What Happens When We Share Ideas? Hint: It Should Not Be Fear of Someone Stealing Your IP
In my part of the world, it's the final dog days of summer; in other parts, it's winter. It's hard to remember the other when you're sweating or freezing.
Think about this… I'm in summer, and you are in winter. Maybe your winter is mild, while my summer is as hot as hell. You are drenched in the rain; I'm parched from the sun. You bundle up; I strip down.?
It's easy to share our different experiences, to write about them, to talk about them, and to exchange pictures and anecdotes. However, no matter how much I learn and how much I sympathize, I can only imagine what you are feeling—and even the best imagination is no match for the power of experience.?
I'll tell you stories about my summer. You'll do the same for me with your winter, but in the end, I'm still hot, and you're still cold.
This is an insight about sharing. Some sharing leaves you feeling good—you learned something. Maybe you gained a new appreciation for someone or something. But when you share an experience, being able to swap real emotions and feelings because you shared the real thing and not just an emoji... that's powerful.
I love this quote to continue the thought:
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"If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas. “ —George Bernard Shaw
Ideas are experiences—very personal experiences. While they may still be just ideas, the passion that we have for them is what makes them alive and real. More importantly, unlike the sharing of information (which is more like the apples), if you share an idea or your "wisdom," the swap results in exponential growth.
In a sense, this might even touch upon the value exchange we look for with clients and that we both look for with their customers/users/buyers. To me, the win/win scenario is the ultimate holy marketing grail. It's an exchange that leaves both parties with more than an "apple" each.
On one side, more sales, more ability to serve and create, and on the other, better and ever-better products and services.
Bottom line: It's nice to share your apples, but think how much richer the exchange is if you made a pie and I made some cider, and we create a feast.
What’s your view?
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1 年Thank you for sharing your thoughts
Founder at BYOB | Published Author | Ghostwriter | Resume Writer | Written for US Insider, NY Weekly, Economic Insider and The Emirates Times
1 年Sharing gives you insights and different POVs. Which can either serve as feedback or motivation. I used to be afraid earlier that it would get stolen, but then realised execution was much harder. :)
Energy & Operations Leader | Decommissioning | Energy Transition | Project Delivery | Asset Management | Digital Transformation
1 年Your perspective on sharing experiences versus sharing information is profound. The concept of a win/win scenario is fundamental not only in marketing but in any personal interactions also. Your analogy of making a pie and cider together beautifully illustrates the concept of creating something greater than the sum of its parts through collaboration and shared experiences.
Director of Retirement Sales Execution
1 年Great quote on apples vs ideas David. Thanks for your insight. The first lesson Randy Hlavac gave our Northwestern University Social Marketing MOOC was the value of “give to get”. My view is that is a very positive aspect of social media and life. Like so many other things, you get out of them what you put in, and like your apple/idea quote, often more. Sharing ideas is what makes the “sharing”/social economy work.
PT, DPT, MS Physical Therapist, Biofield and Energy Therapies,Stress, Depression and Pain Management
1 年Within us we hold generations of experiences that influence how we propel through and perceive life. its an interesting adventure to "talk" within and become acquanted with our sensations, our reactions, our apples and apple pie that reveals a world of color and wonder... all of that within!it takes pause, curiosity to know that we are much more than what we seem..much more than an apple