“Doubt” is a word with a negative connotation. But in the context Casey Gerald uses doubt, it’s a huge positive. Before President Obama’s address to the tech community at SXSW, Casey delivered the opening keynote for South By and shared the gospel of doubt with the audience.
Casey Gerald and MBAs Across America
Everyone has a gospel they live by. It might be the gospel of capitalism or the gospel of disruptive. For Casey, the only gospel that matters to him is doubt.
The gospel of doubt is all about asking your own questions and finding the answers for yourself. People that claim they have all the answers usually don’t. Unlike President Obama’s call to action, Casey called for us to question everything.
One of the things Casey Gerald has questioned recently is his non-profits role, MBAs Across America, in helping small businesses achieve success. He believes that anyone can hit the open road and help a small business owner. “The work is not organizational,” he said, “the work is human work.” He has since shared the model he used to create his organization with everyone. Fellows from the finest schools such as Stanford and Harvard, have already organized their own teams to hit the road and do some good.
The Gospel of Doubt at AE
This resonated with me and the South By team because our agency is inquisitive in nature. We always are trying to learn more and change our perspective. Remember, in this case doubt is not negative. We never doubt ourselves, we doubt the norms people accept without question. This shines through the history of Agency Entourage and one of the reasons we attend South By every year. We’re always looking for new ways to think about our work and the advertising industry as a whole.
What’s Your Gospel?
So, answer this question for yourself: What is your gospel? What ideas do you hold dear? It’s these guiding principles that affect the important decisions we make in our personal lives and at the office. As the opening keynote speaker for SXSW, Casey Gerald delivered an amazing message. He may have been slightly overshadowed by President Obama, but everyone left the theatre ready to look at SXSW in a whole new light and question everything.
