Wednesday, September 3, 2014





Lightning makes no sound until it strikes.
Dr. Martin Luther King
Innovation and Creativity in Action

Dr. Raye Mitchell
Creative Genius Rules Workshop
      On August 6, 2014, a dedicated group of women led by the visionary leader, champion and creative guru Lauren Wesley Wilson, President of ColorComm, Inc., struck like lightening when they launched the inaugural ColorComm Conference (“C2”) in Miami, Florida. The emergence of ColorComm and C2 is both the message and the messenger for how creativity can emerge from nowhere, thrive, expand and overthrow the status quo . C2 is an authentic e
xample of creativity, innovation and drive to disrupt, bundled into a platform that constructs a new version of what is new going forward. 
Why are ColorComm and C2 examples of innovation in motion? 

First, ColorComm has a visionary leader willing to take risks. 

Second, it accomplished something no other organization has achieved. It convened the first known national conference for women of color in the integrated communications segment. 


Third, it accomplished this feat in record time by capturing the moment, the movement and the market opportunity to meet an unmet need. Less than two years ago, C2 was inconceivable and not on any known radar; ColorComm simply did not even exist in its current shape or form. Just two short years ago, Ms. Wilson had started an invite-only luncheon series of women of color in communications in Washington, DC. Forming an operating network of sisterhood, camaraderie and knowledge sharing, the team soon blossomed into a membership organization. The spark of innovation by Ms. Wilson in Washington, DC, led to the birth of chapters in Chicago and New York, with Atlanta coming soon. 

Fourth, ColorComm and C2 attracted committed team players and provided the team an opportunity to make history by rallying behind a common goal. In other words, in order to grow, ColorComm had to expand the leadership ranks beyond Ms. Wilson. ColorComm, still in the infant stages of any organizational life, allowed innovation to find room to incubate and thrive. ColorComm let “like-minded” people in the door and presented an environment safe to take risks and fuel new thinking. 

Fifth, ColorComm sponsored an environment where new thought can and did take root by activating the team and putting “boots on the ground.” ColorComm’s growth accelerated because the team actually set a big compass goal and marched forward to do something, moving beyond the 
safety of the status quo. A fundamental requirement for the expansion of innovation and creativity is experimentation, taking action and taking risk. Something needs to happen if innovation and creativity are to emerge. Often newly formed groups and organizations become distracted or excited by the mere formation of the group.  Once formed, the status quo becomes the end goal. “We came, we met and we left” becomes the operating mentality, whether stated directly or indirectly by the activities of the participants. But this proved untrue for ColorComm.

In this case, ColorComm and the leadership team envisioned a national conference to expand, share and capture the moment and interest in its platform. Launching and announcing a goal to convene a national conference of thought leaders in communications is ambitious. In a world where risk and reward are not often extended to women, especially women of color, the leadership team of ColorComm literally put their personal and professional reputations on the line. Even veteran conference hosts will wake to that bad dream of “What if I host a conference and no one comes or I can’t attract star talent and speakers?”

Sixth, the C2 leadership team nourished inside relationships to break through the status quo. Hosting an inaugural conference is a “chicken and egg” proposition. To attract top-talent speakers and an audience, organizers must establish street cred.2To be heard in an environment of noisy and well-established competition for time, resources and prestige, organizers must be viewed as influencers with “go-to” authority status. However, to demonstrate “go-to” authority status, the organizers of C2 had to establish a track record of action, delivery and the ability to play above the rim. In this case, supported by a small but powerful team of ten talented leaders, C2 disrupted the status quo and delivered an amazing, engaging and groundbreaking conference, hosting 200+ emerging influencers in the integrated communications segment. The talent team of C2 included Mercy Chikowore, Gwen Haynes, Anita Shelton, Tonya Williams, Janina Jeff, Alencia Johnson, Lindsay Wilkinson, Sheila Brooks, Tkeyah Lake and Valarie Wilson.

