I'm a Pirate?"
I got an immediate and enthusiastic
"Yes!"
I may not have worked with some of the companies I set out to impress... or achieved some of the things I hoped to, but I'll take that kind of response any day of the week!
"The average man will bristle if you say his father was dishonest, but he will brag a little if he discovers that his great-grand-father was a Pirate" Bernard Williams...And the first quote you're met with when you open Be More Pirate.
A fitting end to the post ...and possibly to the end of an interesting journey too.
It may be time to conform. I've done my best to fly the pirate flag... But it may be time to raise the white one (*sigh*), a cautionary tale for the Be More Pirate 2.0 Pirates, perhaps?
Some failed adventures, for sure... but also setting an example and giving 100% permission to my kids that they should stand up for what they believe in and never to stop til they find their place in the world... I sure as heck hope so!!
Go check out Brick by Brick to see that we have the way Lego treated it's dissenters and how you might just have Mads Nipper to thank for Lego still being here today
...Since the near disaster of 2001 Lego corrected the ship and made an epic return to Ol Kirk Christensons cover values!
Another *Must Read* book for aspiring pirates before they hoist up the Jolly Roger! It's an example that could help provide a following wind when you set sail.
Safe travels.
True Pirate!... And Pirate Culture!
Want an example of modern day Pirate treasure?
Fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean Lego collection?
Or ever play Pirates of the Caribbean & collected enough gold and silver to be "True Pirate?"
"You can tell a lot about a society by the way it treats it's dissenters"
Go check out Brick by Brick to see that we have the way Lego treated it's dissenters and how you might just have Mads Nipper to thank for Lego still being here today
...Since the near disaster of 2001 Lego corrected the ship and made an epic return to Ol Kirk Christensons cover values!
Another *Must Read* book for aspiring pirates before they hoist up the Jolly Roger! It's an example that could help provide a following wind when you set sail.
Safe travels.
