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The Michelangelo Effect — Part A: Nine Points to the New Renaissance of AV/IT and Convergence

Michelango_Portrait_by_Volterra-0914Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, well-known as just Michelangelo, was possibly the most renowned artist of the Renaissance. Along with Leonardo and Raphael, they represented artistic pinnacles only to be imitated, but not perfected by other artists. Michelangelo’s body of work was incomparable, and all anyone else could hope to do was duplicate his greatness. He was a sculptor, painter, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unmatched influence on the development of Western art. Michelangelo created one of the most well-known and influential works in fresco in the history of Western art: the scenes from Genesis on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Italy.

In 1512, Michelangelo completed the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and if you’ve never had the privilege of seeing it, it is a truly magnificent piece of art; undoubtedly one of the greatest the world has ever seen. Michelangelo spent a total of four years on this project, all while being in severe discomfort from having to crane his neck skywards day after day when working on it.

And he despised painting…

Michelangelo actually had no intention of doing such a thing and it had absolutely nothing to do with his life’s work. He was a sculptor, not a painter, and had no experience with frescoes, the type of painting used on the ceiling. Though, the honorable man that he was, he agreed to take up the endeavor and as we all know, the rest is history. If you’ve ever visited the Sistine Chapel, you’d see that it is truly a marvel of the world.

His life was fascinating in that he had expertise in a range of disciplines. We refer to a person who presents such capability today as being a ‘Renaissance Man’ (or Woman). In addition to that, Michelangelo’s life was filled with experiences and ideas that we could all learn from.

In the world of AV, the term “AV/IT” has represented a step toward what’s been referred to as convergence, or the coming together of the two realms of technology in AV vendors/manufacturing, integration, consulting and even rental and staging. If we pay attention to Michelangelo and his life’s efforts, we become aware of the fact that he actually took on a project which fell outside his realm of talent and experience, as well as one that he had no desire to do. However it was a project that he was tasked to do and with reluctance, he undertook the project anyway and ended up creating a true masterpiece like the world and the artistic community had never seen. Can the industry learn a lesson from the extensive talent and knowledge-base that Michelangelo built over the years? What about taking on a task that is outside of the scope of his customary norm? Is this what the convergence should be based upon? Going beyond bounds of what’s been the norm toward a true understanding of how the two technology realms actually merge as well as the knowledge-base that needs to be acquired to successfully compete?

The following are Michelangelo’s adages and quotes along with detail to AV/IT, convergence and just how this long-time industry concept fits into each of them.

Always Be Honing Your Craft

Being an expert is never enough. As evidenced by Michelangelo’s life’s endeavors, he could never acquire enough knowledge however more than that, he had incomparable drive and energy. As a sculptor, his talents were unmatched by anyone during this period of time. The Statue of David remains one of the greatest works of sculpture the world has ever come to know.

You will find that highly experienced techs, PMs and even sales people are always ready to meet the challenges and demands of the job and go the extra mile. Where do they get this drive from? What is their grand motivation? Well, a good salary never hurts (and good commissions on the sales side), however that can’t be all that drives them. Many seek the next challenge or even the traditional job, however they’ll put tremendous time and effort into getting it done with maximum effort.

One would think that those at the top would take a break once in a while right? I mean, they’re the best at what they do, what more can they achieve? That attitude right there is the mindset of certain people in this world, and it’s why they could be considered mediocre and average. Successful people live by a maxim:

It’s about more than being the best, it’s about always being better than you were the day before.

“Be better than you were yesterday.”

Michelangelo is considered one of the greatest artists of all time, yet he was always critical of his own work and was always seeking to improve his skills:

“Ancora Imparo” — I am still learning. He said that at age 87, the last year of his life.

When he was assigned the task of painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling not only did he not care for painting, he was by no means an expert at it either. Had Michelangelo not accepted this offer he would have gone down as arguably the greatest sculptor of time. By taking up that task, he added in his name for the greatest painter of all time as well.

