Primary Research. Personal Legends. Talking Sticks.
level of first-hand experiences they have with their prospects,
customers, members, or donors. These entities both know themselves and
also know their audience, their tribe.
This is the Relationship Age ' the era of paying attention. Think of it as winning business by paying respect.
To know yourself you have to go through a detailed strategic process
and carefully, consciously create a vibrant culture. To know your
audience, you have to learn to respect people deeply. The primacy of
compassionate and sensitive primary, first-hand, narrative research is
the key that unlocks this world of possibilities.
The hardest thing for organizations to do to accomplish such growth
is to realize that traditional marketing research and segmentation is
outmoded. The reason: it looks at the people with whom it should be
trying to cultivate a relationship as a target, a one-dimensional
object, rather than a fully alive human subject with a treasure trove of
stories, memories, dreams, hopes, and fears. In summary, the old method
edits out the humanity. And, winning the innovation game is about
touching humanity, creating something of value for real people.
When the author of The Alchemist and other books, Paulo
Coelho, was inducted into the Brazilian Academy of Letters, he said,
'The glory of the world is transitory, and we should not measure our
lives by it, but by the choice we make to follow our personal legend, to
believe in our utopias, and to fight for our dreams.' And then he
wrote, 'We are all protagonists of our own lives, and it is often the
anonymous heroes who make the deepest mark.'
By honoring people in this spirit, primary research gets to the heart
of the matter'the human experience with a product, service, or
organization'and taps into the personal legends of each of the people
with whom they are working.
Most of the people working in this field are consumer anthropologists
who have been trained to listen respectfully, probe deeply, and stay
attuned for verbal and non-verbal clues. This tradition goes back to
pre-history days in the legend of the Taking Stick. The Talking Stick
was a method used by Native Americans, to let everyone speak their mind
during a council meeting, a type of tribal meeting. According to the
indigenous Americans' tradition, the stick was imbued with spiritual
qualities that called up the spirit of their ancestors to guide them in
making good decisions. The stick ensured that all members who wished to
speak had their ideas heard. All members of the circle were valued
equally.
The rules of the Talking Stick follow: Whoever holds the talking
stick has within their hands the power of words. Only they can speak
while holding the stick, and the other council members must remain
silent. The eagle feather tied to the stick gives the speaker the
courage and wisdom to speak truthfully and wisely. The rabbit fur on the
end of the stick reminds him that his words must come from his heart.
The history of AA (Alcoholic Anonymous) and other step programs and
the practice of psychotherapy are all based on this awareness: that
speaking the truth is healing. But it is healing for the group as a
whole because as each individual listens, in silence and reverence, a
whole world of understanding opens up.
This world of understanding becomes the basis of innovations that
make lives better and makes organizations more meaningful and
significant.
Michael Graber is the founder and managing partner of the Southern Growth Studio. His book on insights and innovation is forthcoming. Michael also serves as the Region Editor of Innovation Excellence and as a founder and mentor at the Memphis Innovation Bootcamp and Atlanta Innovation Bootcamp. He'll serve as an offical blogger at TMRE.