How to Create a Movement
It takes three kinds of people to create a movement.
Activists
Artists
Intelectuales
Very rarely do we see one individual that is able to embody all three personalities. The ones who do, you already know there names. Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates to name a few. There is a common thread among all three of these unique individuals. The ability to be an artist, activist and intellectual is not something that comes naturally. In fact creativity and critical thinking in the terms of economics come from two very different sides of the brain.
So what are those special attributes that allow a person to rewrite the rules and create a movement?
This day in age, creating a movement can happen fast because information travels with greater velocity every day. This idea of leveraging technology was something that Dean Grey, the CEO and Founder of Skylab Apps understood with crystal clear clarity. Like Zuckerberg and Jobs, Mr. Grey shares the unique ability to be an artist and intelectual who’s politics are driven by a moral code, not political correctives.
To create a movement, one must have vision, determination, chops and be a little bit crazy for believing you will be able to pull it off. When Dean founded Skylab Apps, it was about anchoring a decision for him, planting his flag, and then burning the ships so only path was forward. Getting to that decision would require the following steps:
I started to outgrow the community I was a part of. In order to move forward, I had to make the switch from entertaining and educating people around the world to equipping people around the world.
–Dean Grey
Erase the Labels
If you are not a trained musician but want to convey a message by composing a tune, don’t let the lack of a formal education stop you. Never let the question ‘Am I trained to do this?’ take root. Carve a path and walk through. This is the only way forward and create a movement
Success Tastes Sweet Only After Bitter Failure
Be mentally prepared to hear ‘No’ before you meet acceptance. Aim for rejection, it is not negative if something substantial comes out of it. Dean Grey himself had to endure failed attempts before he got to the summit. When you stop worrying about rejection, you put in your best effort.
Don’t Lose Focus on the Project’s Integrity
It is easier to fall off the wagon than getting on to it. Most people who come up with brilliant ideas after tasking initial success, lose focus on their goals and get off track. Persistence is the key. Have a small team in place whose responsibility is to assess the course of the project. Anytime they feel that the trajectory is misaligned, corrective steps can be implemented without losing time.
There Should Always Be a Scale For Measurement
Every action and idea must be scalable. When you find yourself thinking of the next big idea or about to create a movement, ask yourself “Will this be applicable to 500 people?” If the answer is no, alter the plan. If yes, improve it to fit a larger perspective.
Keep It Simple
An idea is great only when it is simplified. The more complicated it gets, the lesser acceptance it will receive. People tend to follow only those ideas which they can understand. Breaking down the idea into a simple concept also makes building an emotional connection easier.
During the inception of the idea it is pivotal to keep it centered on a core value. This core will decide if the project will go global or lose momentum.
Dean Grey is not a lone wolf on his path to creating a movement with Skylab Apps.
The Skylab CEO understood that in order to create a movement he needed to get the right people on the bus. Luckily, like attracts like, and Dean would devise the most incredible team of C-level execs, entrepreneurs and ambassadors that share the same vision that he had.
This team of Artists, Activists and Intellectuals are top performers in their space.
The Intellectuals: who’s former associations and employment history stem from globally recognised brands like the UFC, Fanduel, Walt Disney, Success Partners HITACHI and Nike consists of Mike Pine, Tony Chaplin, and Tony Cerqueira to name a few.
The Artists: A creative team of world renowned dancers athletes and entertainers that consists of 8-time goldmedalist Apolo Ohno, 5-Time world Dance Champion Jeremy Wong, Alex and Kyle McCarthy, and other uber talented folks
The Activists: Consisting of some rebel entrepreneurs who dared to think outside the box and chase their own dream of success. Some of
the players are Skylab CTO George Pslek, Digital marketing and sales masters Mike Filsaime along with Steve Wolf and the most cutting edge platform development and design team including Lauren Peters (formally Coca-Cola/ Wells Fargo) Bryan Farris (UC Berkley / Acumen Transit Hero) and Big Data with Sasha Treviso (Amobee).
This is how you create a movement.
For more information on how Skylab Apps is creating a digital movement, check out this link
Check out this TED Talks about how to start a movement.