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All it took was a single conversation with Stan Smith, the storied tennis champion — to hammer out a deal for him to become the figurehead of a now iconic Adidas sneaker. It’s a bit reminiscent of tales about an ad man, sketching out a tag line on a bar napkin in between gimlets or martinis.
Yet this time it was in 1972, in a late night meeting at a Paris night club, where a contract was discussed that was only meant to last five years. (We know that those 5 years, became decades).
Of course — other conversations also played a role.
Before that moment, the son of Adidas founder, Horst Dassler, had the idea (and likely a conversation) to create an all leather sneaker. Then there was likely another conversation to replace the brand’s three stripes, with three rows of perforations.
You get the idea.
Great ideas often get their start during a single conversation.
Whether it’s an idea or a new perspective or a novel solution — they all could be that something that becomes invaluable. We simply must have the good sense to be listening.
As it turns out, one moment can mean an awful lot, when we keep our hearts and minds open to consider the potential that might live there.
Is there a conversation that changed your work life (or world)? Who was listening?
Marla Gottschalk, Ph.D. is an I/O Psychologist & blogger, who explores the dynamic nature of work life. A charter member of the LinkedIn Top Voice Program, she helps teams & organizations build stronger foundations. Her thoughts on work life have also appeared at the Harvard Business Review, Forbes, BBC Work Life, Quartz and The Huffington Post.