Trine-Maria Kristensen mailed a customer the other day saying that i would be coming along for a meeting because we needed some “no compromises attitude” for the meeting. However frank it was it kind of reasoned with me and my thinking these days. Not that i don’t understand compromises and make a lot of them my selves every day, but because compromises aren’t solutions to today’s major paradigm shifts. They worked as solutions for incremental change/evolution within a paradigm, but in paradigms shifts there’s no room for compromises.
Compromises occur when people don’t go all the way, go all in, dumb down the paradigm shifts to commercialize them quickly, when people adopt words and vocabulary for from a new paradigm and use it to sexy up the existing paradigms, when people don’t dare to do it, when people simplify/make light versions of the changes that are happening because they are unwilling to accept the paradigm shift fully – but want the fame and recognition from it – ultimately when people don’t respect the core the idea and treat it accordingly.
Compromises are the center of cycles. When a cycle of change opens up it’s about getting as much as possible of change and new core ideas into it – instead of making compromises and seeing the cycle of possibility for change close again with only small improvements. Maximizing change potentials of cycles is the core. And compromises are it’s enemy. And when i say maximizing i mean the maximizing the potential for change against the adaptability of people, models, beliefs and systems.

I’ve been seeing this happening in the real world for all my adult life. The internet in the early 90’s was an amazing opening for social, democratic and societal change – eventually it got dumbed down to companies having homepages and hardcore capitalists playing their old games. New openings are appearing every day again, new cycles are starting – and i’m seeing the usual patterns of compromises effectively for every day that goes by limiting the potential for change in the cycle. Mostly because of ignorance of the idea, unwillingness to really understand the idea, not giving recognition to the people behind the ideas or lack of respect for the idea.

So what could be the solution? First of all realizing the huge responsibility people with insights have not to compromise the ideas, especially people in trusted positions. Secondly being very frank and open about calling out the compromises that are happening – not playing nice for fitness or a quick buck. So the next time you see someone saying they have a blog when they really don’t call them out, when they say they’re innovating when they really aren’t call them out, when they say they’re so web2.0 – but really are playing by the old playbooks call them out. Call them out in a nice way and offer your humble constructive help. Encourage long term thinking all over instead of focusing on easy realities or a easy money.
Respect the idea, don’t compromise it. I think we’ll get to tomorrow much faster and efficient if you do.

Makes any sense?

How does it relate to the traditional adaption cycle of innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, etc.?