Headbanger

Headbanger

photo c/o czoper

The Urban Dictionary defines headbanger thusly: A guy who listens to heavy metal while vigorously nodding his head up and down. Ideally throwing his long hair back and forth for added effect.

I’ve been to a few heavy metal gigs in my time (the Motorhead Merry Bastard Christmas bash in 1989 stands out as a quality affair) and though I often enjoyed the music and the atmos and all that, I define the act of headbanging itself as repetitive, painful and ultimately pointless.

Next week the employee engagement task-force group rolls into town again. As regular readers will know I’ve been blogging about my thoughts on this group since it emerged blinking into the light about ten months ago. For the brave among you this marathon starts here, then goes here and here before taking the summer off then reappearing here and here.

Many of you have already contributed to the engagement dialogue in previous posts and messages and you are of course welcome to comment and suggest further. I’ve tried to represent your comments and suggestions and feedback into the group. I’ve made specific offers of help to the group and vague ones too. So far – nothing concrete (or even vaguely solid for that matter) has emerged.

I may be wrong, I often am, and I’m going into next week’s session with a sense of impending headbanger. Don’t get me wrong, I still like Motorhead I’m just not sure I could manage a whole concert.

More to follow?

Author: Doug Shaw

Artist and Consultant. Embracing uncertainty, sketching myself into existence. Helping people do things differently, through an artistic lens.

10 thoughts on “Headbanger”

  1. If they don’t listen, Lemmy says …………

    I guess I betta get movin’
    Lotta things I gotta do
    I realize it was a waste of time
    Talkin’ sense to you

    Hope you got my little message
    I hope you hear me
    I thought you might’ve been the answer
    Obviously crazy

    🙂

  2. Hi Doug how’s tricks!?

    As you know, I subscribe to your blog and when your latest post appeared in my inbox today I felt I should set the record straight. That and I’m sitting on a train to London drinking very sweet coffee!
    We’ve discussed before your scepticism about the task force before and even talked about how we can support further. I can understand your view about it but I think you are wrong on this one mate.
    There’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes (and in front of the scenes) just ask the Practitioner Group or the Social Group. There are exciting things coming – from what I can see David and the team want to get the foundation right – which is the right thing to do if they want to build something sustainable.
    I’m very much looking forward to seeing you and the rest of the Group next week and share what we’ve all been up to.
    See you then!

    1. Hello Richard, thanks for your feedback.

      I ummed and ahhed about posting Headbanger and if doing so turns out to be one of my mistakes, I’ll be the first to acknowledge that.

      Yes I have some scepticism, and please don’t think it’s all mine, I just happen to be one of the few who voices it. I look forward to next week and hope that if this group is serious about social, that we may begin to find things out and share things organically rather than wait for such a gathering. Currently the LinkedIn groups are very quiet. The Facebook page and Twitter are quieter still. I appreciate these things can’t be forced, yet these are areas where you, I and others have offered assistance…

      Am I wrong – or do we just have two different and seemingly valid perspectives?

      To close on a more upbeat note – I have now engaged in dialogue with folks at Ashridge about some research associated with this project. This has only just happened so when I do a post meeting blog I’ll hopefully have more to say on that too.

      Cheers – Doug

    1. Probably because a) I’m an optimist and b) I’d like it to work. Neither of those things should prevent me from being a critical friend. Too many folks are just drinking the Koolaid on this topic dontcha think?

  3. I guess some are in it for themselves, some are curious, and some genuinely want to be part of a movement. Like you, I am disappointed at the lack of “engagement” on Linkedin groups etc (I never understood why we set up a second one when the first didn’t work???)
    While I don’t like looking in at this from the margins as an observer, I do find it difficult to engage with a community that is so siloed (practitioners/task group/gurus) and not so sure what constitutes membership of any of the camps, (they all look pretty interchangeable to me)
    But I think David is doing a great job and has genuine intentions, I wont sip the Koolaid but I will partake in some Harrods tea – see ya next week.

    1. I think you make an interesting point about siloing the whole thing and I share that difficulty too. Real progress in going social in order to share and learn more widely could help ease a few gaps in the fence maybe?

        1. I’ve spoken about my concerns in this space with taskforce folk already and yes Rich I agree it needs an airing. I think it would be more useful to look at this as opportunities as yet untapped – what say you? I’ll drop David and co a line before we meet up.

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