What does it take to be an Orange Zebra?
What is it that makes someone an orange zebra? Its not the desire to wear outrageous clothes, although an orange Zebra could do that. It is not being ostentatious for the sake of it. Being an orange zebra is being prepared to stand up for what you believe in, being prepared to be different, not for the sake of it but because it is an expression of what and who you are.
Orange Zebras are often very successful because they are prepared to look past conventional "wisdom" and challenge the status quo. Some who spring to mind are Seth Goddin and Bob Parsons. They have built businesses based on a big vision, a challenge to the conventional and have a committment to their audience (or customers if you like). They look past the small stuff and look at athe bigger picture, they look at the overall context of a situation and decide from there.
I had an outstanding experience with Bob Parsons organisation, Godaddy.com, recently. I changed the location of this blog and had some problems having the site actually be visible. I contacted Godaddy support and was given the wrong information which led me to expending $20 unnecessarily. Although the misinformation was an annoyance it was, within a few days, cleared up. Shit happens...
My main concern, albeit trivial, was that I had expended the money based upon their advice. Now, $20 is not really here or there, but it was a point of principle. I requested from support that they give me a $20 credit but I met the usual "we cant do that" from the people concerned. I contacted the president of Godaddy with a short email and a copy of the correspondence. Within 24 hours I had received a credit on the account...they didnt even need proof!
This is the sign of an orange zebra! The president could have haggled, argued or stalled but he didn't, he simply gave me a credit and thanked me for contacting him with the problem. It is not surprising he has risen in the organisation...he understood that I was, as a customer, worth much more than $20 in the longer term. The suppurt personnel? Well, maybe they had limitations on what they could do, or more likely what they were prepared to do. Possibly, more concerned about losing their job if they tried to get the refund for me.
One of the best pieces of advise I ever recieved, and one that underpins the orange zebra philosophy is: it is better to seek forgiveness than approval.
If you want to stand out in life, if you want to make a difference in your world, think about that the next time you present. Sure, you will make mistakes and sometimes it will fail but, if your intentions are consistent with a powerful vision, in the longer term you will succeed.
Orange Zebras are often very successful because they are prepared to look past conventional "wisdom" and challenge the status quo. Some who spring to mind are Seth Goddin and Bob Parsons. They have built businesses based on a big vision, a challenge to the conventional and have a committment to their audience (or customers if you like). They look past the small stuff and look at athe bigger picture, they look at the overall context of a situation and decide from there.
I had an outstanding experience with Bob Parsons organisation, Godaddy.com, recently. I changed the location of this blog and had some problems having the site actually be visible. I contacted Godaddy support and was given the wrong information which led me to expending $20 unnecessarily. Although the misinformation was an annoyance it was, within a few days, cleared up. Shit happens...
My main concern, albeit trivial, was that I had expended the money based upon their advice. Now, $20 is not really here or there, but it was a point of principle. I requested from support that they give me a $20 credit but I met the usual "we cant do that" from the people concerned. I contacted the president of Godaddy with a short email and a copy of the correspondence. Within 24 hours I had received a credit on the account...they didnt even need proof!
This is the sign of an orange zebra! The president could have haggled, argued or stalled but he didn't, he simply gave me a credit and thanked me for contacting him with the problem. It is not surprising he has risen in the organisation...he understood that I was, as a customer, worth much more than $20 in the longer term. The suppurt personnel? Well, maybe they had limitations on what they could do, or more likely what they were prepared to do. Possibly, more concerned about losing their job if they tried to get the refund for me.
One of the best pieces of advise I ever recieved, and one that underpins the orange zebra philosophy is: it is better to seek forgiveness than approval.
If you want to stand out in life, if you want to make a difference in your world, think about that the next time you present. Sure, you will make mistakes and sometimes it will fail but, if your intentions are consistent with a powerful vision, in the longer term you will succeed.
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