Change
It is a truism that the one thing that doesn’t change in life is change.
We are all guilty at some point in our lives, if not most of the time of choosing what is safe. We are attached to what is familiar and what is comfortable, but this is often limiting. Authentic pleasure and satisfaction comes from doing something that takes courage and is generally different from what you are used to.
There is no room for self doubt, you have the ability, just take action and make a change
AjP
Project Complete
It’s been two incredible years, steering Project out of stormy waters and into calmer seas, but now it’s come to an end. I officially stepped down from my position as president this week after much thought and contemplation. There are many reasons why I have come to this decision but it really doesn’t matter, because for me it’s time to step away from one great experience and into creating another.
I feel so proud of what we have all accomplished at Project, and the contribution we have made to the industry. It has been such a privilege leading a team of young, motivated, dedicated and loyal staff, who are the real reason Project became very successful in the past two years. A can not praise them enough, firstly for believing in me and secondly for working so hard to turn this business into something worthwhile. I have never worked with such courageous and awe inspiring people - just know I will miss working with all of you.
The fashion industry is an industry all about people and building relationships that are genuine. We had a single vision; to support the industry and help it progress forward. This does not change for me as I move into a new chapter of my life. I feel extremely grateful to be working in the coolest fucking industry on the planet, and I am committed to contributing to our unique culture and business.
I want to thank every single one of you for your support, encouragement, and most importantly your friendship. I am looking forward to creating and collaborating together on new and exciting projects with many of you in the near future.
Much Love
AjP
I recently had the privilege of being interviewed by Harper’s Bazaar Korea, but I didn’t expect a 4 page article. Sorry its all in Korean, but the intro is translated below
Beyond Project
“I met the president Andrew Pollard at the PROJECT Trade Show, which takes place every season in Soho, New York City. As the creator of this sensational new trade show, he stressed the real meaning and value of the fashion industry, and his responsibility as an industry steward”
Article / Choi, Jinsun (correspondent in New York)
AjP
6 Habits of True Strategic Thinkers
By Paul J. H. Schoemaker - Inc.
In the beginning, there was just you and your partners. You did every job. You coded, you met with investors, you emptied the trash and phoned in the midnight pizza. Now you have others to do all that and it’s time for you to “be strategic.”
Adaptive strategic leaders — the kind who thrive in today’s uncertain environment – do six things well:
Anticipate - Most of the focus at most companies is on what’s directly ahead. The leaders lack “peripheral vision.” This can leave your company vulnerable to rivals who detect and act on ambiguous signals.
Think Critically - “Conventional wisdom” opens you to fewer raised eyebrows and second guessing. But if you swallow every management fad, herdlike belief, and safe opinion at face value, your company loses all competitive advantage. Critical thinkers question everything.
Interpret - Ambiguity is unsettling. Faced with it, the temptation is to reach for a fast (and potentially wrongheaded) solution. A good strategic leader holds steady, synthesizing information from many sources before developing a viewpoint.
Decide - Many leaders fall prey to “analysis paralysis.” You have to develop processes and enforce them, so that you arrive at a “good enough” position.
Align - Total consensus is rare. A strategic leader must foster open dialogue, build trust and engage key stakeholders, especially when views diverge.
Learn - As your company grows, honest feedback is harder and harder to come by. You have to do what you can to keep it coming. This is crucial because success and failure—especially failure—are valuable sources of organizational learning.
Do you have what it takes - Obviously, this is a daunting list of tasks, and frankly, no one is born a black belt in all these different skills. But they can be taught and whatever gaps exist in your skill set can be filled in.
Read the full article
http://www.inc.com/paul-schoemaker/6-Habits-of-Strategic-Thinkers.html
AjP
How to deal with tragedy
A good friend of mine, John Blake from back home in Australia lost his beautiful wife in just 9 short weeks after being diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma. She left him with a newly born 5 month old son and a 3 1/2 year old daughter.
Blakey - as he is so affectionately known, recently wrote an intimate account of how he dealt with the sudden death of his wife, which has quite honestly left me in a state of complete awe. The strength and courage that he has shown can be attributed to his incredible character and is an inspiring lesson to us all. It is hard to imagine being faced with such a horrific and heart wrenching situation, but Blakey found a way in all of the darkness to take control of his life and create a new path for himself and his children.
I have never read something so powerful that has left me so gutted at the same time. I had streams of tears flowing down my face, with a heart so heavy it felt like it was ripping out of my chest. I couldn’t help but feel so sad for my friend of over 20 years and what he must have endured. When I reached the end of his story, my sorrow and sadness was transformed to pride and joy for a true hero.
Blakey - I want to pay tribute to you my friend, for your strength and belief in yourself and for showing all of us that even in the deepest and darkest places there is always hope. You are truly great - I am humbled by your power and honor you for being such an inspiring example of love.
