Remarkable.

Who do we talk about? What do we talk about? We talk about people, places, events, products and anything unusual, extraordinary and worthy of acclaim. We do this because it makes us different, cognisant, cool and if we get it right, remarkable. Whenever we tell someone about a hidden gem of a restaurant, a new product or destination, we are seen as cool, remarkable in our understanding of the scene and using information and word of mouth to stand out from the crowd. Many join the Twitter universe to achieve remarkability but few shine, as evidenced by their lack of followers.

So it comes as no surprise that a Wharton School study analysing the worth of remarkability, shows the value of sharing something remarkable. Examining over 6,500 brands and products, they asked people to score remarkability to analyse how perceptions were correlated and how frequently they were discussed. Some conclusions were obvious as banks and financial institutions were not talked about as much as Facebook, Google, celebrities, movies and hot eateries. Other brands stood out because they not only strayed from the norm, they created a new norm of remarkability. Jimmy Choo shoes are the same price as a small Korean car, uncomfortable after five minutes of standing in them but from a fashionista stand point, clear winners for remarkability, correlating with increased exposure, branding and profit.

The ability to surprise, delight and at the same time exceed expectation is the hallmark of remarkable brands and remarkable people. Seth Godin in Purple Cow, discussed the finer points of remarkability, acknowledging remarkable doesn't mean remarkable to you, it means remarkable to me, it's very individual and remarkability lies on the edges and is about the best, the fastest, the easiest, the biggest, the brightest, the most fashionable and the most difficult to accomplish. To Seth, it is not the same as being noticed, as walking down the street naked will get you noticed but it won't accomplish much.

So from an individual standpoint, what can we gain from the Wharton study? It's not about buying what's fashionable because that trend soon becomes unfashionable. It's not about achieving once and then living off that accomplishment. It's about finding your inner remarkability, what differentiates you, by way of thinking, by way of achievements, by way of constantly reinventing yourself and by way of understanding your relationships, your brand and what you bring to the table.

In today's crowded market place, to accomplish and achieve remarkability, you need to step out of your comfort zone, you need to push back your fear of change and you need to do it with authenticity. As Oscar Wilde so succinctly put it "be yourself; everyone else is taken", giving breath to the idea of individuality as a key to being remarkable. To be remarkable means moving away from the middle ground and that means no longer being able to please the majority. That is the greatest fear for most people, but if you never polarise anyone, never push the envelope, never stand for your commitments, what hope is there to be remarkable?

I am the greatest.

So proclaimed Muhammad Ali, at a time when no one could contest that line. He was the greatest at his job, knocking men senseless in 15 rounds of pugilistic mayhem that came to be called the Heavy Weight Championship of the World. Apart from a few prize fighters, Joe Frazier and George Foreman, most everyone agreed on Ali's CV as the best in the game. A quick right hook would take care of anyone doubting his credentials and so he was able to carry on his self branding exercise with total belief in his abilities. Most people can't get up at the office morning tea and proclaim their greatness because we don't abide with the philosophy of self promotion and aggrandisement. We don't do it because we live in an egalitarian society and anyone seen to be acknowledging themselves as better than the rest, is quickly labelled wanker or worse.

Yet you are likely to be really really good at what you do and no one notices because you don't want to be boastful or arrogant about your achievements and abilities. You keep working with perceptions, doing a fabulous job, getting on with your colleagues, putting in extra hours on the weekend, along with late nights will get you noticed by the boss and so build a great reputation. Unfortunately acclaim for your skills and achievements happens only twice in your employment, once when you are hired because your skills are recognised as being the best and then again after you leave and the company finds out how much you actually accomplished. In between it's up to you, so give the boss a break, the boss isn't a mind reader, point out your worth with diffidence, show your best side in meetings and don't expect anyone else to be responsible for your forward movement in the company. The boss as Father figure has long been extinct and to rely on someone responsible for an entire company, to be responsible for you and your brand is ridiculous on all levels.

The capacity to show your wares, to build your reputation and to market your brand has never been more available and attainable. There are enough opportunities to highlight your skills, socially and business wise anyone not working on their profile has been living under a rock, in a cave or has never turned on a computer. Don't be a casualty, don't be road kill on the "super highway", leaving your brand in the hands of others, especially your boss is tantamount to becoming the invisible man. Stake you place at the table, be it corporate or social, don't just take up space, contribute and create and your value will be recognised.

As long as communication and promotion is a two way street, your brand has the ability to stay interesting and engaging without being ego centric or conceited. Growing your cache will enhance opportunities within your circle, work wise and socially. Ali worked for years becoming the greatest, recognised for his unique abilities and personality. Aside from the gym work, if Ali had started online today, the world would have known about him in a day. If Ali had left it to his trainers he would still be in the gym pounding the big bag. What are you waiting for?

