The Outsider

Disclaimer: You do not have to read this. It is a standard disclaimer. This is a work of laziness and accidental discovery. This is totally real. Carry out any of the instructions in this article at your own risk. There are chances that what you read might be a part of some bestseller already. Be aware that this may cause feelings of déjà vu.

“We in advertising first think of the idea…”. Ya, I will come to that later.

?After working as an Art Director in advertising for over a decade, I landed in Consulting. For some time, I lived in denial and missed Advertising.

?In the 13+ years, I had gotten used to a certain way of working and schedules (which did not exist), how I conducted myself and interacted with people. So much so that I developed a distinct vocabulary and way of speaking.

?Advertising and Consulting as cultures were two very different worlds and for a while, I felt like an outsider. I always used to talk as if I was still in advertising.

?In my new innings, I was fortunate to have friends and colleagues who always made me feel at ease as I settled in. Soon after, I got the hang of this new world and began to enjoy what I've been doing for the past 8+ years now.

?In the ecosystem I was operating, I had to help create a new line of business and I realized that it needed a different approach from what existed.

?Every place works in certain ways and people in the ecosystem have their version of the ways of working. But still, it is only a version. We most of the time try and understand an ecosystem and put in all our energies figuring out how it works. And then we become a part of the system. In the process, we lose ourselves and our unique approach.

?For the longest time, I kept considering and labeling myself an outsider and like all lazy people I found ways of not changing and soon it turned into a strength.

?I branded myself as an Outsider in my mind and approached situations and problems from the outside rather than using methods and tools that existed in the system. It felt alien, fresh, and most of the time, more effective.

?And what it also did, when I failed it gave me the license to say sorry and go and try some other way. Everyone gave me the benefit of doubt – because I was The Outsider.

?While it was never a planned approach and just happened over time, I got trained to think like an Outsider. With the deepest inside knowledge, it enabled me to look at a problem from the outside and bring in a unique perspective resulting in a solution, most of the time.

?Of course, the toughest thing in the above approach was being lazy.