92 - Social Architecture - (Our) Values - Boldness
Value 4/5 at Mayday
I’m writing about social architecture: the why, the components and the actions. I’ve covered Mission, Vision and Values at the top level as components. I’m running through our Values at Mayday. There was Delight, Ownership, then Curiosity.
We can strive for Delight. We can embody Ownership. We can practice Curiosity. But unless we also bring a spirit of boldness to our conduct, we won’t get anywhere close to success in pursuing our mission. Hence the place of Boldness as a value.
There are four sub points we use in explaining Boldness as a value:
Expression - this is rooted in the idea that emotions are contagious. Emotions can only come from a place of authenticity. And therefore full expression in our work is paramount. There is no one way to do this. I like quotes and therefore playing on them within our marketing is just one example of expression for me. The how is not important. What’s key is that it happens;
Empirical Creativity With Actionable Data & Bounded Risk - a bit of a mouthful, I grant you! This is about expressing ourselves, creating. But doing so empirically based on data rather than whim. And in acting creatively, bounding the risk. Being bold is inextricable from mistakes. Bounding the risk is to make sure that the cost of any such mistake is manageable;
Bias For Action - this could also be termed “just start”. Do to learn. Start and then build up momentum. James Clear has this idea of motion (inputs and planning) as distinct from taking action (outputs). The difference can be imperceptible in the moment, but over time is all the difference in the world;
Forgiveness vs Permission - More specifically, to beg for forgiveness vs asking for permission. Clearly this is to be applied judiciously at the margins vs writ large. It’s not an encouragement to break the law. But in those marginal situations, erring on the side of boldness and action.