One of the things I have worked with as an entrepreneur over the years is manifestos. I think they are dead important, both to the people who see them because they stand strong, but also for me to get my head around what it is that I actually think and feel about a given subject. I went back in the blog archives and I have done a lot of manifestos during the years I’ve been running this blog… (8 years… cough).
A manifesto is a great way of figuring out what you think is important around a given subject – or even when you should be finding out what kind of company you are. I haven’t done a Henriette Weber or a Toothless Tiger manifesto yet – but they are up in my head – I know what I want to do and what I don’t want to do. What I stand for and what I don’t stand for. And that’s the great thing about manifestos because it becomes natural to you in the process and then you look back at them and think “hey that’s pretty cool”. A manifesto needs to be a natural process so you end out with something that everybody in the manifesto process believes in and acts out and stands for. It can be a lot of work (especially in large teams – but I guarantee you it’s worth it). in fact it often becomes something more than a manifesto
But here are my published manifestos over the years:
Anyway, there was the silent revolution manifesto that became a large part of my book “return on involvement” because the silent revolution defines the changes that is happening inside of people. This was written before the paradigm shift in media and I still feel the “yep” coming from inside of me when I read it…
There was the creativity undefined manifesto that summed up my creative work with Dannie Jost for our lift07 workshop – it still stands and is still the core of most of my thoughts around creativity. The surroundings have changed a bit though.
Then there was the creativity 100 manifesto – 100 pieces of advice for getting more creative… which is still one of my most read blog posts today =) I really dig that manifesto, and can’t really believe I did that…
And then – there is the involvement manifesto. A sum-up of danish books (in English) which had the success criteria that one person would print and put up on their wall in their office. (you can still make it). That’s why it’s designed and great looking and not just text=)
When I read through this my mind is going “I better get going on that creativity book” – 2 manifestos on creativity? yes it is something I care deeply about =)