STORIES & BRANDSFOR INTENTIONAL ENTREPRENEURS

AMHERST AUGUST 2011

NICK JANKEL, WECREATE

@MIND_MAVERICK

“In the beginning was the word.”

JOHN 1.1.

70%OF WHAT WE LEARN IS THROUGH STORIES

STORIESDEFINE OUR SOCIETY AND OUR WORLD

"The universe is made of stories, not atoms."MURIEL RUKEYSER

CHANGETHE WORLD? FIRST YOU MUST CHANGE THE STORY

IMAGINEIF YOU TOLD A STORY THIS POWERFUL WITH YOUR ENTERPRISE...

STORYWHAT IS ONE?

“A fact is interesting, an idea is important, but only a story, a good argument, a well-crafted narrative is amazing, never to be forgotten.”KEVIN KELLY

(RE)CREATION

“Legendary totemic beings wandered over the continent in the Dreamtime, singing out the name of everything that crossed their path - birds, animals, plants, rocks, waterhold - and so singing the world into existence.

Even today, when an Aboriginal mother notices the first stirring of speech in her child, she lets it handle the 'things' of that particular country: leaves, fruit, insects and so forth. The child at its mother's breast, will toy with the 'thing', talk to it, test its teeth on it, learn its name, repeat its name.”

BRUCE CHATWIN

STORIESPROBLEMSTRUGGLE(RE)SOLUTION

PROBLEMFROM THE SILVER MINES OF THE NEW WORLD TO THE ALUMINUM FACADES OF THE BANKS THAT ARE TOO BIG TO FAIL, WE HAVE BEEN EXTRACTING VALUE & EXPLOITING FROM PEOPLE & PLACES ALL IN THE NAME OF

‘FREEDOM’

PROFIT

STRUGGLE

“And God said: Let man have dominion of the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air. and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth over the earth.”GENESIS 1, 26

LACK, FEAR, PROPERTY, GREED, LOVE, BROTHERHOOD, TITHING, CHARITY, INVENTION, REVOLUTIONS, PHILANTHROPY, ABOLITIONISM, CO-OPS, PATERNALISM, NEW DEALS, MCCARTHY, CIVIL RIGHTS, HIPPIES, AID, REAGAN, 3RD WAY, DEVELOPMENT...

RESOLUTIONHOW DO WE KEEP CAPITALISM AND ITS (DIS)CONTENTS BUT MAKE THE WORLD MORE JUST, EQUAL AND PEACEFUL FOR THE MAJORITY?

PROFITBEYOND

INTENTIONALENTERPRISE

RECLAIMTHE STORY

RECALIBRATECAPITALISM TOWARDS SOCIAL EQUALITY

COLLECTIVECAPITALISM

DANCEBETWEEN AFFIRMING OUR CORE BELIEFS ABOUT THE PAST AND SHINING LIGHT ON A NEW FUTURE

"If you’re going to have a story, have a big story, or none at all."JOSEPH CAMPBELL

ENTERPRISESTORYTELLING

WHY?DO ENTREPRENEURS TELL STORIES?

INTERESTENGAGE WITH YOU, YOUR COMPANY OR BRAND

INSPIREPEOPLE TO SEE THINGS IN A NEW WAY

INVITEOTHERS TO ACT IN A CERTAIN WAY

INFLUENCEIS KING IN THE AGE OF NETWORKS, MATRICES & COLLABORATIONS

7 ELEMENTS

CONTEXT

CONFLICT

CONVENTIONS

CHALLENGE

CONSCIOUSNESS

CONCEPT

CONCRETE IMPACT

CONTEXTTHE STATE OF THE WORLDTHE PROBLEM AS MOST SEE IT

(WITHOUT CONTEXT THERE IS NO MEANING)

THIS IS THE WAY THE WORLD IS....

