Opposites co-exist

Strategy and ideas are a pure reflection of the human dilemma. Are we rational beings with emotions, or emotional beings who rationalise?

(It's the latter, btw.)

Now, this isn't to say strategy is the rational side and ideas are the emotional side. But rather, it's to say we live in a world that isn't binary, but is sure as hell full of duality. And each of these dualities can and do co-exist, even if we love to semantically debate them to death:

• What you do (the brief) vs how you do it (the idea)

• Straight words with twisted image vs straight image with twisted words (every good ad)

• Another version of this, that Mischief @ No Fixed Address use: "Dumb setup, straight delivery"

• Exploring opportunities (strategy) vs exploiting opportunities (ideas)

• Promise (brand) vs performance (product)

• Comms (what you say) vs experience (how it works)

• Humility (we don't know yet) vs arrogance (but we can do better)

This came to mind because of something I posted on LinkedIn a while ago.

And two friends privately pointed out they disagreed, and we talked about it, and... they were also right! What a wonderful feeling this is. To know that each duality offers two sides of the same coin.

But also, different sets of dualities can co-exist and make us all richer practitioners as a result. Arguing about definitions can be pointless when those definitions are different dimensions of the same point.