⫹⫺ Unconventional Wisdom
Hello my friends,
Classic mentorship consists of an older, more experienced “veteran”, imparting tacit knowledge (explained here) on a younger, less experienced, “rookie”.
Early in your career, these relationships can be extremely valuable.
The best mentors provide tried and tested frameworks to overcome practical and interpersonal problems; offering a peace of mind only available after years on the front line.
The downside of this traditional transfer of knowledge is that it relies on conventional wisdom - the “it’s always been done this way” mentality.
Last week I sent you two links highlighting the social e-commerce platform, Depop, and “real-time-retail” pioneer, Shein, now the #1 shopping app in the app store.
I received a number of messages like this one ↓
The harsh reality is that the world is accelerating away from all of us, making it only a matter of time before, you too, fall into the conventional wisdom trap.
What can you do about it?
Challenge the classic mentorship relationship and seek out a “Gen Z Mentor”.
Use their knowledge to challenge what you think you know about the world and the consumer.
To truly understand who you design and make for, sign up for Roblox, Foundation.app or Poparazzi and ask your new mentor to show you around.
Constantly trying to stay current,
Last Week's Numbers
Weekly subscribers: 117 (+9)
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I appreciate every minute of your time and attention ↓
Product
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Burger King is a marketing savant. Here’s the story of why they sponsored one of the worst teams in the lowest professional football league in England.
“The Nike of recovery”. Building a business from an athlete's pain point.
People
Look beyond the “default setting”. A timeless reality check by the late, great, David Foster Wallace.
Whether you’re just starting out or many years into your career this framework will help you sharpen your value proposition. Also useful for product and brand development.
Develop a choice system. Make it easier to say “no”.
Methods
Quantity leads to quality when it comes to creativity. The Equal Odds Rule.
You can’t plan for everything but you can build organizational resilience. A relevant playbook on risk management.
Whether you’re still at home, hybrid, or back in the office this will help you. How to beat procrastination.
Out of Office
A vacation is a very expensive way to schedule the time to read a book in peace — Naval
Which explains why I haven’t finished any books recently.
However, in the build-up to my (still to be booked) post-covid vacation, I’m 45 pages into The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene.
It explains every personal interaction you’ve ever had and how to deal with the difficult ones.
Highly recommended.
