Giveaway: John Hagel's The Power of Pull

Giveaway:  When you leave a comment (or tweet, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) you'll be entered to win an autographed copy of The Power of Pull by John Hagel, John Seely Brown, and Lang Davison. The giveaway will close on Thursday, March 21 at midnight (ET); I'll announce the winner on March 22.

Last year, I met John Hagel, the co-chairman of the Deloitte Center for the Edge, at SXSW.  He warmly shared with me a signed copy of The Power of Pull, described by John Doerr of famed VC firm Kleiner, Perkins, as "a powerful new meme for navigating and networking in the 21st century.” Having now read Hagel's book, I want you to have a copy as well; John has kindly agreed to make one available.

Here are a few of the salient ideas (for me):

1.  We are shifting from a world of push, to a world of pull.  "Push operates on a key assumption that it is possible to forecast or anticipate demand.  We are pushed into educational systems designed to anticipate our needs over twelve or more years of schooling.  We consume media that is packaged, programmed and pushed to us based on our anticipated needs, etc."

"Pull is a very different approach.  Pull helps us find and access people and resources.  It helps us attract people and resources that are relevant when we need them, even if we weren't aware that we needed them.  Think serendipity rather than search.  And [pull] is the ability to draw from within ourselves the insight need to achieve our potential."

Here's how I'd apply what the "pull to me", rather than "push-me", idea:

In a "push" world when I want to prepare delicious meals, what I make is largely dependent on the cookbooks in my cupboard and the food I purchased at the grocery store yesterday. 

In a "pull" world, I can sift through a seemingly infinite number of recipes online, then I can search SuperCook for something to make based on the ingredients already in my pantry.  When I tap into my social networks, asking "Hey, I've got zucchini in my garden, and want to make something fabulous. Any suggestions?", it's entirely possible that someone in my network will steer me to 100 creative ways to prepare zucchini.  Or tell me about an online forum of people who love farmer's markets and exchange ideas on how to prepare fresh fruits and vegetables. Serendiptiy may kick in further when one of my contacts offers me a pass to a squash blossom festival.  If I have the ambition, within the space of a few short months, my culinary expertise can bound forward to an extent that was impossible in a "push" world.

2.  I now like World of Warcraft, a game my son really likes, more than I did.  "Whereas push programs treat all individuals like consumers, pull platforms treat individuals like creators, providing them with tools and resources to create new things in response to unanticipated demand."  According to Hagel et al, World of Warcraft is a pull platform or creation space.  The players are drawn to the game "with a series of progressively more difficult challenges with continual feedback regarding performance levels."  Hence this game that seems to be a mere distraction is actually preparing my son to participate in a knowledge economy, an economy in some ways presaged by Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game.  Also, unbeknownst to me, the XXinTech space created by Rachel Sklar that I love is a pull platform.  My hope is Dare to Dream will become a creation space as well.

3.  Some aspects of Pull may come more easily to us than others.  It's important to disaggregate "pull" into its components:  access, attract and achieve, so that we can improve.  For example, I know people who deftly attract resources, but are less skilled at accessing.  I'm the reverse.  I can scour the globe for resources, but when serendipity walks in the door, I don't quite know what to do.  It's as if I'm scared, not sure how to accept the proffered gift.  "Whitney, I want to help you with your book", says Jane Perdue earlier this week.  Wonderful.  But then I don't follow-up.  Not because I don't want to, but because I feel awkward.  After reading this book, I'm realizing that to achieve our dreams, it's important to know how to find and be found.  And, of course, ya gotta wanna.

Where are you experiencing the power of pull in your life?

Do you participate in any creation spaces?  What are they like?

Are you a triple threat?  You can access, attract and achieve?  Or are you like me, working on one of them?

How can you harness the power of pull to achieve your dreams?

***

When you leave a comment here, or tweet this post, share/comment on Facebook or LinkedIn, you will be eligible to receive a signed copy of The Power of Pull.  The contest ends at midnight on March 21 (ET).

Here are some sample tweets:

Why World of Warcraft is preparing my children for the 21st-century workplace - inspired by @jhagel http://bit.ly/GzDMOO

"Just as you are seeking out people on your edge, others are looking for you." - @jhagel
http://bit.ly/GzDMOO

AAA:  access, attract, achieve -- are you a triple threat?  inspired by @jhagel http://bit.ly/GzDMOO

"Learn how to find, and to be found" says @jhagel http://bit.ly/GzDMOO

Comments

[Bonnie White]

Is pull dependent solely with technology? As always Whitney, you introduce new ways of looking at the world. Thank you.

[Aileen Lucier]

I stumbled on this blog post at an ideal time! Lately, I have a sort of hunger to read about, engage with people on, and brainstorm new information and innovative ideas. Social media gives me the chance to start reaching out to resources, but I feel a little green. Even just reading about the book The Power of the Pull helps me identify what I'm trying to do, which motivates me to move forward. To me its about being proactive, looking for what you want, creating what you need, looking at situations from different perspectives, actively finding people with whom to connect. I don't think I'm great at accessing, attracting, or achieving, but my goal is to be a triple threat. I find it very exciting! Thank you for posting!

[AnnaCash]

I recently attended a training where the presenter reiterated that in order to grow you need to accept the good things you attract so that you can "level up" in your process/progress. I think that a lot of us want good things to happen but when they come it's a little awkward to accept! I'm learning to say, "thank you!" and it's been amazing what a difference it's made.

[Robin Cangie]

Thank you for sharing. I've found that one of the most powerful ways to tap into the serendipity of pull is to be generous, to think not about what we want to gain from a situation but how we may serve within it, instead. Generosity takes our focus away from us and directs it outward toward the world, which not only feels wonderful but also helps us participate authentically (rather than self-consciously) in creation spaces, opening up new or otherwise unspotted opportunities to access, attract and achieve.

[Jane Perdue]

Today had been one of those days - dealing with office politics, cranky contrarians, writer's block, and no time for reading. Then finally a break, and there's your awesome post, pulling me back to what's really important - paying it forward, helping people "get their big on" as Amy and I like to say. Thank you for that!

Fascinated with power and a firm believer that it is the small things that do make a big difference, John's book will be an excellent read that I won't miss. As for my experience with access, attract and achieve, I'm a work in progress, learning that pull requires openness and a willingness to be vulnerable.

[Maria]

I love Robin Cangie's comment above: I've found that one of the most powerful ways to tap into the serendipity of pull is to be generous, to think not about what we want to gain from a situation but how we may serve within it, instead.

Brilliant!

[Lisle]

Thank you for the new and nifty way to look at things! There was a recent article in the Wall Street Journal about how gaming really is good for our brains, but the sad disclaimer was that most of the games they were able to study were violent...

Now to go look for something small to do!

[wonderfullyworthy]

I appreciate it when anyone gives a fresh take on putting us in the power position in our own lives. It truly is in our own hands and empowerment is such a wonderful lesson to be sharing.

[Jack Vinson]

I saw John Hagel speak on this book at the Berkman Center about a year ago. The idea of "pull" has been floating about my head ever since. I see it in other writing, and I think there is a sense of some new writing that this idea makes sense. Look at Steve Denning's idea of Radical Management. Or the ideas like Eric Ries' Lean Startup. And I have a background in systems thinking which suggests that pull is a much better operating mechanism than the more traditional push.

[Kkostuck]

Thank you for this post. I always knew video games were training our children for something!

[Whitney]

I have really loved all of your comments -- and you've given me some new books to read....

Kathleen Kostuck, you are the winner! Will you e-mail me your mailing address so that you can receive your autographed copy?