Here are Blakey’s 15 Key Steps for Weathering one of Life’s Perfect Storms. Please click on the link below to read the entire story.
http://jcb-phoenix.tumblr.com/
AjP
Eleanor Roosevelt
“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.”
AjP
Bruce Lee - Some of my favorite quotes
“Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successfull personality and duplicate it.”
“As you think, so shall you become.”
“Ever since I was a child I have had this instinctive urge for expansion and growth. To me, the function and duty of a quality human being is the sincere and honest development of one’s potential.”
“I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.”
“Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.”
“The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.”
“To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.”
AjP
Bruce Lee - Be Like Water
“Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way round or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.
Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend”
I love this video, and what Bruce Lee is saying in it. To me it means to be present and find your true form in every moment. If you have the courage to look within yourself you can find something very real and pure - the artist is within you.
AjP
GQ - 10 Essentials
I was recently featured on GQ’s 10 Essentials, where I talked about 10 things I can’t do without. Thanks Ren McKnight, I appreciate you inviting me to be apart of this great section on GQ.com
http://www.gq.com/style/ten-essentials/201203/andrew-pollard-10-essentials-interview#slide=1
AjP
Profile - Byron & Dexter Peart.
Profile - Byron & Dexter Peart
I would like to pay tribute to my two closest and dearest friends. By & Dex are two of the most creative, committed and humble guys you will ever meet. From the day I met them over fifteen years ago, they have always had a clear vision for their life and their brand, and they have never deviated from that.
Their sense of style is impeccable and their taste in everything from furniture to music, art to automobiles is beyond intelligent. They are incredibly talented particularly in all aspects of design where everything is maticulously thought out and no detail is overlooked or included without reason.
What inspires me most about the twins is that they always connect in a pure emotional way with everyone they come in contact with, through their products, opinions and their presence. Authenticity is the key to this duo and they will never do anything unless if feels right; not for the money, not for the fame and definitely not for the adulation’s, but for the love. This approach has made them very successful and their WANT brand has hit global luxury status, by being sold in some of the most important and influential stores around the world.
However, their ability to build an influential global fashion brand is not their real gift, its their humanity and consideration for the people around them. I see people who meet them for the first time who are completely infatuated by their charm and overly generous nature. They are interested in people, and the stories they have to tell. They are the consummate hosts and will always go out of their way to make you feel like you are part of the family.
By & Dex are my family and I am grateful for everything they have ever done for me. I owe a large part of my success to the unconditional love and support I have received from them, and I am excited by my front row seat to their incredible lives
Respect- my brothers
AjP
Project Las Vegas - Show Recap
Project Wooster - 2nd Edition Las Vegas
Thank you to everyone who helped make this an incredible success - the brands and designers who participated (especially all the Japanese - Arigatō), the press who covered it (special thanks to the bloggers in The Blogger Project), the retailers who attended (our show would be nothing without you), the lovers of style who just appreciated it, my team who created it (huge props to Brian Ware & Kristen Couchot), Nancy Berger for being her incredible organized and supportive self, and finally to Nick Wooster who is one of the most creative, authentic, collaborative and hard-working people I know.
I feel grateful to everyone for helping us show what is possible when you put brilliant people together. Now wait until next season. Enjoy
Directed by Marcus Troy (thank you my brother)
Filmed & Edited by Unknown Collective (you guys are beyond)
AjP
Language of a Leader
In ancient Greece and Rome, they knew what we seem to have forgotten: your job as a leader is to persuade people to do great things in uncertain contexts, using only one tool: your words. Compelling leaders, as Aristotle might say, have three qualities that they express through three “languages”:
Agility (or “Logos”). This language is about reading situations and getting things done. Words like this will work: “When we made this acquisition it seemed a good idea, but as I reflect on what has happened, three things are changing on us…”
Authenticity (or “Ethos”). Followers need to know that you have deep values and dreams, and they need to hear you speak about hope. They also want to know that you are animated by some big beliefs. Authentic language comes from the heart. An authentic statement would be something like: “When I was a kid, a bully beat me up. I believe that bullies don’t belong in our organization. Treating employees like ‘resources’ rather than people is a kind of bullying. Instead of laying people off, can’t we find a way to unlock their creativity right now?”
Empathy (or “Pathos”). Caring for people. Do you chat with people in the hallways and reveal your own weaknesses to them? Do you invite people lower in the org chart to have a cup of coffee with you? Do you listen carefully? Are you helpful?
by Tony Golsby-Smith
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/08/learn_to_speak_the_three_langu.html#.Tyqo-p_lNsw.email
AjP
The pillars of project. @marcustroy @nickwooster @andrewpollardny @projectshow (Taken with instagram)
