The end of the ‘boss system’ and the beginning of Thinker’s Lib
For those of us who remember it, Women’s Lib was the feminist movement geared towards creating equality between the sexes. Well, the next revolution is upon us. It’s Thinker’s Lib – a belief that the creation of ideas, involving everyone who has the passion, the sensibility and the smarts to come up with them, is an equal opportunity proposition.
Hierarchy no longer exists in the form of a dominating voice that hails from the mount, or should I say, the corner office. The ‘boss system’ has come to an abrupt end and the democratization of problem solving is replacing it.
Communications is changing far too quickly today for any one person to keep up with it all. The explosion of information sources has made all individuals privy to so much more, specific to our likes, interests and connections. How can any one person claim to be an absolute authority?
‘Senior’ people no longer have the creative upper hand. We are living in a unique time when all involved – young, old and anyone in-between – have equally valid knowledge and experience to contribute to marketing successes.
Every person at any level can now add to the end product and make it better, more insightful and more well-rounded than ever before.
Why? A number of reasons.
First, our personal experiences are varied and no doubt the seasoned minds will always need to impart their personal advice to the greater whole. Advice that is still necessary to form relevant insights. However, an absence of jadedness (that is, the lack of a ‘tried that, didn’t work then either’ wall of opposition) is also beneficial. It helps provide fresh new perspectives and may even answer the ‘asks’ that have been faced time and time again. Some level of innocence and inexperience is as vital as the senior leadership’s knowledge of the guideposts moving forward.
Two, our intelligence levels, senses of humour, social backgrounds and the circles we travel in all vary wildly. They are what make up our personalities. Not only do they help create ideas but also a greater cross-section of equally committed minds is a better means of judging the validity of an idea. Getting to collaborate with so many different kinds of intelligent and interesting people daily is one of the things that makes working in this industry so enjoyable. Imagine trying to produce a television commercial single-handedly. Or create an app in isolation. Or the next best interactive website.
Three, we have expanded our definition of ‘experts.’ Today, we are creating conversations with the people who engage with our brands. Consumers don’t just listen to our messaging anymore. They are far more empowered. They are more involved. They react to our communications more profoundly and as a result, have a greater influence in shaping what we say, how we say it and of course, why we say it.