No matter what, anyone can continue to better themselves through further learning and education. The plethora of certifications and training programs offered by the industry and manufacturers allow those who partake to continue to excel in their chosen fields.

See the End Result from the Start

A famous quote from Michelangelo in reference to his David statue:

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”

Now this can be interpreted several different ways, however it likely means that you should see the end-result from the start. Rather, the final product already exists in your mind, you just need to work to make it a reality.

“If you can see it, you can do it. If you can’t see it, you can’t do it. How can one expect to accomplish something if they don’t have an end goal in mind?”

This adage likely goes beyond working on a project. An emphasis may be put on the team involved as well. Do they carry the proper focus and skillset to successfully complete the project from site survey to sign-off or is there a need to pull in a consultant or contract a third-party company? Does the job go beyond the standard AV installation to include on-premise or WiFi networking, mobile devices and more? Does it involve cloud or virtualized solutions (there is a difference)? Is network security a factor? Can you even expand sights to include data and telecommunications cabling in any job that requires it? Can you hire on an RCDD or partner with a consultant to design, implement, integrate and manage these projects?

A company might possibly look to also work/partner with individual consultants or companies that are versed in certain IT-related technologies and carry the necessary certifications to help perform and complete the job to maximum standard and satisfaction. However there are also certain companies who may look to build this structure from within as they can readily deploy and manage these resources. How so? Through Networking Technology education given by InfoComm (which provides CTS, CTS-I and CTS-D RUs) as well as outside training resources, IT certifications (Cisco and Microsoft for example) and more.

Shoot For the Stars

Being average was never a part of Michelangelo’s makeup. He always set out to be the best at whatever he did. In fact, anyone that you’ve ever read about in history – George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Amelia Earhart, Martin Luther King – weren’t close to average, they were great.

To be better than average, to be great, you must set your sights and goals high. Not simply above your peers, but at a point that you find challenging.

“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving the mark.”

Interestingly enough we’re all concerned about the dangers of setting sights too low and thus, as Michelangelo warns — achieving the mark, however here he adds in a perspective that it’s OK to aim high and fall a bit short. Really? Who wants to do that? Well in gaining more perspective, high goals certainly need to be set in one’s organization for all of the teams — sales and tech. However, with this being said, not every job will be done to 100 percent satisfaction every time out and that’s OK, even if 100 percent effort was given. There’s always opportunity to successfully complete the job in further calculated steps. But give a 50 percent effort and it’s almost guaranteed that’s what the client gets.

With this though, is everyone carrying the necessary qualifications that will allow them to complete that job to 100 percent end result? Are they carrying proper industry certifications? What about the networking technology coursework given by InfoComm as well as the aforementioned Cisco or Microsoft training where there is a great need for this expertise in the enterprise? Might it be worth it for your company, if not already, to become a Cisco networking or a Microsoft Gold Partner? There are certain AV organizations out there that do have these partnerships, for those who don’t it may be well worth looking into. Will these certs and partnerships help to greatly enhance the efforts of your organization? Without a doubt.

Don’t Follow the Beaten Path, Make Your Own

Michelangelo’s David, while considered to be one of the distinguished pieces of art in the world, was a bit of a mystery when originally created. Earlier statues of David, depicted a whole different look and aspect. Michelangelo’s statue shows a stoic looking David, at the onset of battle. A subtle difference to many that came before, but the change was indeed significant.

The only way to achieve greater goals is to either:

1. Do something better than someone is currently doing

2. Do it differently

Both options are fine, and as a company you decide which path to take based on your functions and goals. Do you want to be the one that does it better — or the differentiator? Why not do it differently? Why not set a higher mark as well as a trend? Could setting out to be unique be the answer? Difference and diversification may just be the measures to overall success and distinctiveness in this age of AV/IT convergence.

One shouldn’t be afraid to carve their own path, that’s how prominence often occurs.

To be continued…

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