Take action.
We all know that talk minus action means absolutely bloody nothing, so to mark the launch of our new book and grow the movement, we want to make turning pirate as easy as possible. Inspired by the existing crew, here’s a list of ideas that you can do tomorrow to start being a bit more pirate….from low to high effort.
#1 Schedule a FSU meeting
What’s that you might ask? It’s a Fuck Shit Up meeting, coined by the team at Sony, and adopted by many a crew since. It’s a simple first step: just put some dedicated time aside to think about how you could actively be disruptive, and if you want to mix up the meeting style to get you in the right mindset, have a look at liberating structures for some inspo.
#2 Break the tyranny of email culture
Tired of being a slave to an ever expanding inbox but unsure how to stop the flow? Inspired by Kath Smythe and her MCC pirates in How to: Be More Pirate, here are a few suggestions for setting new precedents around how email is used.
#3 Boycott bad language
The easiest rule break in the book really. If you’re fed up work jargon and acronyms that are vague, confusing or feel a bit exclusive - declare a boycott of whatever bugs you most, and commit yourself to plain English and truth telling.
#4 Call a crew meeting
If you know others who are frustrated with the same things you are, get a small group together in the local cafe and start talking. No grand plan needed, ideas will emerge as you go, the point is to get the ball rolling. Here’s an example of how one group got started.
#5 Let us hold you accountable
Got something risky you really want to do, but can’t seem to work up the nerve? A challenging email to send, a conversation you don’t want to have but should? Tell us all about it and the date you want it done by and we’ll send you a ‘friendly’ pirate reminder to crack on, when your due to date is near. Go here to complete the short form.
#6 Tell your story
If you’ve been Pirate in the past and want to share what you did and what happened next, write to us and tell we’ll add it to the stories section of the site - sharing examples of successful piracy is what helps the movement to grow. Head over to the stories page for inspiration and contact details.
#7 Send the Navy a book
If you know of a business, a brand or organisation that REALLY needs to change their ways, write to us and explain why, and we’ll anonymously send them a book (for free), with an invitation to consider that the time has come to break some rules. But, the reason’s gotta be a good’ un. Email [email protected]