Power of 2 in Speech Writing

I read a recent review in the Wall Street Journal about a new book - Sounding the Trumpet. The book uncovers the actual role of presidential speech writers in inaugural speeches. It turns out that JFK's famous speech was mostly penned by Theodore Sorenson. Kennedy himself likely only contributed 9 of the 51 sentences of the speech. Yet, JFK made a huge show of actually having written the speech when being interviewed by a journalist on Air Force One.

This highlights a couple of really important issues. First, it's yet another example where the Power of 2 plays a vital role in creating great outcomes. Indeed, it was probably a perfect pairing as Sorenson's Maven created the text, while Kennedy delivered it with great Evangelist flair. And while we cannot go back and see what happened, it's likely there were a number of exchanges back and forth between the president and his speech writer to get it right.

The second issue is perhaps more important and subtle. We live in a culture which likes to celebrate the success of the individual. Whether it's in the area of inventions, (Thomas Edison - light bulb; Art Fry - Post It Note, with little mention of the other vital collaborators), entrepreneurship (Steve Jobs or Bill Gates with little mention of Wozniak or Allen) or any other activities, we love to simplify the message and discuss one person. Evangelists might be partially to blame in their desire to hog the limelight! But this mythology does a great disservice to those who read the stories and don't realize the importance of dance partners. A soloist mental model will likely lead to failure. It's fascinating that JFK felt the need to obfuscate the fact that he was not the true author of the speech. In a culture which celebrates the Power of 2, he might have behaved differently.

Mavens, Relaters and Evangelists must all realize the importance of bringing each other into our games. The Power of 2 (or more) will create results far beyond our wildest expectations.

Interview with Damien Senn

Damien coaches professionals, artists and entrepreneurs in London. He recently read THF and decided to interview me. We discuss writing, dance partners, bootstrapping and a few other interesting topics!

THF on RoundOne

RoundOne is a new website for entrepreneurs. THF has been reviewed on their site

Sir Richard Branson, the Dancing Evangelist

I recently read Richard Branson's autobiography, "Losing My Virginity" and enjoyed it from a number of perspectives. I've written about how it relates to Bootstrapping here.

From an MRE perspective, there are two noteworthy points.

First, Sir Richard is an example of an incredible Evangelist. Not only did he discover his core energy early on in life, he also deepened it through his own initiative and family support. This is therefore a fantastic account for any budding Evangelist. Second, Sir Richard is someone who intuitively follows the 5D Process (Dream, Discover, Deepen, Dance, Do-Again) and has done so time and again in creating and reinventing Virgin.

I'd like to particularly mention "Dance." Sir Richard has an uncanny ability to discover the right dance partners and then persuade them to join his team. He mentions this right at the beginning of the book: Throughout my life, I've always needed somebody as a counterbalance, to compensate for my weaknesses and to work off my strengths." This might be the best description of what great dance partners do for each other.

When he founded Student, his first venture, he also discovered his first Maven Dance Partner - Jonny Gems. As Student evolved, Jonny was forced to return to school. He brought on Nik Powell, his childhood friend - convincing Nik to delay college! While Richard spent time evangelizing, Nik made sure the operation ran smoothly. This is a classic Evangelist-Maven combination, similar to Jobs/Wozniak, Ellison/Minor and others mentioned in THF. We also learn of the challenges inherent in such partnerships when Nik tried to engineer a coup at Student. Indeed, Evangelists like Sir Richard bring organizations forward with their grandiose visions and energy. Conversely, they're not so interested in the details, which are best left to Mavens. However, each is integral to the dance, as Sir Richard discovers and it is the combination of talents that makes things work. Indeed, later on, he brought Nik back to run the music mail order business.

Finding dance partners has become a theme in subsequent Virgin ventures. Indeed, he has turned it into an integral part of his new-venture formation process. For example, he brought on his cousin, Simon Draper, a music Maven to run the Virgin Records which grew out of the Record Store businesses.

I highly recommend the book for anyone interested in learning about the MRE/5D process, especially from an Evangelist's point of view.