Monday, January 11, 2010

My #ThemeWord for 2010: Mesh

I want to Mesh up in a big way!

I learned and was inspired by the work of fellow blogger Jim Harris when he posted My #ThemeWord for 2010: KARMA on New Year's day. He introduced me to the concept of a #Themeword as an alternative to a New Year's resolution.

The challenge is simple and yet challenging. Think of a single word that reflects your hopes and dreams for the year.

I agonized about this for days. My whiteboard is fully covered with #themeword nominations.

For awhile, I gave up on a single word thinking that I would need six words. I would cite the work of Rajesh Setty in his Life Beyond Code blog where he proposed a six word elevator pitch. I could make it work with six words.

A couple days later, my reading exposed me to Seth Godin's What Matters Now (download the ebook). I'm a fan of Godin. He has this ability to start a conversation that is insightful, relevant, and contemporary. In his ebook, he compiled the word ideas of seventy big thinkers including the likes of Tom Peters, Chris Anderson, Guy Kawasaki, Dan Pink, and more. I was mesmerized by the book.

On page 71 I found my #Themeword, Mesh.

Written by Lisa Gansky, the word immediately found meaning with me. Here are some highlights from her short work.
  • Some things are best shared.
  • Quality of life is moving distinctly away from what we own.
  • Access trumps ownership.
  • Mesh will reshape how we go to market, who we partner with and how we find customers.
As I connected with the idea, I found that expanding on Lisa's thoughts was easy.
  • Mesh suggests new levels of collaboration where every voice is welcome.
  • Mesh promotes learning and sharing.
  • Mesh suggest a balance of opinion and thought. Don't you wish the partisanship of Congress could be replaced with Mesh.
  • Mesh proposes great community, perhaps Seth Godin-like Tribes who share a passion.
  • Mesh seems consistent with our Mashup capabilities that combines technology, data, functions or ideas. Let's bring it all together.
  • Mesh brings an element of transparency. You can see through mesh. It is not about hidden process or decision.
  • Mesh might actually suggest a network that exists at the intersection of learning, sharing, collaboration, and problem solving. There could be millions of intersections in a mesh.
  • Mesh is a "we" not "me" approach to problem solving.
  • Mesh proposes action for the greater good.
My #themeword for 2010 is Mesh. I aspire to mesh and be meshed. I will try to be meshable. At the end of the year, I hope I can say, "I meshed up."

Interested in participating in the #themeword tradition? Follow these three simple steps:
  1. Think of a word that reflects your hopes and dreams for 2010
  2. Share your theme word with friends on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog
  3. Be sure and use the hashtag #ThemeWord
Thanks for reading. Please lead quietly.

Don









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