Think Big

January 29, 2015


Rick MurrayGuest Post by Rick Murray. Rick is Managing Partner & Chief Digital Strategist at NATIONAL Public Relations.  You can connect with Mike on LinkedIn or Twitter.
I had the opportunity to attend the Toronto Region Board of Trade’s annual dinner on Monday night. One of the highlights was the keynote delivered by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board president and CEO, Mark Wiseman. That he has led the CPP from dollar one in 1999 to over $240 Billion under management today is remarkable. All the more so given two economic downturns over those 15 years.

His challenge to Canadian business leaders was delivered in three slides. I’m paraphrasing a bit here, but in essence he said, focus on what you’re known for / best at; think globally; and think big. What struck me was what Mr. Wiseman identified as the key unique selling proposition for the Canadian brand outside the US: our multiculturalism. Why? Because it works. It manifests itself in the senses of fairness, respect and humility that set us apart.

For some reason, most Canadians don’t see this. Or if we do, we don’t see it as a competitive advantage. As a Canadian citizen who spent the last 25 years in the US and is just now returning home, I can assure you that it is. Frankly, it’s one of the main reasons my wife and I returned. Canada – and Canadians – don’t think about it as multiculturalism; it’s just who we are. And that’s why it works – whether south of the border, or across either pond.

The “Think Big” piece is Mr. Wiseman’s plea for us all to loosen up. It seems another part of the Canadian DNA is conservative decision making. I couldn’t agree more. The people that are changing the world in Silicon Valley aren’t thinking about improving on something incrementally; they want to create something entirely new. Peter Thiel summed this mindset up well in his 2014 book, Zero to One. We need to invest in, and demand more of it here.

Imagine… If we could actually get both of these right, we’d actually solve for something that Silicon Valley has yet to figure out: creating disruptive innovation with a culturally diverse talent pool. That’s a zero to one idea that’s worth backing.


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Rick Murray


Rick Murray is joining NATIONAL in December 2014 as managing partner of our Toronto office and the Firm’s first chief digital strategist. This industry veteran’s passion for emerging technologies and understanding of the public relations industry have resulted in numerous successes over years, including a series of ground-breaking initiatives he led at Edelman from 2001 to 2014.Widely respected as an industry pioneer and thought leader, he has specific expertise in all facets of public relations and fields such as brand development, integrated marketing communications, digital strategy, social business, online advocacy and word-of-mouth marketing.As managing partner in Toronto, Rick is responsible for growing the office’s volume of business and expanding its service offering. As chief digital strategist, he’s in charge of the development and implementation of a firm-wide social/digital strategy to ensure an integrated approach to client service and consulting in all markets. In this role, Rick is also responsible for Sonic Boom, NATIONAL’s digital marketing subsidiary.

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