On Manifestos

Nobody needs a manifesto, but you should probably write one anyway.

I love a good manifesto.

I love reading them, writing them, and stockpiling the best of them.

But let's be clear: nobody actually needs a manifesto.

It doesn't make you special.
It's no guarantee of success.
It won't make you interesting.
You can get by without one.

Most manifestos?

Trite, bullshit, or corporate box-ticking.

You don't need a manifesto.

But could you write one if you had to?

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Strategic mastery is the key to successful people, projects, and businesses.

Struggling?

This is why.

And strategic mastery requires you to have an opinion.

You have to say "This thing matters" despite what everyone else is saying.
And also say "That thing doesn't matter" despite what everyone else is saying.

Nike doesn't say, "Just do it, or don't, we don't mind."

Nike says: Just do it.

Apple doesn't say, "Think different… or the same, whatever works for you."

Apple says: Think different.

They say yes to this.
No to that.
‍They have an opinion.

We're not Apple or Nike.
But you need an opinion.
Your project needs it.
Your business needs it.

Because if you don't have one, you're just the same as everyone else.

Interchangeable,
replaceable,
commodifiable,
forgettable,
ignorable.

Nobody wants that.

So do you have an opinion?

Prove it.
Write a manifesto.

Not because you need one, but because it's a litmus test for your strategy.

Writing a manifesto requires an opinion.It forces you to declare what matters and what doesn't.

It strips away the fluff.
It makes you commit.
It shows you stand for something.

That's why I love a good manifesto.

And if you can't write one?

Maybe you don't have an opinion in the first place.
Maybe your business doesn't actually stand for anything.
Maybe you don't even have a strategy.

That's a much bigger problem than whether you have a manifesto.

So, can you write one?

Let's see it.

_iain.

P.s. Bruce Mau says it takes 3 minutes:

"For several years now, I have used a Three-Minute Manifesto exercise in our design workshops. The instructions are simple: Write down what you want to do with the rest of your life in the next three minutes. Then share it with others."

My stockpile of the best manifestos is here.

And yes, I have a manifesto. More on that another time.