That's not a knife.

In the inimitable words of the Winfield smoking, Harbour Bridge rigging, prawns on the barbie throwing Paul Hogan in Crocodile Dundee, "this is a knife". Indeed, while his twelve inch blade used to slice the hide from Northern Territory crocs and keep his girlfriend safe from New York muggers was never going to make it back on the list of airline carry ons, it seems incongruous that smaller versions are now allowed to be carried in the back pockets of US airline passengers. The federal Transport Security Administration has scrapped the ban on pocket knives and small folding knives under 6 centimetres, that was part of the September 11 fight back on airline safety. Many are not happy about the decision for passengers to have the ability to carve their names into meal trays once again.

The obvious air crew, flight attendants and air marshals, none of whom were consulted, are taking a stance against TSA administrator, John Pistole, who indicated "this would bring US security regulations into line with international standards and was designed to help airport staff find more dangerous items such as explosives". Pistole inferred security needs to become based more on risk, hence the focus on explosives, sending up a shouts of joy from the NSKA, National Small Knife Association. Having poked fun at the decision via the imaginary NSKA, flight crew were also concerned that along with knives, passengers are now allowed to carry assorted sporting equipment such as billiard cues, ski poles, hockey sticks, lacrosse stocks, a couple of golf clubs and an array of novelty bats under 60cm in length.

So from April 25, I still won't be able to take my bottle of assault shampoo on board but I can step into the aisle and work on my back swing or even my slap shot if I so desire. After all how much damage can be done with a Big Bertha driver or the pointy end of a pool cue? This is where you insert movie scenes in a pool hall and think Vin Diesel taking on ten tough guys with just a cue stick, not to mention MacGyver, who could take over a small country with a knife and a novelty bat. It will be interesting to see reactions from the local carriers and airports, where over zealous customs personnel pride themselves on detecting concealed aerosol cans and perfume in excess of 100ml.

The TSA has suggested lines at airports would flow better without the hold up of knife confiscations but as of the decision, no rulers have been allocated for staff to check the differences between 6cm and 7cm knives. Will this omission add to the hold up, as men argue about mathematics long exaggerated or will the odd Crocodile Dundee weapon slip through? The decision made by the TSA, will polarise flyers who pray for shorter security lines while demanding aircraft cabins to be devoid of any opportunity for chaos and disruption. Is this the sharp end of the wedge of change?

Random closeness.

Much is made about the cause and affect, social media has, from a societal aspect of forming tribes, giving everyone a voice and making the world a smaller place and enabling people who have lost touch to reconnect. It would be rare to find someone using Facebook et al, who has not used social media to track down long lost friends, acquaintances and colleagues, or conversely, who have not been tracked down by someone from their past. Those initial contacts bring with them anxiety about the initial contact, wry smiles built around the nostalgia of good times past, a history shared, a slice of time when things were different, you were younger and life seemed simpler. The amazement and excitement of finding someone thought lost from your past brings with it questions of what to do next, are they still the same person, do they still like Kiss or have they moved on beyond the bond that bound you?

That aura, that warm and fuzzy feeling, that excitement and angst built around affinity for place and time associated with that person, can quickly fade. It fades for all kinds of reasons, nothing in common beyond a quick catch up on times past, you were already moving apart all those years ago and sometimes they just don't reply to your posting.
This particular trend of random closeness is often just that, random, capricious, haphazard, meaningless without substance of a long term relationship. It's that substance in relationships that bind, it's the fabric, the meaningfulness and soul in relationships that is the connective tissue and that is hard to maintain over a wifi signal with someone just found for curiosity's sake, not living in your city or country without the opportunity to connect in the flesh.

Much is written about the power of the net bringing the world closer through connections beyond immediate circles but more often than not, those connections are not meaningful, just dots in a line, not relationships and we should not confuse the two. Random closeness, like random acts of kindness brings with it a feeling of geniality but like random acts of fitness, is useless unless taken up with commitment for long term fraternity. Random closeness is like the school reunion built on curiosity of what people look like now and bench marking achievements and accomplishments against what was envisaged for the future.

To engage in random closeness to build up social numbers is akin to wanting celebrity, which is all about being loved by a lot of people from a distance. How do you know who the real friends are without looking them in the eye and pressing the flesh. All of this seems to be backed up by numbers garnered over the last 12 months with sites such as Facebook losing popularity in 14 of the 23 countries where it has a 50% penetration. There will be competitors vying for your attention and Google will be at the forefront looking to bring your circle of friends to another platform but the underlying issue of having close friends and then random closeness through a collection strategy will consign sites to a shallow accord long term.