Micronations Take Macroplanning -- Plan, SkiP, Soc, $$$
One of the key points of my last article on micronations was that anyone who seriously intends to create an independent microstate needs to muster serious resources and get their administrative house in order. John Pina Craven, the developer of ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) power harvesting technology -- a technology often considered key by would-be ocean-going micronation founders, seems to have a similar idea.
As they note in this Wired article, "As proud as he is, Craven knows his marketing and administrative abilities leave much to be desired. In 2000, he placed his company stock in a blind trust, became 'chief scientist,' and let others take CHC forward as a for-profit business. Ke Kai Kealoha, CHC's project manager, is charged with the selling of his vision. Craven prefers to get things started, then have others manage the operation so he can wander on to something new. 'I get put to death every seven years as great kings do, until I start a new kingship...'"
Or to put it another way, here you have a brilliant, maverick inventor -- a classic iconoclastic outsider -- and what does he do? He puts together a company to develop his technology, and if he can't figure out all the details on how to exploit his technology, or handle the management issues involved, he delegates those responsibilities to others.
I mention this point not just for the sake of people who want to build their own microstates, but because many dreamers, including inventors and futurists, want to have the great dream and to either build it all themselves or present it to the world and watch everyone take it up spontaneously. (And lavish that visionary soul with riches and/or praise.)
The fact is, the world doesn't work that way. You need to be prepared to do some work on your own, but also be ready to gather a team that can handle all of the details and challenges that you can't take on alone. Considering how many creative people want to go on to their next project rather than devote their lives to just one, it only makes sense for people trying to launch an invention, a company, a research project, an NGO or even a microstate to be ready to let go of some of the work. Rest assured, most grand enterprises have more than enough work to go around.
If you want to get a sense of how strong your team is, think about setting up a "formal organization." It doesn't have to be rigid or complex, but simply registering yourselves as a non-profit or a corporation gives you certain rights and protections that informal gatherings of individuals do not. If that works out, set yourself some interim goals, and see how that goes.
I may seem a bit cynical about microstate and other grandiose projects, but that's only because I don't think people should waste their lives on a goal if they have neither the determination, the resources or the organization to achieve it -- and no desire to muster any of those attributes. If you have such an attitude, the only way you're going to succeed is if someone else comes along and does it all for you.
In which case, you need to take my above comments on delegation even more seriously than my goal-oriented readers. Either way, good luck.
Future Imperative
As they note in this Wired article, "As proud as he is, Craven knows his marketing and administrative abilities leave much to be desired. In 2000, he placed his company stock in a blind trust, became 'chief scientist,' and let others take CHC forward as a for-profit business. Ke Kai Kealoha, CHC's project manager, is charged with the selling of his vision. Craven prefers to get things started, then have others manage the operation so he can wander on to something new. 'I get put to death every seven years as great kings do, until I start a new kingship...'"
Or to put it another way, here you have a brilliant, maverick inventor -- a classic iconoclastic outsider -- and what does he do? He puts together a company to develop his technology, and if he can't figure out all the details on how to exploit his technology, or handle the management issues involved, he delegates those responsibilities to others.
I mention this point not just for the sake of people who want to build their own microstates, but because many dreamers, including inventors and futurists, want to have the great dream and to either build it all themselves or present it to the world and watch everyone take it up spontaneously. (And lavish that visionary soul with riches and/or praise.)
The fact is, the world doesn't work that way. You need to be prepared to do some work on your own, but also be ready to gather a team that can handle all of the details and challenges that you can't take on alone. Considering how many creative people want to go on to their next project rather than devote their lives to just one, it only makes sense for people trying to launch an invention, a company, a research project, an NGO or even a microstate to be ready to let go of some of the work. Rest assured, most grand enterprises have more than enough work to go around.
If you want to get a sense of how strong your team is, think about setting up a "formal organization." It doesn't have to be rigid or complex, but simply registering yourselves as a non-profit or a corporation gives you certain rights and protections that informal gatherings of individuals do not. If that works out, set yourself some interim goals, and see how that goes.
I may seem a bit cynical about microstate and other grandiose projects, but that's only because I don't think people should waste their lives on a goal if they have neither the determination, the resources or the organization to achieve it -- and no desire to muster any of those attributes. If you have such an attitude, the only way you're going to succeed is if someone else comes along and does it all for you.
In which case, you need to take my above comments on delegation even more seriously than my goal-oriented readers. Either way, good luck.
Future Imperative
posted by Ralph Cerchione | Thursday, August 25, 2005
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