smart is as a smart does.

I have to admit…. What I’m about to say, sounds like man-love.

David Armano gets it. He’s right on the money. All the time. If every company in the Fortune 500 doesn’t listen to him, it’s their loss.

He doesn’t know it, but I’ve been silently stalking him for 8 months. Only online. On his blog… on twitter….So that’s not weird right? I’ve even started to follow the people he follows.

I’m likely late in the game and definitely not the first to point this out. So, you ask… What’s my point other than just flat out admiration? (which if you’re reading this David, I’ll say it again, you RAWK.)

Well, it’s this:

There are really smart people out there that are generous with their knowledge. (yes, you, David. Thanks dude.) There are vast amounts of thinking and sharing out there that is available to everyone, 24/7/365. It’s like having a free think tank at your fingertips instead of and expensive one just inside the Beltway.

Because of guys like David and thousands of others like him, I become inspired to higher levels of thinking on a daily basis. I become smarter. I become better at my job. And not only do I benefit, but my circle of coworkers, partners, clients and even friends benefit. They are influenced in a Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon kind of way.

This is such a departure from the old way of doing things. Used to be that you’d gather smart people in a room and from that closed loop, you got what you got. You emerged and what you came up with might have even been called “proprietary.” Well, now that room is the size of the world. (assuming you’re good at reading and writing in stuff like… say, swahili) Extrapolate it out so each individual who understands and embraces this concept, brings to bear thinking and solutions that wouldn’t have otherwise existed. That becomes quantum leaps in thinking and solutions be it in branding, design, technology industry. Ahhh, the power of Web 2.0.

Now, if you take that to the next level, a person could theoretically tap thinking, ideas and methodology well outside of their industry or sphere of influence and bring that to bear in a totally unexpected way. Great Googly Moogly!

Now I’m going to get all blue sky on your asses….Gone should be awkward, uniformed, naive, partisan thinking. Brands should stop sucking. Money should flow. Economies become ridiculously healthy. Peace should reign… Everybody should be well fed and rich. Okay, I took it too far….

In reality, this “new awakening” can and should give rise to an Industrial Revolution-like shift in the world order. We should embrace open-source ideation and not let petty things like ego get in the way. That’s hard I know. But possible.

In effect, my nothing-wrong-with-that obsession with Armano has made me aware that I don’t know everything. He does.

Seriously though, it enlightened me to the concept of “Best Idea Wins.” There are people out there doing their thinking and sharing in a open source way that allows for ideas to begat ideas, to inspire, inform and enhance.

Truth is, the best idea isn’t always yours. It isn’t always mine. The best idea could come from some guy in Finland. The trick is to be smart enough, humble enough and opportunistic enough to recognize that concept we were supposed to take away from kindergarten all those years ago….SHARING is good for you. SHARING is good for everybody.

Thanks David.