October 25, 2024
Today I will attempt (in one sitting) to answer the question, “So, what is it that you actually DO?” without using or explaining any of the “services” in the ever-changing list on my LinkedIn profile [currently: Brand Consulting, Marketing Consulting, Political Consulting, Content Strategy, Brand Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Strategic Planning, Writing, Project Management, Non-profit Consulting]
Here goes …
I am in the business of sharing ideas. I explain, sell, trade, and otherwise popularize ideas. Sometimes they are my original ideas and sometimes they are other people’s ideas. Sometimes the ideas are new, sometimes they are ancient, and sometimes they are ancient ideas that somehow feel new again. Sometimes the ideas are on a skyward trajectory (i.e., “an idea whose time has come” or an idea with $100M of VC investment) and sometimes the ideas are like pushing a boulder up a hill. A product can be an idea unto itself but, more often, a product requires an idea to give it lift and velocity. Same goes for “calls to action.”
My “work” is to share, explain, and/or popularize ideas in exchange for money. Alternatively, I might use other people’s money to popularize one of my own ideas in such a way that we both make a lot more money.
Here are some examples of ideas I’ve helped to explain, share, spread, and popularize in exchange for money:
It would be better to elect Barack Obama than Hillary Clinton or John McCain.
Electric cars are worth a try! (circa 2009)
Strong and effective labor unions are good for the whole of capitalist societies.
[Talent agency name redacted] would be wise to continue their expansion into the sports business, despite the short-term disruption to legacy business, because [long-term benefits redacted].
Local governments should encourage and/or mandate the construction of green buildings – particularly schools.
It is inevitable that early-stage tech startups will be less concentrated in Silicon Valley in the coming years. Large and medium-sized cities around the world (including Edinburgh!) should plan (and invest) ahead.
People should have the freedom to earn money by sharing their home with visitors from out of town.
Here are some examples of ideas I would like to explain, share, spread, and popularize in exchange for money:
The vast majority of humans want the same things in life. Political and cultural polarization is not caused by “wanting different things.” It’s caused by divergent perceptions of respect and fear.
The finite list of things that (virtually) everyone wants in life are well-represented by the concept of Human Flourishing – one interpretation of these universal desires is the five domains from the Harvard University Human Flourishing Program: “happiness and life satisfaction, physical and mental health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, and close social relationships.” This type of measure should be used as a framework for any decision-making that will have a widespread social impact.
All new technologies are 100% neutral – neither good nor bad. From fire to weapons to gasoline to nuclear fission to iPhones to large language models. Begin the conversation with this idea and go from there.
Everyone should spend more time outdoors and should move their bodies more often and more vigorously than they currently do.
People feel very strongly about food and often do not fully understand the true reasons for their depth of feeling – even if they say they do.
The idea that “God exists” is worth thinking deeply about on a regular basis – whether you want to call it “prayer” or something else.
Everyone gains from people freely moving about the world, to the degree which they are able. Making this more affordable (income inequality) and sustainable (climate) is a fundamental inheritance we can provide the next generation.
But, Moffo, HOW do you actually go about sharing and selling these big ideas? If we pay you money, what will we get? A long memo? One hundred YouTube ads? A celebrity endorsement? A wildly popular event? One million new followers?
A wise sage once said, “Well, that all depends … but it will require using some of the terms in LinkedIn’s “services” drop-down menu.”
In my view, it doesn’t really matter how. Years ago, I was trained at @SS+K to be a tactically-agnostic creative strategist, which perfectly suits my style of thinking and sensibility.
My long list of LinkedIn skills and diverse work history are the direct consequence of this tactical agnosticism. When a potential client asks, “We’re really impressed with your interesting background. But, what can you do for us?” My 100% genuine (yet totally unsatisfying) reply is: “What do you need?”
But, I’ll leave that for another day.