As Marc Winn sees it, you have three choices:
- Choose a community you want to live in
- Make your own community
- Transform your community to the community you want to live in
Winn chose the latter, caffeinating himself and those around him to the point they decided to make their home of Guernsey the best community in the world by 2020.
Inventing the Parade
Guernsey is an island that lies between England and France in the English Channel, home to pirates in the Middle Ages, European battles throughout the 19th and 20th centuries and offshore banking and finance in the 21st century.
While its role in finance has led to a comfortable quality of life, Winn realized when he became a father that it takes a village to raise a child. His village could be better.
My friend Julien once told me to get in front of a parade and start marching. The lesson: when you see a trend, you can get in front of it and become the leader of a movement as the momentum builds.
Winn takes a different approach: invent the parade and inspire others to march in front of it.
Making Guernsey the Best Place on Earth
With a few friends, Winn launched the Dandelion Project with the simple aim to make Guernsey the best place on earth by 2020.
What’s amazing is that it’s starting to work.
30+ projects have sprung up on this small island of 65,000 inhabitants. Everything from going carbon free to creating their own virtual currency that redistributes wealth to its users. The audacity of the goal is the exact reason it works: people talk about the (seemingly) insane (look at me!).
As the insane idea gains traction, people start to believe (literally, search #believeinguernsey on Twitter).
Create a North Star, People Find Their Own Way
The key to the momentum of the invisible parade is simple: the goal is so audacious that everyone has their own vision of what it looks like.
Instead of mapping out a plan, Marc simply says, “Here’s the goal.” Suddenly everyone has permission to create what they believe the best community in the world should have.
This goal-oriented chaos means everyone works on what they’re passionate about and anything is possible. By creating small groups of passionate collaborators, big problems are quickly solved. No permission is required.
Winn argues that government and bureaucracy fail to inspire and engage because everything is focused on the incremental. Not many get excited about zoning laws or sewer lines. In the context of building the best community on earth, these decisions are small necessities quickly dealt with in pursuit of the solving the larger challenges.
You Can’t Die
We’re biologically programmed not to die. In our world, it’s hard to die. Things are safe as Winn sees it.
However, we’re scared to take risks because we are programmed to be scared. Our ancestors wanted to stay with the tribe so the lion wouldn’t eat them. Today, there is no lion, yet we are still afraid.
Winn’s insane goal has challenged Guernsians to take a risk and face the imaginary lion. When they realize there is no reason to be afraid, they believe Guernsey could be the best place on earth.
What’s your audacious goal?
Leave a comment or tweet @9clouds. We can share it, and soon your imaginary parade will fill the streets with music.
Photo: Neil Howard
