Capturing the attention of others is easy. Making sure that the spotlight doesn't leave is another task entirely. Few companies, brands and people have been successful for long periods of time. Those that do often have an unassailable idea, a ridiculous amount of added value, or they are simply better at what they do than anyone else.
But there is the alternate route: Be consistently provocative, avant garde, and rebellious. It's a tough road, but one worth taking if you think you can parlay it into sustained success. Being professionally provocative is like playing chicken. The key is knowing when to jump out of the car and save yourself from falling off the cliff. However, most people don't (and can't) make the jump.
Can you hope to remain provocative throughout your entire career? Of course not. Trends shift, ideas come and go, and political and economic realities all come to play a role in your career lifetime. The world at large wants you to fail and fall back to Earth. After all, that would wipe the "smug" expression off your face.
Therein lies the problem for most people that are seen as being "provocative". They don't see themselves as being provocative at all. They merely are trying to establish themselves, create awesome stuff, or let people know how passionate they are about the particular subject they are talking/writing about. After all, have you ever seen a provocative person who wasn't passionate?
Here are some of the likely outcomes for those people who wish to succeed while being provocative:
1. You run out of material. This is the most likely scenario. People often have a limited amount of creative controversial juices running through them. Eventually they fall back to Earth, become a one trick pony or jump on the wrong trend. Flash doesn't solve everything, guys (just sayin').
2. You could potentially sabotage your career. The more successful, outspoken, and passionate you are about what you are doing? The more enemies you will make. This sadly, is a simple fact of life. People will likely interpret your confidence as arrogance.
3. You could be misunderstood. This happens a lot. Something you say will be taken out of context, you'll be perceived as being arrogant, or you'll just tick off the wrong person. Needless to say, if this happens, you'd better be great at damage control (and being able to fully articulate your position).
4. Your ideas aren't given credence (even when they are right). This one hurts the worst. Countless visionaries have died penniless because no one saw the value in what they were doing until it was to late. I'm not saying this is going to happen...but keep in mind: Mozart died a broke man.
5. You succeed. A rare achievement; accomplished only by those people who can maintain their creative brilliance, outspoken views, and who they are as people. The key to this kind of success? Surrounding yourself with a great team, recognizing and seeking out your weaknesses and tempering some of your more controversial ideas. Don't be the lone gunman.
Being provocative isn't about being controversial. It's about being ahead of your time, solving problems in new and interesting ways, and creating awesome brands and products. Can you succeed at being provocative and being successful? Only time will tell.
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tagged as brazen careerist, controversial idea, controversial marketing, provocative career, provocative marketing
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