Your "spiky point of view" is an overlooked secret to success. But do you know how to uncover, express, and develop the courage to share yours? Here's a complete guide to the SPOV.
I’m excited to read the marketing spov! Also I clicked into your LinkedIn profile and was reminded of your Time Magazine honor. That then reminded me of when we put your picture on the cover for the StreamBase office poster. And that reminded me that I had a dream not long ago about you being on the cover. In my dream a friend was on the cover and I told him how I knew someone else that had been on the cover. I wish I could tell you why I had been dreaming about people being on the cover of TIME but I can’t 😂
I also use this when interviewing people for senior jobs, or suppliers for expert roles.
“What have you come to believe about <topic> that other people in your field would disagree with you on?”
Anyone that is thoughtful and has genuine experience will have much to say. People that are new to the game and only know it in theory have nothing to say
Nice! I also put a lot of emphasis on spiky POV, though I usually refer to them as the less catchy name “contrarian pov” which I think came from Zero to One (Peter Thiel)
I use these as the vital start point for positioning and positioning and category design work. We look to identify the founder’s non-consensus view on a consensus problem. In other words, there is a big problem that lots of other people and companies agree is real, but this company has a unique SPOV on the problem - they see the problem in a different way to everyone else. And this means they must have a different solution to everyone else.
If you achieve nothing else in your messaging, it should be to convey why you are different!
Mark, thanks for sharing the story about your wife. I'm reminded of this from one of my favorite novelists Alice McDermott: "mercilessness is as much a component of the truth as luck and grace." And I really like SPOV. Our version of that is getting clients to answer the question "what are you fighting for?" Which is of expressing deeply held beliefs that confront the status quo.
I’m excited to read the marketing spov! Also I clicked into your LinkedIn profile and was reminded of your Time Magazine honor. That then reminded me of when we put your picture on the cover for the StreamBase office poster. And that reminded me that I had a dream not long ago about you being on the cover. In my dream a friend was on the cover and I told him how I knew someone else that had been on the cover. I wish I could tell you why I had been dreaming about people being on the cover of TIME but I can’t 😂
I also use this when interviewing people for senior jobs, or suppliers for expert roles.
“What have you come to believe about <topic> that other people in your field would disagree with you on?”
Anyone that is thoughtful and has genuine experience will have much to say. People that are new to the game and only know it in theory have nothing to say
Nice! I also put a lot of emphasis on spiky POV, though I usually refer to them as the less catchy name “contrarian pov” which I think came from Zero to One (Peter Thiel)
I use these as the vital start point for positioning and positioning and category design work. We look to identify the founder’s non-consensus view on a consensus problem. In other words, there is a big problem that lots of other people and companies agree is real, but this company has a unique SPOV on the problem - they see the problem in a different way to everyone else. And this means they must have a different solution to everyone else.
If you achieve nothing else in your messaging, it should be to convey why you are different!
This is fantastic content Mark. Though - I am going to be honest - Red is #1. Fight me.
Mark, thanks for sharing the story about your wife. I'm reminded of this from one of my favorite novelists Alice McDermott: "mercilessness is as much a component of the truth as luck and grace." And I really like SPOV. Our version of that is getting clients to answer the question "what are you fighting for?" Which is of expressing deeply held beliefs that confront the status quo.
SPOV is the core of Polymathic Being. What fun things exist between domains and disciplines that change perception?
Thank you I will ponder what my spiky point of view might be.