Last week, I attended the 99% Conference. Taking its name from the famous Thomas Edison quote, Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration, the conference's theme was not about the big ideas themselves, but instead, what it takes to make them happen.

MEMORABLE MOMENTS

The program boasted some unique speakers. Some of the most notable presenters included: Scott Thomas, Design Director of New Media for Obama for America, Ji Lee, Creative Director of Google Creative Lab and the The Bubble Project as well as Robert Hammond, Co-founder and President of Friends of the High Line.

Thomas’ metaphor of building the plane while in flight was apt for the work on Obama for America. It may have looked like a buttoned up and carefully orchestrated endeavor to us outsiders – but the campaign’s real genius was in its ability to sustain the high level of production with nothing certain except for the belief in their candidate.

One personal highlight was watching expertise theorist, Jason Randal. Beyond deserving the moniker of Renaissance Man, Randal has become an expert on becoming an expert. His freakish resume reads like pure fiction. Among other things, he is a PhD in social psychology, a recording artist who plays five musical instruments, a master hypnotherapist, master scuba instructor, a master certified flight instructor for both airplanes and helicopters, as well as a licensed contractor who built his own home.

In his 20-plus minute, rapid-fire (almost vaudevillian) presentation, Randal broke down how he has honed his almost superhuman ability to absorb and retain. The content – including a couple of magic tricks – was fascinating and his delivery entertained the attendees. Did I mention
he’s a master magician too?

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The speakers came from radically different backgrounds, utilizing different processes that ran the gambit from “trash it out up front” (Seth Godin) to “fake it until you make it” (the Threadless partners). That given, there were some strong themes that emerged.

I’ve distilled a few:

» Keep it simple.
Don’t over design. Embrace the obvious. Originality is overrated.

» Tap into passion.
It’s not going to be easy, so you’ll need to have conviction and energy to push past adversity.

» Have a bias for action.
Just do it. Be scrappy. Take matters into your own hands if necessary.

» Use communal forces.
Partnerships are powerful. Being part of a community holds you accountable.

» Maintain maniacal focus.
Stay focused. Be organized. Write things down and check things off.

» Open source your execution.
Create a big tent for your ideas. Having a “platform” lets others participate. Fuel an idea with the strength and wisdom of the crowd.

A LEARNING PROCESS

The focus of the 99% Conference was fresh, and many of the speakers were very dynamic. However, the inaugural event was somewhat inconsistent. A few speakers had difficulty staying focused on “the how” and drifted into the “the what” – I suppose they were just slipping into that old habit of celebrating the 1%. And, while I absolutely commend and congratulate the organizers for the tremendous effort, neither the format design nor the hosts themselves seemed especially well suited to holding the presenters to the task at hand.

In the end, it was a valiant first go and is certainly something great to build on. In keeping with the conference theme, the crew from Behance and Cool Hunting took a bold idea and made it happen. That’s more than most can say.