A STORY OF 1 PERSON CAN BE MORE POWERFUL THAT FOR ALL

CONFLICTTHE STRUGGLE, THE CONTRADICTIONS, THE RESISTANCE, THE REACTION

MANY HAVE TRIED AND FAILED BY...

CONVENTIONSTHE CONVENTIONS OF THE SECTORTHE ROOT CAUSES OF THE PROBLEMTHE WORLDVIEWS THAT CREATE IT

THIS IS BECAUSE IT IS GENERALLY BELIEVED THAT...

The Problem

Conventional Mindset

Conventions & Assumptions

ConventionalExplanation

Brand: Apple

Computers are not designed for creativity

(and creative people won’t buy them).

Non-techies are not buying or using computers as much as they should.

Productivity is key reason for existence. This is the essence of

modern man.

The universe is a mechanism. We are cogs in that

machine.

The Problem

Disruptive Vision

Conventional Mindset

Conventions & Assumptions

ConventionalExplanation

Disruptive Insights & Truths

Disruptive Solution

Disruptive Mindset

CHALLENGETHE TRUE PROBLEM, THE REAL QUESTION, THE STATEMENT OF INTENT, THE OPENING TO CHANGE(BEST WHEN UNEXPECTED, DELIGHTED IN & COMES FROM LOVE)

SO ACTUALLY THE REALLY CHALLENGE IS HOW TO...

CONSCIOUSNESSTHE INSIGHTFUL REALIZATION, THE TRANSFORMATION, THE CREATIVE LEAP, THE NEW WAY OF THINKING

THE BOON!

THEREFORE IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY BECAUSE...

CONCEPTTHE IDEA, THE SOLUTION, THE VISION, THE OPPORTUNITY, THE POSSIBILITY

(IDEALLY AN EYE-OPENING CALL TO ACTION)

WHAT IF...

Brand: Apple

Computers are not designed for creativity

(and creative people wouldn’t buy them).

Non-techies are not buying or using computers as

much as they could.

Productivity is key reason for existence. This is the essence of

modern man.

The universe is a mechanism. We are cogs in that

machine.

The Problem

Disruptive Vision

Conventional Mindset

Conventions & Assumptions

ConventionalExplanation

Disruptive Insights & Truths

Disruptive Solution

Disruptive Mindset

Computers can be a force for creative thinking & creative professionals.

Think different with a Mac.

We are here to express ourselves

not to produce stuff.

The universe is an evolving, creative network - so we are all creative.

CONCRETETANGIBLE IMPACT IN THE REAL-WORLD

WHAT IS IN IT FOR THEM?

HERE IS HOW THAT (MIGHT) LOOK & FEEL...

CONTEXT

CONFLICT

CONVENTIONS

CHALLENGE

CONSCIOUSNESS

CONCEPT

CONCRETE IMPACT

“REALITY”

“IDEAS”

1 CONTEXTWhat is the state of play? Are there any

shocking facts and figures? Can you tell me about one person who is suffering?

2 CONFLICTWhat has already been thought of that has

failed? What have you struggled with before you saw the light?

3 CONVENTIONSWhat are the things everyone thinks that are the

root causes of the problem? What part of the current story is no longer working?

4 CHALLENGE So what is the real task at hand? What question are you hoping to answer?

5 CONSCIOUSNESSHow do you think that could radically change all this? What is the insight you have had that

changes the conversation?

6 CONCEPT What is the essence of your idea?

7 CONCRETE IMPACT

How does it, or could it, have an impact? What analogies, parallels could you draw on?

-8 (COMPANY NAME)

So what is your concept or company called?

FOODFOR THOUGHT...

STRUGGLEIS RESOLVED BY A HEIGHTENED UNDERSTANDING

EXEMPLIFIED BY THE CHARACTER ARC

INCLUDENOT JUDGE, COMPLAIN, OR ATTACK

"You can never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete."BUCKY

HERO(INE)CUSTOMER, TRIBE, ENTREPRENEUR, PRODUCT, BRAND, IDEA?

