There has been a lot of hype about the so-called Blue Ocean Strategy, hasn’t there?

Certainly the authors of the book are hoping that their book will be their Blue Ocean.

The fact is, no one, through thought and analysist can make a Blue Ocean as the authors incorrectly claim. When you study the lives of people that the authors use as examples you find that they all stumbled into their so-called Blue Oceans.

They were all powered by their intense passions and they found the opportunity to do something that could benefit many people, the time had come.

It’s an important distinction. Are Blue Oceans found or made? We find them as Steve Wozniak confirmed in an Email to me.

Therefore, the lesson is to do what you love. You will never “work” another day of your life.

Thanks for your comment Dave. I agree with your alternative but not your verdict.

Almost everything recently written on this blog is, in some way, pointed down the road of passion first and all the rest second. So, I’m not disagreeing with what you (or Steve) are saying there.

I’m happy to accept your assertion that all the Blue Ocean swimmers were first stubbling, land-lubbers. They tripped into their oceans. Ok.

But just because they stumbled, and just because Steve is passionate, doesn’t mean the process is a failure.

Many people intuitively understand that Blue Oceans exist. Doesn’t the book’s process give them a better chance of pulling intuition out into a clear space so its easier to understand? Something like a planned free-fall into passion.

Intuition (the rationale behind passion) is difficult to credibly acknowledge as a primary driver of action. Our culture doesn’t trust it. Doesn’t the book create a structure useful for building a more “analytical” and “dispassionate” understanding?

Finally, those fortuitously clumsy few who found Blue Oceans will benefit from the language this book provides. Getting buy-in on new ideas is hard. It’s numbingly difficult to sell brilliant, new alternatives when all you’ve got to say for yourself is that you stumbled into it. The book creates a process for explaining the stumbling.

I don’t think it’s all that rare to find people who sense opportunities they are passionate about. I think it’s rare to find people who act on it. I believe the book facilitates action.

Average seeds can grow on good soil, Great seeds cannot grow on stone.

We can create naturalistic epistemological environments that enable lots more Blue Ocean opportunities to occur.

How? One starting point — see “Low Hanging Fruits: Turning Problems Into Money: How?” at http://www.indonesia.net/node/43

Bala, the pinch between too hard and not enough reward is an interesting space.

What process do you use to help people in such spots recognize and understand the various pieces and dynamics?