Never Settle

Nucleus

It’s happened to all of us.  We work and work at defining and building brands and realize that we have to let go, to move forward, to make progress.  At times, we dig in and fight for our point of view.  Then there are the times we compromise, knowing that there is more than one way to get to the end.  The realities of budget, timing and resources simply wear people down.  Decisions come down to what will deliver results – now.

Good. Fast. Cheap. Pick Two.

This age-old mantra seems to serve as the universal shrug of the shoulders.  It’s permission to throw in the towel; to settle.

To us – this simply makes no sense.  We’ve actually never encountered any business initiative where people felt they had enough money or time to solve the problem.  But we’ve actually never found that money or time is ample fuel for creative problem solving.   The fact of the matter is that good is rarely good enough, and getting to great is about a belief system, not a financial condition.

So with all the external pressures to make the numbers and get it done, how do you push yourself and your brand forward to a place of distinction, differentiation, resonance and long-term value?

Let’s start by defining what never settle means.

Never Settle Truth 1:  Never settle is a conscious choice. It’s a belief system and a powerful motivational driver. It is about digging in to examine the real world in which the brand lives, to understand the people to whom the brand is vital, and to explore the ways in which the brand can meet needs, solve problems and enhance lives.

Never Settle Truth 2:  People who never settle dream big.  Steve Jobs famously said that he only wanted to hire and surround himself with denters – people who wanted to put a dent in the world – the ones crazy enough to believe they could change the world.  He built an entire company based on world changing and in the process built a brand for all those of us who want to consider ourselves capable of a bit of world changing too.  He and Apple never settle for simply making better computers. And none of us buy an Apple by analyzing each technical specification against that of the competition.  What Steve, Apple and all those of us who buy into that brand subscribe to is a common set of values that reflect a simple, clear and audacious point of view about the world.

Never Settle Truth 3:  Newton helped us understand that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.  There will always be people and obstacles fighting against your choice to never settle.  The path of least resistance is a tempting one, and the pressure to find the answer today will always be present.  Establishing and socializing an unwavering set of goals and holding everyone accountable to achieving them is the antidote to premature compromise.

Never Settle Truth 4: Never settle requires focus. It’s easy to be swept up in the moment but it takes a heck of a lot of hard work and diligence to stick to the plan.  Never settle requires a great compass or lighthouse; a clarity by which all can navigate knowing which decisions will help stay the course versus those that don’t. You’ll need a simple set of intuitive tools that can be shared broadly to help streamline decision making everyday, in every situation.

Never Settle Truth 5: Never settle is contagious. It gets people excited because once you commit to never settle, you’ve committed to unleashing the potential of what’s possible. Facebook revolutionized what it means to connect yet they never stop finding new ways to make that fluid, useful and engaging.  They swept us all up into their vision and have come to represent a powerful movement that millions of people around the world want to be a part of.

Examples of this contagion are all around us.  Another of our favorite examples is the Rockettes, a troupe of athletic women who are driven by the desire to excel, who live their dream everyday, who continually challenge themselves to be extraordinary, not just good. We see these extraordinary women on stage and are infused with a sense of what’s possible when we work together, what can be achieved when we follow our dreams. A brand that never settles is about realizing our dreams – it’s personal.

Never Settle Truth 6: People who never settle, win (eventually). Think of the people who have literally changed the world because they refused to settle– from Thomas Edison to Martin Luther King to Steve Jobs to James Dyson. To these people, there was never any thought as to what would yield the quickest result.  They made decisions based on what they believed to be an extraordinary opportunity for today, tomorrow and well into the future.

We aim to never settle and we are dedicated to working with people and brands that  never settle.  Our goal is to build tools that help people and brands reach extraordinary, goals based on the possibilities of what happens when together we embrace audacious dreams, hold tight to human values and never settle.

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