We often need to break from tradition in order to make a change. This is especially true in 
established organizations. Programs in a business or organization can become encumbered with the expectation of mediocrity, regardless of how hard they try to succeed. Being a heretic can disrupt this pattern, especially if the heretic’s ideas result in a changed outcome.
In 1992 I served as the events chair for Oregon State Universities Memorial Union Program Council (MUPC), charged with bringing entertainment to the student body. The organization had a long history of draining the universities funds. A poorly planned event a few years before had left the administration having to pay Jay Leno for a costly failed event. His show had been scheduled on a Monday night during midterms. Each concurrent event was saddled with the task of adding its contribution to paying the debt.
So now it was my turn to bring a musical concert to OSU. I was told to book someone affordable (under 5K). The administration was already braced to lose money on the concert, but they wanted to keep the losses low. As I looked through the stacks of bands that promoters were offering me for that price, it quickly became apparent that there was no way I could book a band that would both satisfy the students desire for good music and keep within the administration’s budget. It seemed hopelessly set up for failure.
That evening I was listening to music with my roommates. One of our favorite alternative bands was The Violent Femmes. My friend Doug suggested that I book the femmes! At first I laughed. I knew they were nowhere close to being within my budget. I also knew the administration would frown on having a band named “The Violent Femmes” play on campus.
As I thought about it more, the rebel in me awoke. Why not? I knew I could fill any venue on campus. Just about any social group I could think of liked the femmes. You couldn’t attend a party without one of their hits, Blister in the Sun pumping out of the speakers at least once.
I called their promoter the next morning. I was shocked to find out that it would take over 10k to book them. There was no way I could get that much out of the university. Still I could not resist. I wanted to buck the system and take a risk. I knew it could work. I told the agent I would call her back. How was I going to approach the school with this crazy idea?
To my surprise, after a bit of nervous assurance from me, the administration agreed to front the cash, and I booked the band. The event turned out to be very successful. The fans were pleased, and the school made money on an event for the first time in years. I could have booked a mediocre band with no risk. Low ticket price meant minimal loss would incur. What’s the fun in that though? Being a heretic can pay off. Try it on and see what happens.
I would love to hear your heretic stories.
McAlexander Fieldhouse hosted a full house for the Femmes
simply showing support is important, most people would jump at the chance to actually make a difference.
Every day your prospects, customers, partners and competition are communicating in a very public way. They are asking questions about your products, ranting about your service, praising your assistance and sharing information about your market. Every day, this is happening on Twitter, with or without you.
When we reached our beach destination, I decided to slip out to the local grocery store and pick up a few items. As I perused the isles, I was constantly met by empty shelves. The candy section had four bare shelves and one bar of chocolate. The soda section had only the standards for Pepsi and Coke. Obviously the varieties had been ditched in this ever tightening economy. This is frustrating to the consumer. I did not have the nerve to ask the manager if the store was closing its doors, but that was the perception all of the customers left with. Right then perception was everything.
