Dreams and Fears

From Seth's Blog today:

Dreams and Fears

Sooner or later, important action taken comes down to this:

Fear: Of being ashamed, feeling stupid, being rejected, being left out, getting hurt, being embarrased, left alone, dying.

Dreams: Of being seen, being needed, becoming independent, relieving anxiety, becoming powerful, making someone proud, fitting in, seen as special, mattering, taken care of, loved.

Marketers put many layers atop these basic needs (horsepower, processor speed, features, pricing, testimonials, guarantees, and more) but it all comes down to dreams and fears.

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You can apply the exact same thinking to organizational life. Just switch out horsepower, processor speed, features, etc. for mandates, hierarchy, roles, functions, legal, marketing, IT, product design, programming, etc. in addition to shoulds, jargon, narratives, and patterns.