Punching Above Your Weight
BeenThereDoneThat
We harness the World’s best thinkers to solve the World's toughest problems
No.178: Mon 8 Jan 2024
Hi, it’s David here.
Happy New Year and welcome back to school for the start of an exciting new term with new possibilities.
This week the School of Athens newsletter is written by our very own Giles Jepson. Giles discusses the power of moonshots, both figuratively and literally, as he draws parallels between NASA's Artemis program and the transformative power of underdogs.?
Based on the premise that what got us here is not going to get us to where we need to be, 2024 really does need to be the year of social and strategic imagination if we are going to find ourselves in a much needed, better place.
As always, we are curious to hear what you think.
David Alberts
Co-Founder and Chief Vision Officer at BeenThereDoneThat
Hi, it’s Giles?here.
Last month, I was lucky enough to go to a showing of The Moonwalkers: A journey with Tom Hanks at the Lightroom in London. It is an immersive experience that tells the story of all the Apollo moon landings in the 1960’s and 70’s and provides a bridge to the current NASA’s Artemis program.2024 will see the launch of the next stage of NASA’s Artemis program.
The Artemis program, named after Apollo's twin sister in Greek mythology, is NASA's plan to go back to the moon. It will send humans to the moon for the first time since 1972, including the?first woman and the first person of color . Artemis also includes plans for a longer-term, sustained presence in space that will prepare NASA for eventually sending people even farther –?to Mars .
Artemis’ funding and profile are a poor relation to the Apollo program, but it epitomizes how underdogs, equipped with compelling visions, can achieve ambitious feats beyond expectations. Despite lacking peak funding enjoyed during the 1960s Space Race, Artemis proves big goals stay in reach when imagination leads over inertia. Specifically, plans to land the first woman and astronaut of color on the moon showcase leadership not as occupying top spots, but expanding who defines progress. Artemis also actively partners smaller startups with spaceflight contracts to shape an inclusive future. This moonshot synthesizes the power of reimagination.
The power of imagination is central to Martin Reeves and Jack Fuller’s article, Competing on Imagination, The Imagination Machine, which lays out the argument that to thrive in today’s competitive and dynamic environment, companies need to compete on imagination. The ability to think counterfactually and to conceive ‘what is not, but what could be’. In big incumbent businesses and categories, thinking becomes calcified and incentives to reimagine what a category or business could be is diminished. To unlock growth, being a thought leader that reimagines the art of the possible is critical to enable it.
Dominant players in any category fixate on strengthening existing models, leaving them intellectually trapped. Underdogs (or those businesses with an underdog mentality) retain latitude to entirely reframe conversations. Leadership researcher Amy Showalter spotlights in "The Underdog Edge" that the coherent substance of one's vision proves more persuasive than platform scale. By vividly redefining what's possible, rather than just competing within accepted limitations, underdogs wield an outsized capacity to spark movements. Equipped with the creative freedom to reach beyond the status quo, small, agile players can overhaul dialogues through stirring and imagination-rich visions focused on progress, not pursuing credentials. As Showalter advises, success goes to those bold enough to illuminate new horizons. Compelling visions built from peripheral positions can redirect the future for entire industries.
Every year, David Hieatt, founder of Hiut denim and the Do Lectures amongst other things, builds and shares Hiut Denim’s Makers and Mavericks list. This is a list of approximately 100 people who in their own words go to the team at Hiut to say,?‘I wish I had done that, made that, invented that, thought like that, changed that’. The list embodies the visionary and courageous spirit of an underdog and demonstrates the power of imagination to change the rules of the game and pioneer new horizons.
Giles Jepson
CGO at BeenThereDoneThat?
领英推荐
Supporting Articles
3. The Underdog Edge: How Ordinary People Change the Minds of the Powerful and Live to Tell About It
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