YOU?

WHY?DO YOU WANTO CREATE AN INTENTIONAL ENTERPRISE?

FEARFORTUNE FAMEFRUSTRATION FREEDOM

ENGINES

WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO THINK, FEEL & DO AFTER THE STORY?

DESIREDRESULT

WHAT IS THE SHARED RESOLUTION THAT INVOLVES THE AUDIENCE AS MUCH AS THE HERO?

SHARE

WIN WIN WINWHERE CAN I, MY USERS / PARTNERS & SOCIETY WIN?

ALLOW THE LISTENER TO COMPLETE THE LOOP

LOOPS

AS ONE LOOP COMPLETES, ANOTHER OPENS

SPIRAL

1 IN 5WILL BECOME DEPRESSED THIS YEAR

10 MILLIONKIDS ON RITALIN IN US ALONE

NO. 2BURDEN ON GLOBAL HEALTH IS DEPRESSION

300,000CHILDREN ON ACTIVE DUTY

3 MILLIONKIDS DIE A YEAR FROM MALARIA

5 YEARSOF MOSQUITO NETS FOR EVERY BED IN AFRICA FOR THE SAME THE PENTAGON SPENDS A DAY

500PEOPLE OWN MORE THAT 5 BILLION

400,000ADDITIONAL BATTLE DEATHS IN AFRICA BY 2030 DUE TO GLOBAL WARMING

IS THIS NOT CRAZY?

FAILAIDTRADEREGULATIONMEDICATION

SYSTEMDESIGNED AROUND THE IDEA THAT WHAT LOOK LIKE EXTERNAL SOCIAL PROBLEMS NEED EXTERNAL SOLUTIONS

WE KNOWFROM OUR EVERYDAY LIFE THAT NOTHING CHANGES UNTIL WE CHANGE OUR MINDS

CRISISSOCIETY’S MOST PERNICIOUS PROBLEMS STEM FROM A CRISIS OF MINDSET NOT A CRISIS OF CREDIT OR ANYTHING ELSE

EVERYTHINGWE NEED TO SOLVE MOST - IF NOT ALL - OUR GLOBAL PROBLEMS ALREADY EXISTS

BLOCKAGEIN HOW WE THINK & ACT

TOOLSTO OPEN UP MINDS & DESIGN CREATIVE SOLUTIONS ALREADY EXIST

HOWDO WE GET THE TOOLS FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INTO THE HANDS OF THOSE WHO CAN USE THEM TO SOLVE THEIR OWN PROBLEMS & THOSE OF THE COMMUNITY?

COSTSA FORTUNE

EXPERTSARE NEEDED

"In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.”CHARLES DARWIN

PEERPOWER THE MOST INFLUENTIAL FORCE ON EARTH

WISDOMEVERYTHING - FROM THE ANCIENTS TO THE LATEST NEUROSCIENCE - CAN BE CODIFIED INTO TOOLS FOR ALL TO USE

EVERY HUMANCAN BE PART OF THE CO-CREATION OF A RADICALLY BETTER WORLD IF THEY ARE GIVEN THE TOOLS, ENCOURAGEMENT & FRAMEWORKS

WECREATEPROVIDE AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE WITH THE TOOLS, IDEAS & INSPIRATION TO CO-CREATE A RADICALLY BETTER LIFE / ENTERPRISE / WORLD

BRINGING TO LIFE ACROSS MULTI-MEDIA WISDOM THAT ENGAGE PEOPLE IN CO-CREATING A BETTER WORLD TOGETHER

IMAGINE

P2P TOOLKITFESTIVAL EXPERIENCESTV & RADIO SHOWSTHE LIFE LABTHE ACCELERATORTHE ULTIMATE TRIP

INNOVATIONS

“Nick’s ideas were trailed on the Australian government's Department for Innovation.  Now that's the diffusion of innovation in practice!”

