Tag: Leadership

Social Media – The Proper Stuff?

After I posted my blog from a train this morning, Tim Kitchin got in touch and said:

Look forward to seeing the flow of the day…some very interesting developments ahead in workforce 2.0. I hope the conference gets into some of the ‘proper’ stuff…

I asked him – what do you mean by ‘proper stuff’? If and when I hear back from Tim I will update this post with his response. In the meantime – here are a handful of early observations I’m sensing about themes, feelings etc.

Co-creation and Involvement Matter

Yay – and…? How? That’s still not clear enough for me. I think there are lots of simple ways to push further on this front, most of them conversational.

Complete Control is a Total Illusion

I’ve bastardised this feeling so that a) I get a Clash reference in and b) it reminds me of my 2013 tour t shirt. And seriously – there is a rising awareness that this social stuff is going on regardless of your policy.

Total Illusion eh?

I’m enjoying following the Twitter feed of Grumpy Lecturer, who has pushed back on the control issue with this:

Is the interest in social media in workplace akin to Bentham’s Panopticon as employers paranoia increases?

I googled Panopticon and I suggest you do the same – I think we need to be mindful not to rebuild work in this scary shape.

Leadership

This has to mean more than where we sit on an org chart. There are leaders everywhere – acknowledge them regardless of their hierarchical position.

Social Hierarchy

Reward

I think how people are rewarded is a vital part of how an organisation functions or dysfunctions. Mot people are not paid to collaborate – indeed many are paid to compete with colleagues instead. For me – this is currently missing from the conversation.

How About You

What do you think is missing – are we yet talking about the ‘Proper Stuff”?

How Did You Get That Gig?

I’m packing my bag getting ready to head for home. I have a 13:00 local time departure from St Paul, then an 18:00 from O’Hare which is due to get me into London Heathrow at 06:45 Thursday morning. I’ve had a great time meeting some friends in real life for the first time and I’ve enjoyed some fascinating work and learning with the project management community of Thomson Reuters and beyond. When I get home I’ll write more on both of these things.

For now though – I want to try and answer a question I’m often asked, namely ‘How did you get that gig?’ In all honesty I don’t have the answer totally nailed, but here are a few things that seem to bear fruit, eventually.

Be open to possibilities. I think social media can be a great enabler for this, and I love the chance to forge lots of weak ties (as written about by Malcolm Gladwell, Joe Gerstandt and Jason Lauritsen), some of which will strengthen in time.

Be patient. I choose to come from a place of trust, that is to say that my tendency is to trust you first, and ask questions later. However when you’re engaging with others who act on behalf of their professional body, or their company, they may not have that latitude. Give them the time and the means to get to know you and see the trust you place in them. Don’t push it…too hard.

Hustle – very gently. Neil Morrison once referred to me as the least pushiest sales guy you’ll ever meet, and whilst I like that, I also need to remember that it’s OK, maybe even essential to nudge things along at times. I’m rarely that important to someone in a busy working environment, and neither are you. So don’t take it personally, but do take the time to check in.

Practice your ass off. The feedback I get is that people appreciate the adaptable and flexible nature of working with me. And that flexibility is only achieved through hours and hours and hours of practice. Most of what you practice you’ll probably never need, but whether you are speaking, facilitating or consulting, you need to be confident that you are the best prepared person in the room. That way you can relax (a bit!) and both give, and help co-create great value.

Be humble. My work is all about you. I exist to serve and I consider that a huge privilege. I have never knowingly accepted work unless I genuinely believe it is in the client’s best interest. I’ve turned opportunities down and walked away from an assignment when it became clear that the time for me to add value had expired, even though the client was willing to continue. For it to be right for me – first it has to be right for you.

So there you have it. Five things that sometimes, kinda seem to work. And yet here’s the rub. I’m often wrong, I’m often right, I rarely know which is which and I reserve the right to change my mind. If you are happy to share what works for you, I and others would I’m sure appreciate that. And if you have experiences of me you are willing to share, particularly if you think I can learn and improve from them – well that would be great.

 

Creative Leadership – T Minus 24

I was going to head this post ‘Creative Leadership – The Final Countdown’ but I was worried that might leave a certain long haired rock band impression in your mind, and that wouldn’t do, would it?

Exploring pathways to creativity and collaboration with clients is a key part of why I love what I do. This exploration is woven into many of the projects I’ve been privileged to engage with over the last few years. In recent months I’ve been contemplating pulling some of these threads together to make a stronger rope, and as part of my New Year Evolution – in January I committed to the launch of Creative Leadership.

February 28th 2013 is go live day. I am very excited and of course, a little nervous. How will it go? Will people notice? Will people like the idea enough to book onto a workshop and come and play? Who knows. What I do know is, if I don’t make this commitment to creativity and collaboration, then I may as well pack up and go home. As an idea in my head, it is next to useless. As of tomorrow, it is real. Back in 2011, Ken Robinson, author of ‘Out of Our Minds’, said, “Creativity is not some exotic, optional extra. It’s a strategic issue.” I think he is right, how about you?