An Interview with FastCompany Founder Alan Webber
Alan M. Webber is global trendspotter. He is co-founder of the innovative magazine Fast Company and has just launched his new book Rules of Thumb. In this amazing interview, he shares with us the key traits that have made him a global detective in a world that is swirling with new possibilities. Learn how YOU too can be a global detective.
How is change a math formula? How can someone become a real change agent?
Change happens when the cost of the status quo is greater than the risk of change. If you want to become a real change agent, focus on the real cost of the status quo: what are the hidden subsidies and social costs that hide the real costs of the status quo?
Tell us more about your philosophy that states “Teachers are Everywhere.”
Life is all about learning. But too many of us, after we leave formal school, (we also) stop learning, stop listening, stop paying attention to opportunities to learn from others. But the truth is, there are teachers everywhere! All you have to do is to listen, pay attention, and take notes on 3x5 cards when you hear something that makes sense to you or helps you see the world with new clarity.
Take us back to when YOU were starting the FastCompany magazine. What key lessons did YOU learn?
It helps if you know something about something: Both Bill Taylor, who started the magazine with me, and I had years of experience in both the subject of management and business and the work of putting out a magazine. Put together your best business plan, and then listen the feedback you get from the market—any idea can be made better. Learn to take no as a question: when someone turns you down when you ask for money, listen to their reasons and learn from the no. Build a great team--much of business, like much of life, is a team sport. And managing your emotional flow is more important than managing your cash flow.
How does one live inside their customer's skins?
Ask questions. Go visit your customers. Look at the world through their eyes. Try to imagine how they view the product or service you're offering. You may think you're selling one thing, but your customers may be buying something else. You need to listen more, talk less. Worry less about having right answers and worry more about asking good questions.
How do we keep track of changing trends? Can someone predict coming trends? Or is it something that we can only see when its already happening?
Trends are real, and if you can see them coming and get an early warning system in place, you have a real advantage: The difference between a crisis and an opportunity is when you learn about it. If you want to get good at sensing trends, you need to work at it. Read extensively, with an eye to data points that you can assemble in your own head. Develop a network of friends and colleagues who are attentive to developments in the world--and talk with them about what they see and hear. Begin to set up your own lenses that you use to analyze the world--test your theories about what's happening and the rate at which it is taking place against the data points you're seeing in the news. Like anything else, the more you do, the better you get at it.
You recently published one of the best books we've read, Rules of Thumb, what was YOUR inspiration in writing it? What's YOUR favorite rule of thumb among the 52 that YOU mentioned?
My inspiration was simple: I'm trying to start a conversation with as many people as possible to highlight the new practices and principles we need to adopt to create a better, more workable, sustainable future. Right now I think the world is short on leaders--and we need to create more leaders right away! The only way to do that is for all of us to step up and become leaders--and this book is a field manual for men and women who want to assume the job of leadership. My favorite rule? You've already touched on it: Stay alert! There are teachers everywhere! We all have a lot to learn from each other!
What's the best thing about being a global detective? What's a global detective?
I'm a global detective! And what I do is try to use my powers of deduction to solve mysteries: How do we do a better job of developing leaders? That's a mystery--until you begin to examine it. How do we do a better job of improving public education? A better job of eradicating poverty? A better job of social innovation and social entrepreneurship? A better job of creating a sustainable economy with companies that work? You can be a global detective too--just start asking questions and exploring new answers to old problems. The best thing about being a global detective? You meet fascinating people doing amazing work, you're always learning, and you're engaged with the real issues of our time!
How does one build experience and expertise?
Keep an open mind, meet interesting people and ask a lot of questions. Make mistakes--it's the only way to learn. Go out into the world and engage life as an adventure, not an exam. It's supposed to be fun, not a trial!
Why does a good question always beat a good answer?
Good question! Because if all you focus on is coming up with "the right answer" you ignore the importance of the learning process. You get caught up in being right--and you lose sight of the importance of how you learn in the first place. But just important is the simple fact that the questions we ask often determine the answers we get. So you need to pay attention to the way you frame questions in the first place: Are you trying to get the answer you want? Or are you asking an open question that requires an open mind to explore many different possible answers?
Who are YOUR personal heroes?
If you look at the list of people who comprise The Elders, you'll find some of the most remarkable people alive today.
What are YOU hungry for?
Change. New thinking. Innovative problem-solving. Courageous truth-tellers.
About Alan M. Webber
Alan M. Webber is an award-winning, nationally-recognized editor, author, and columnist. In 1995, he launched Fast Company magazine, a fresh, dynamic entry in the business magazine category. Headquartered in Boston, MA, the magazine became the fastest growing, most successful business magazine in history. Fast Company won 2 national magazine awards—one for general excellence, one for design—and Webber was named Adweek’s Editor of the Year in 1999, along with co-founding editor William Taylor.
In 2000 Fast Company magazine was sold to Gruner + Jahr for the second largest amount of any magazine in U.S. history. Last year Webber stepped down from his full-time editorial responsibilities, but has retained his title and contributing role as founding editor.
Prior to founding Fast Company, Webber was for 5 years the managing editor and editorial director of the Harvard Business Review. During his tenure, HBR was twice a finalist for National Magazine awards; he oversaw the journal’s visual redesign and created the architecture for the journal’s editorial performance that continues to this day. His articles and columns have appeared in The New York Times Sunday magazine, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and the Los Angeles Tiimes, among other publications.
He has also been active at local, state, and national political levels, serving as policy advisor for the mayor of Portland, Oregon, writing speeches for several governors, and working as special assistant to the United States Secretary of Transportation.
Some Rules from Rules of Thumb
Rule number 1: When the going gets tough, the tough relax.
Rule number 18: Knowing it ain’t the same as doing it.
Rule number 38: If you want to think big, start small.
Rule number 43: Don’t confuse credentials with talent.
You can find out more about Rules of Thumb by going to http://www.rulesofthumbbook.com.
