What do Arc Aspicio and the Blue Rooster Have in Common?
I first saw it in London, in Trafalgar Square. A huge blue rooster that looked like it was made of paper mache. I was totally enthralled. I love blue. I love art. And here was an artist who took a huge risk making a sculpture of a giant blue cockerel and someone decided to unveil it on the vacant fourth plinth in London. Yes, I wanted an excuse to use the word plinth in a blog.
I saw it again in 2018 in DC, right around the time that our company was launching our strategic initiatives for the year. Our theme was exploration, and I thought about how much exploration this artist had to do in creating and finding somewhere to display the blue rooster.
Now, as we launch our Strategy 2022, I want to share three lessons that Arc Aspicio has in common with the Blue Rooster (besides the fact that we both like blue). First, we embrace exploring and innovating. Second, we learn from failure. Third, we have fun while facing difficult challenges in lock step with our clients.
Embrace exploration and Innovate – Consulting can be difficult. We solve problems of national consequence that sometimes seem unsolvable. For me, the Blue Rooster is a symbol of innovation and exploration. It reminds me that you have to take risks and innovate – exploring and experimenting to find solutions that break through the impossible barriers of Government to actually take hold and work. When I came out of college as an English major, I turned a ‘mock’ or practice interview at Accenture into what ultimately became a 14-year career at the company. This experience showed me how important persistence is to turning ideas into action. It’s something that our company embraces when solving difficult challenges with clients in homeland security and law enforcement.
Learn from Failure – This artist may have experienced frequent failure in getting their impossibly large piece of art commissioned and displayed. Failure is something we don’t think enough about when we plan to do bold things. Personally, I could never have become a successful entrepreneur without many mistakes and failures. The failure in our lives and our work really shapes who we are – individually and as a team. To take risks, we have to know we are sometimes going to fail. So, we should fail fast, and fail often. Then learn. Then try again. One thing you’ll come to learn about Arc Aspicio is that we are eternally persistent in the face of difficult challenges. Even in difficult times, we think strategically and long-term.
Have More Fun – As advisors and consultants who implement bold ideas, we often need a little humor to get through the most difficult days. So, in the spirit of fun, did you know the cockerel is an unofficial national emblem of France and it was ironic to put it in a square commemorating a famous British victory over the French. Also, the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group chose the sculpture for display. Who knew there was such a group? And who knew what a plinth was anyway? Yes, I know I’m not very funny, but a quirky piece of art adds a little fun to my day. Make laughter a part of solving challenging problems!
My favorite Blue Rooster now sits in our nation’s capital on the roof of the National Gallery. See it and be ready for wherever it takes you. I hope it inspires you to explore, learn, and have a little more fun.
And stay tuned for our future innovation podcast, the ‘Blue Rooster’.
About Arc Aspicio
Arc Aspicio is a management, strategy, and technology consulting firm that takes a mission-oriented approach to complex client challenges. Focused on innovation, Arc Aspicio provides services in strategy, design, human capital, operations, analytics and visualization, technology, and information sharing. The company is known for a strong, collaborative culture that values gratitude, provides leadership opportunities, and explores the future. Our teams use a human-centered approach to working with clients and are flexible and responsive within dynamic Government client environments that often have new priorities and evolving missions. We thrive on these situations and promote continuous improvement and new ideas. And, #welovedogs! Follow us on Twitter @arcaspicio or learn more at www.arcaspicio.com.
