One of the principles of a sticky story is being "Concrete" and I think it is an understated principle. From the book "Made to Stick", there are six basic principles that are discussed and I think they can add a tremendous lot to the presentations we give, the ideas we try to impart and the messages we try to convey to motivate, excite and mobilize.
Concrete to me means just that. Tangible, physical and very clear. This can apply to anything and everything. When a goal is put in front of you to, let's say "add value to people" or "improve lives", how does that change the way we do things? It doesn't! It doesn't help anyone to do anything different, in fact it confuses and cause people to avoid what needs to be done. What is Concrete? I will attempt to put some audacious concrete visions out there...
What if:
Coca Cola - "We aim to deliver ZERO waste to the environment, extending happiness to mother earth"
eBay - "We will help to create 1 million ebay shop millionaires"
Yahoo - "We will be the most comprehensive video platform on mobile devices"
J&J - "We will allow physicians to deliver therapy without radiation"
Just like individuals, there are so many options to pursue greatness. The challenge is, after looking at all the available information on hand, to dare to pick a path and put it in concrete terms so that the organization harnesses all its power to achieve the goal.
Does it inspire?
Does it help me to make decisions?
Does it drive action?
I know I made this very simple, but YES, YES and YES.
