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PROMISCUITY FOR THE MIND
Music to amplify (pun intended) your reading.
When the title itself contains a Brass B(r)and !! Why have separate music??
One must know how to cut wood. Good Axemen (do not know any female axe adepts) also spend time sharpening their tools.
And so it was that I took a deep dive into followership this month. @rajeevkakar is a man I admire and respect. For his work, vision, clarity and his attention to fitness. He recently has written an article on Linkedin exploring Brands and their importance – Why Invest in Building a Brand (https://bit.ly/2ErUQdZ)
And Brand Management is MY turf. I teach Brand Management, I consult and do corporate training in Brand Management. And so I skimmed over the article real quick – or tried to...and couldn't. For the very first line hit me like a ton of bricks….." red-hot wrought iron...branded on cattle...indicates ownership..the origin of Brands". This is the thing I start with in Band Management classes for it is how brands started so what's new?
This – I had always looked at this red-hot branding iron business as a leader delivering a lecture. Rajeev made me flip roles. For I had never thought about it as a follower; stupid beyond belief…
As a serious woodworker who runs a commercial woodworking outfit, I make innovative and critically acclaimed pieces. And to identify my studio/atelier, I use a Brass Plaque. Why the hell was I, who makes his living from Brand Management, not using the very first precept in Brands and Branding???? A burning-seared Brand would be so much fun, evocative and sexy. And that's what my Brand was all about:
Science.Research.Wood.Play
You need to be in my place to understand what a slap in the face this was. And so I put on my follower-cap and set forth on translating a Leader's words to harsh reality. Seemingly simple, this activity took over a month.
Stage One: How do we do this?
Research revealed that the best way to do this was with a brass block. Now how do we engrave on a brass block?
Stage Two: Sourcing
Enter @SantoshKumar, the best "Sourcerer" I know! From Asafoetida to Goat Bezoar to the latest motion actuated hydraulics, he is an encyclopedia of knowledge on what's available where.
Stage Three: The Making
Enter the redoubtable @UmedTambat out of Nashik, Maharashtra. A young techpreneur with the combination of skills, finesse and the technology. He watched in horrified fascination as I outlined my idea but was sporting enough to give it his best try. And It worked out just fine.
Stage Four: The Learning.
Respect. Holding down a one-ton animal, while "you sear its buttocks with red-hot wrought iron brands"..in the words of @RajeevKakar must be extraordinarily difficult to do. Even wood is so difficult to sear. You need to get the temperature, timing and pressure right. Plus a feel for the kind of wood you are burning into and ultra steady hands to get the perfect registration. It is taking time but I am getting there.
Thanks
This is the prelude to the 4-part followership series coming up in the next few weeks.
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