How did they accomplish the mission? ColorComm and C2 nourished inside relationships and the
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willingness of some, but not all, industry leaders to embrace innovation and invest in the unknown. True innovation and disruption can and does evolve with or without financial backers; however, the insightfulness of a few early adopters and true believers transformed C2 from an early stage expansion project into to a true high-quality, high-impact “game changer” event. C2 happened because of the combined sponsorships, partnerships and endorsements of industry leaders and corporate teams such as the Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne), Prudential, Wells Fargo, BET Networks, Web Shandwick, Toyota of America, Edelman, The Coca-Cola Company, CBS TV Network, Publicis Groupe, MSLGroup, Bursin-Marsteller, American Pride, The RLJ Companies, MSNBC and PRWeek. Fueling the development of 
innovation happening in real time and engagements, this team of sponsors enriched an audience of 200+ emerging millennial women leaders in the communications segments stemming from various entertainment platforms to traditional public relations. In addition, C2 attracted leaders in corporate branding, corporate social responsibility, social and digital media and, of course, established and emerging entrepreneurs.
Seventh. The seventh component of the C2 success story is that they engaged industry thought leaders who were willing to lend their reputational authority to the C2 proposition and vision. Innovation, creativity and disruption bring inherent risks of failure, setbacks and disappointments. In some cases, established veterans will not endorse newness, despite producing numerous corporate branding messages alleging that they embrace innovation and risk taking. In other cases, there exists a limited set of visionary veterans who will endorse newness.

The C2 leadership, relying on established relationships, built its inaugural program by reaching connectors willing to make introductions to prominent women in the communications segment. The process of networking and connecting requires tenacity, perseverance and an element of dumb luck. High profile speakers are in demand, and a “no” response is more likely than not. However, the C2 team executed a masterful plan. They preempted anticipated “no’s” by establishing a compelling reason for prominent speakers to claim the title of ‘founding inaugural speaker’. In other words, there is exactly one chance ever to be among the founding inaugural speakers. Some leaders will embrace the leadership role and others will shrink away. Next, the C2 team established and maintained high standards in the selection of its speakers and thought leaders, and invited speakers with a passion for the mission. C2 had to remain committed to its vision to attract high quality speakers. It is true that the company you keep will determine or derail your creative vision. A roster of status quo speakers, even if accompanied by a big name title, lacking a personal connection to the mission and vision is weak. In the alternative,  a roser of innovative speakers armed with credentials, passion, focus and commitment to the mission of C2 is a  powerful tool for innovation expansion. The C2 leadership team advanced its creative vision by mastering the discipline of capturing commitment over compliance.

Eighth and last, the C2 leadership team executed brilliant innovation by building into their program a model for sustainability, evolution and expansion. Before, during and after the conference, the C2 team sought 360˚ input and feedback from its target prospective and audience. The C2 team was able to implement real-time innovation and changes to the conference agenda. Program speakers and participants arrived early and were encouraged to observe and interact with the audience in order to be prepared to deliver real-time tailoring of programming materials to the rhythm and temperament of audience engagement. C2 also engaged a worldwide audience in a program segment entitled Go Live. C2 then interacted with 
both its in-house audience and its entire social media universe to instantly adapt and evolve the C2 program with quality content and materials.

Be Bold. Be Brilliant.












About Dr. Raye Mitchell:
Dr. Raye Mitchell lead the Creative Genius Rules. Play to Win Workshop at C2. Dr. Raye Mitchell is a an award winning humanitarian and innovation expert who helps people create breakthrough impacts. As an inspirational speaker, Dr. Mitchell works with individuals and corporate clients to train and inspire women to lead forward as next generation global leaders. A successful litigation attorney and graduate of Harvard Law School, Dr. Mitchell is now acclaimed as an entertainment producer and social entrepreneur recognized for her contributions in mentoring girls and young women to become global leaders. She is the author of several books, most recently “The Laws of the New Game Changers: How to Make Breakthrough Impacts That Take You Forward”.  Dr. Mitchell is developing new entertainment projects and writing her next book on how women and girls can advance themselves, our community and as global leaders. Click here to obtain a free copy of the workshop materials.

Contact Dr. Raye:
@drrayemitchell
email: raye@rayemitchell