Five Dangerous Ideas
@berkun
scottberkun.com
info@scottberkun.com

1. Everyone is a designer

Thoughtless Acts?, By Jane Fulton Suri

“Rats. My client thinks he is a
designer. “
He is a designer, just an
extremely bad one.

Designers are
ambassadors for
good ideas
Good designers are the
only mentors
for bad designers

2. You have no power

What decisions are completely yours?
Artist / Designer / Advisor / Lackey

`

If you have little territory,
fortifying it
buys you nothing

Whoever uses the most jargon
has the least confidence in
their ideas

Power can be:
A. Granted
B. Earned
C. Claimed

3. The generalists are
in charge

If there are more than 5 people
in the room, you have less
power than you think

In room power
vs.
Out of room power

What is the culture’s
appetite for change?
- Margaret Stewart, YouTube

Ownership
Accountability
Involvement
How much of yourself will you put
behind your own ideas?

4. We work in sales
(regardless of your job title)

Everyone has to
pitch ideas

Surprise: these are sales tasks
• Prototyping
• Pitching
• Evangelizing
• Going to meetings run by someone else
• Asking for resources
• Giving presentations
• Growing influence

“Talk to people you don’t like”
- Samantha Starmer, REI
Secret: we got into tech, so we can work with
software, instead of all the people we don’t like

If people think you are smart
and useful your job title is
irrelevant

If people think you are dumb
and useless your job title is
irrelevant

5. Creativity is
Risk

Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston

Who will:
- Ask the tough question
- Do the extra work
- Be willing to fail, and learn
- Put their reputation on the line
- Commit to a big crazy idea

Photo Credits
• Stove: http://fightclubmpm17.wordpress.com/thoughtless-acts-stephanie/
• Various, Thoughtless Acts?, Jane Fulton Suri
• Sales : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Salesman_-beach_-_bikini-
_sun-27Dec2008.jpg
• Maginot Line: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maginot_Line
• Masada night - http://www.flickr.com/photos/18129976@N08/4530206067/
• Bunker: http://www.bunkertours.co.uk/metrich/block_1.JPG
• Masada above - http://www.bible-architecture.info/Masada.htm
• Masada map - http://www.bible-architecture.info/Masada.htm
• museum 1 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/wsifrancis/3256582969/
• Museum 2 - http://www.baunetz.de/talk/crystal/gallerie.php?
group=22&lang=en&temp=crystal&id=9
• Museum - http://architecturerevived.blogspot.com/2008/11/institute-of-
contemporary-art-ica.html

Thank you.
Five Dangerous
Ideas
@berkun
scottberkun.com
info@scottberkun.com
• Everyone is a designer
• You have (no) power
• Generalists are in charge
• You are a salesperson
• Creativity is risk

Photo Credits
• Wrong way:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nadav/108792921
• Stove: http://fightclubmpm17.wordpress.com/thoughtless-acts-stephanie/
• Various, Thoughtless Acts?, Jane Fulton Suri
• Sales : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Salesman_-beach_-_bikini-
_sun-27Dec2008.jpg
• Maginot Line: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maginot_Line
• SPL 4th floor: http://www.flickr.com/photos/devos/96388620/
• SPL Escalator, http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenhill/113977751/
• Jargon List: Blue Flavor
• Bunker: http://www.bunkertours.co.uk/metrich/block_1.JPG