“My wife thinks I have had a brain transplant” “The toolkit is neat, fun and engaging. It is simply spectacular and mindblowing that you've integrated all those essential practices and insights.”

“They are overflowing with inspiration and practical commitments towards making innovation their new way of life.”

TOGETHER EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE

SAID ANOTHER WAY...

FOLKS

SPLIT

TRAUMA

LOST

SHAMEN

THERAPY

ATHEISM

PSYCHIATRY

AFRICA

LOVE OFWISDOM

DEPRESSED

MORE THERAPY

IV(OR)Y TOWER

MAD MEN

COACHING

MIND POWER

CLUETRAINMANIFESTO

“A powerful global conversation has begun. Through the  Internet, people are discovering and inventing new ways to share relevant knowledge with blinding speed. As a direct result, markets are getting smarter—and getting smarter faster than most companies.” 

BURN OUT

COOK ISLANDS

INNER REVOLUTION

INNER REVOLUTION

“Excess of sorrow laughs. Excess of joy weeps.”

WILLIAM BLAKE

FLIP THE TOOLS

FREEDOMTO / FROM

SOCENT

SCUBA DIVING

AA

MULTIPLATFORM

7 YEARS OF STRUGGLE

THE LONG WALK HOME

7 YEARS OF STRUGGLE

7 YEARS OFHONING

THEPRODUCTS

145

147

149

150

2012WHAT ARE ULTIMATE TRIPS?

Ultimate Trips are designed to facilitate deep and powerful transformation through an ‘active’ retreat experience, harnessing our shared, unique and precious cultural heritage to shift our inner world through experience.

Ultimate Trip experiences are designed for the discerning, independent traveller, part-cultural adventure and part-spiritual retreat.

We immerse ourselves in a curated sequence of unique cultural experiences in a country or region chosen because

creating the right conditions for transformation through enjoying festivities and celebrations, wisdom traditions, art forms, spiritual rituals and more.

Each morning we meet to set intentions for the day. Each evening we come together to share insights from our experiences and engage in peer-to-peer work to integrate it inside us. On some evenings, we enjoy a ‘SoundWaves’ live DJ-led music meditation to further embed the transformations glimpsed during the trip.

The cohesion, interconnection and intentionality of the group is more important than the exact itinerary, which

Find more about our vision, tours and social mission at www.ultimatetrip.tv

ABOUT THE HOST

Nick Jankel is an extreme traveller, philosopher, psychological anthropologist, inspirational speaker and transformational coach and teacher. He designs experiential ways to engage us in transformation.

At 18, Nick spent a year in rural Africa, and it changed his views on life forever, driving his social innovation work and prompting him to study psychology, anthropology and the world’s wisdom traditions for half a lifetime. Now, almost 20 years later, he has spent his adult life traveling the world for answers to our emotional, spiritual and psychological challenges. He has explored the mystical, shamanic and spiritual best of whatever country he has found himself in. Nick has also travelled the world many times over researching culture, trends and psychological mindsets for many of the world’s most innovative companies.

He holds a triple 1st Class Degree in Philosophy and Medicine from Cambridge University. His transformative ideas have found their way to Prime Ministers and Fortune 500 Chief Executives right through to billionaires and gang members in Africa. He is deeply passionate about the role transformational experiences can play in building a better world. He writes for The Guardian and The Financial Times on the power of ideas to change the world.

www.nickjankel.com

SERENITY THROUGH CREATIVITY; HARMONY WITHIN NATURE

March / April 2012 (Cherry Blossom Season)

In Japan join us to.... Internalise quietude and elegance through the art of the Tea Ceremony;

explore the perfection of imperfection with Wabi Sabi; have a peak experience whilst flower arranging;

dive into a many-handed massage in a Ryokan traditional hotel; explore the spiritual warrior archetype through Kyudo archery, the ancient

‘way of the bow’; find peace in the waterfalls and mountain pathways of the legendary Kii Peninsula, home of the Yamabushi ‘Mountain Ninjas’; explore

the sublime in the legendary gardens of Kyoto.

