Disruption helps us grow, in business and our personal lives. But there’s positive disruption, and then there’s negative disruption.

Positive disruption creates inspiration and value. With this type of ‘out of the box’ thinking we fly higher.

Then there’s negative disruption, which I call drama. The last thing we need in business are drama queens as leaders. Spare me please. Unfortunately, some of our ‘gurus’ are leaning toward becoming drama queens and kings. That means it’s time to reel things in. Seriously.

As for where we draw the line – seems to me the intent behind each of these disruptive forces is very different. So I think we have an answer there.

We follow the intent.

Thanks for the great discussion all, and for being such a gracious host Scott!

reb

Do you get a lot of attention in your field? Yes…absolutely. Yet, even those of us who haven’t met you in person know your passion – and priority – is not self-directed. I don’t know why it works this way…but, the audience just KNOWS.

We need our thinking to be disrupted. We NEED disruption gurus! (Like you.)

All I ask, however, that the focus is directed on what is “true” and not on individual aggrandizement. You are an example of how it should be done.

I’m grateful for your insight and friendship.

Well, you know that I have primarily covered eBooks. For the longest time, the Accepted Wisdom there was that ePub was a Good Thing and would lead writers to the Promised Land. I believed that for some time too. But it wasn’t until I stepped back to really examine that, that the scales fell from my eyes and I was the first to blow the whistle on that crap. It made others examine it too and now many of the ones who were cheerleading ePub are now on the side of the line that I drew on the ground — and no one unequivocally thinks ePub will help anyone.

I’m still waiting for everyone to catch on to what an unprecedented book robbery Google is undertaking, but that too will come as I keep yelling about it.

Anyway, in my case, I’ve wound up disrupting the disruptors.

And that’s what I think you’ve done with this excellent post too. What no one seems to ask in the race to the find The Answer is, “Is this *true*?” You did that with your first post on this topic and now you’ve followed through. Excellent, Scott. This is why I Follow you on Twitter and check in here every day. Keep up the great work.

…same here…I was thinking of you when I posted this, because I know I’ve been exceedingly critical of others here lately…and I don’t want it to be a habit!

However, I am certainly NOT trying to censor anyone’s right to “shout strange ideas,” as you indicate. I LOVE strange, creative, disruptive ideas.

What I’ve become overwhelmed….and disgusted…by is the so-called contrarian, who seeks mostly personal attention, rather than make a contribution for the benefit of the followers he or she claims to engage.

And, my guess is that Picasso wasn’t trying to maneuver other artists to abandon their styles and follow his. Look, I agree we have to challenge the status quo…shake things up…make a difference. The new book I’m working on is on that track.

However, when it becomes clear that what’s being said is a blatant attempt to steal the spotlight rather than contribute to the conversation…I’ve got a problem with that…

If you pretend to be an accomplished sculptor, and you tell a student that she can get music out of clay, and she wastes her whole life trying to do just that — instead of creating a masterpiece from her own talent and ideas with your INSPIRATION and INSIGHT — what exactly does that make you?

Who decides what limits and boundaries the creative thinker is supposed to honor?

One could argue that Picasso painted outside the accepted boundaries of his craft.
Henry Ford operated outside the rule book for manufacturing.
Your book Distinction took me outside the fence of conventional wisdom. Heck you even took on Good to Great.

Being different just for the sake of being different sometimes leads to change as the crazy idea begins to resonate with real people.

Telling the sculptor that she can’t get music out of clay sounds like a logical assumption, but you can certainly point to many amazing things that began as illogical heresy at the time they were introduced.

“The world is not flat”
“The earth is not the center of the universe”

I say, let the dreamers dream and the crazy people shout their strange ideas from the mountain top.