BENEFITS OF THIS ULTIMATE TRIP:

JAPAN

THE QUESTIONS

"Be patient toward everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves... the point is to live everything... live the questions now.”RAINER MARIA RILKE

CONNECTMY TALENTS WITH THE WORLD’S PRESSING NEEDS?

THE DOTS OF MY STORY INTO MEANING, PURPOSE & DIRECTION?

MY INTUITION IN THE MOMENT WITH THE UNFOLDING REALITY OF THE VISION?

HOW CAN I...

INDIVIDUAL CREATIVITY & LOVE?

“Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

HOWARD THURMAN

“The ability to see our lives as stories rather than unrelated, random events increases the possibility for significant and purposeful action.”DANIEL TAYLOR

"Those who do not have power over the story that dominates their lives— the power to retell it, rethink it, deconstruct it, joke about it, and change it as times change -truly are powerless, because they cannot think new thoughts.”SALMAN RUSHDIE

WHAT IS YOUR BOON?

CONTEXT

CONFLICT

CONVENTIONS CONVICTION

CONSCIOUSNESS SHIFT

CONCEPT

CONCRETE IMPACT

“REALITY”

“IDEAS”

1 CONTEXTWhat is the problem or need? What is the state of

play? Are there any shocking facts and figures? Can you tell us about one person who is suffering?

2 CONFLICTWhat has already been thought of that has failed? What models of change have you struggled with before you saw the light?

3 CONVENTIONSWhat are the underlying assumptions that generate the problem? What are the things everyone thinks that are

actually the root causes of the problem? What part of the current story is no longer working?

4 CONSCIOUSNESS SHIFT

How do you see things differently? What is your insight into human nature or the world

that opens up a new possibility?

5 CONVICTIONSo what is the scope of the challenge or opportunity? What question are you hoping to answer with your project? What

do you see as the opportunity? What is your intent?

6 CONCEPTWhat is the essence of your project? What, for who, when, where? Longer term, what is

the biggest vision you want to realise? tworld?

7 CONCRETE IMPACT

How does it, or could it, have an impact? How can you bring it to life in words or images? What

analogies, parallels could you draw on?

8 COMPANY So what is your concept or company called?

BRANDWHAT IS ONE?

DNA

VALUES

PROPOSITION

PROMISE VISION

POSITIONING

PORTFOLIO

STORY

ASSETS

PROVENANCE

60%OF A COMPANY’S VALUE IS BASED ON SUCH ‘INTANGIBLES’

EXISTWHETHER WE ‘DIRECT’ THEM OR NOT

CHOICEEMPOWERING OR DISEMPOWERING

BRANDSARE ORCHESTRATED STORIES OVER TIME & SPACE

EDITWE HAVE TO SNIP & CUT OUR STORY INTO DIFFERENT CONTEXTS TO CO-CREATE WITH OUR STAKEHOLDERS THE BRAND

ATTENTIONECONOMY

MOST PEOPLE HAVE VERY LITTLE TIME - SO THEY NEED TO BE OFFERED A ‘SHORTCUT’ FOR OUR STORY THAT PLAYS OUT OVER VARIOUS INTERACTIONS

THE FULL STORY MANIFESTED

POSITION(ING)

TODAY 5 YEARS

VALUES

INTERPRETYOUR FULL STORY IN THE REALITIES OF TODAY. THE CURRENT CLIMATE, TRENDS, COMPETITION, USER BEHAVIORS IN A SIMPLE AND COMPELLING WAY

POSITIONING

FUNDERS / INVESTORS

EMPLOYEES SUPPLIERS /COLLABORATORS

USERS

INTERNAL EXTERNAL

GIVE

GET

CONNECTNICK@WECREATE.CC@MIND_MAVERICK

WECREATE.CCULTIMATETRIP.TV