Lately I’ve been thinking about being comfortable, and how it leads one into complacency, into believing that everything is fine. That the world is fine, it’s understandable and that we know our place within it. I’ve been thinking this for a number of reasons and one of them is leading me to realize how hard it is for organizations to change.
As individuals, we know change is hard – we struggle every year to improve ourselves. We go so far as to ask peers to give critical feedback in the desire to find something to improve on. Something to make us better than we are. Seldom do we seek another path.
Often, another path is the dangerous choice, at least that’s how it appears. Its something we’re not comfortable with. It’s filled with challenges that we believe we’re not equipped to deal with. The chance for failure is higher. Perceptions can change without realizing it’s happening – brand authenticity is challenged with little warning.
What does an organization do when they feel like they’ve lost control of the message? What if they don’t understand that control is an illusion? Can change occur without destroying some portion of the organization, the control structure, or at the very least perceptions of such things?
Of course these are simply questions of those in denial.
The reality is change. Knowing what to look for, and recognizing it’s occurring is the opportunity. Finding the courage to take the step forward and question if the message is still valid is not common in many organizations. Taking action on such a realization is even harder.
It’s easier for an outsider to critique. The ability to accept outside recommendations on direction accomplishes multiple things without everyone realizing what’s happening…at least not right away. The organization gets a small glimpse of what it needs to do. It feels better about change. Leadership doesn’t have to take a leadership role, and doesn’t have to discipline anyone for challenging or stepping outside the control structure.
The point in all of this is that it’s easy to see how we get caught up in how change can be bad, that it’s far easier to stay the course we think is right rather than taking a step away and looking at our goals from a fresh perspective. To stop, listen, learn something we didn’t know (maybe many somethings), and then try something new. Its not hard to try – and an entire organization doesn’t need to be involved at the start, but someone does need to take the initiative.
I’ve been a bit lax the last several weeks in participating in Follow Friday on Twitter. I always liked the concept and tried to do a couple good ones every Friday. Over the past year or so (I think it’s closer to two) I found that I kept sharing the same folks. While these tweeps are excellent to follow – great conversation, smart, helpful – I just felt I was repeating myself over & over again.
So last week Chris Brogan blogged about a different tactic to Follow Friday. Such an obvious one that a person hates to admit they never thought of it (I hadn’t), though I’m sure he’s not the first to think of it. Knowing Chris, he won’t mind if all of us borrow this one though.
Rather than try and cram as many twitter handles into that 140 characters, I’ll call out a handful of folks right here and tell you a little bit of why you should follow them. Here goes.
@MNHeadHunter – There was little doubt who was going to be my first #FF shout out. Friend, mentor, biz advisor, collaborator, critic, and cheerleader – Paul DeBettignies is a Minneapolis based independent IT Recruiter who’s helped more people than I can count in job search, career help, and more. He’s also the biggest U of M sports fan in existence.
@PhilGerb – If you don’t know Phil Gerbyshak, now is your chance to meet & follow him. Author of 10 Ways to Make It Great, Phil is a Milwaukee social media strategist, relationship geek, and lover of interesting things. His enthusiasm and fountain of ideas can help kick-start your business or blog, for either professional or personal interests. Ask him about Milwaukee!
@BryanPerson – Founder of Social Media Breakfast itself, Bryan Person is the guy I emailed back in 2007 about starting an SMB here in Minneapolis. Loved his advice of “why not you”. Originally from Boston, and now in Austin, Bryan is currently the “LiveWorld social media guy”.
@lulugrimm – Looking for smart, witty, and a great example of how digital public relations professionals are using social media? Follow Lisa Grimm to find out how someone at the nexus of GenX/GenY embodies the best of characteristics of both. It also turns out that she’s a great speaker and moderator of panels.
@donmball – Cofounder of CoCoMSP and Unsummit, Don Ball is a great resource in the St. Paul & Minneapolis are for freelance, independent contractors/consultants and startups in general. Supportive, idea rich and willing to share his enthusiasm for you to succeed is how I describe Don.
Okay, that’s a good start for today. I’ll work at doing a better job (read: more) next week, but it’s hard to pic a handful of really good, valuable people out of so many I know and write a short blurb about them. Or it could be that it’s late on Friday and I’m looking for a way to get this posted while it still is Friday.
😉
In any case, check out these great folks and let me know some of your suggestions below. I’m sure there’s many I haven’t met yet that I’d really like to talk with. Now go have a great weekend!
As things happen every now and again, I recently got the opportunity to join a panel at the MHTA (Minnesota High Tech Association) Spring Conference “A New Way Forward” on April 22nd. Of course I jumped at the chance to talk with so many great geeks technical professionals from some of the top companies here in the Twin Cities!
Here’s an overview of the spring conference:
As we enter the second decade of the 21st Century it is time to examine the assumptions and approaches that are fundamental to our success. The New Deal of the last century was about getting the basics right – productivity and efficiency, providing people with meaningful work, getting the economy on its feet – using production lines and automation tools.
Today, the New Way Forward is about achieving these same goals while using distinctly different tools and approaches, retractable banner stands have served us well but the future holds much more for the savvy marketer. As Minnesota business leaders look at a greatly changed global economy, they know their companies not only measure up – they frequently outperform global competitors.
Join us April 22, 2010 at the Minneapolis Convention Center for another outstanding program filled with immediately applicable strategies and practices to help you do the same. Collectively, these ideas will do more than just get us back on track – they will propel us forward faster than ever before!
The agenda and list of speakers is here and here. In case you’re interested, I believe there are still tickets available, which you can register for here.
One of the many things I’ve been working on lately is perspectives. Both mine and others (I hope). When you’re working on introducing ideas and concepts into an an environment that hasn’t had a lot of change, you get a lot of resistance.
That’s nothing groundbreaking, but I think it goes without saying that there are many perspectives and perceptions that people view their world and the things that make up their work. Introducing new ideas is a challenge not because people are resistant to learning, but because the change that it brings is disruptive.
Social media is disruptive, of course, that way. It’s not necessarily that there’s something new, but that it requires attention, time that many folks and businesses don’t feel they have. Running the day to day of businesses, putting out “fires”, planning for the future, launching new product, finishing a tight-deadline project, these are the things that people are dealing with in businesses of all sizes.
So, it’s kind of hard to expect management and staff stuck in the middle layers of an organization to jump up and down and get all excited about having to deal with something new. Yet, this layer of any organization needs to be included in change, they are the ones who can make the most of change. They’re the ones who understand their area of the business. Consider them hundreds or thousands of SMEs that understand how that part of the business works and what it needs.
Understanding their perspectives on the organization, change, and the job at hand is another part of the puzzle needed to implement social media behind the firewall.
Behind The Firewall is an ongoing series of blog posts, Twitter chats and more. Created and lead by Arik Hanson and Rick Mahn, these discussions explore the world of the social web inside companies & organizations, “Behind The Firewall” if you will.
Last Friday I had a great opportunity to sit down with Phil Gerbyshak and talk about all sorts of things. Mainly social media and current themes or ideas that are going on, but also about what he’s doing in Milwaukee.
You see, Phil figured out awhile ago what a lot of this means, and has been moving ever closer to going freelance and helping companies do what he does best: Make It Great. It’s more than a catch phrase, it’s really about perspective and choices we make.
A couple years back, Phil wrote the book Make It Great. From that inspiration and work, he’s developed a philosophy around doing things right, listening, and helping others do the same. That’s what he’s out to do in about a month.
About two months ago (or so), Phil decided to break away from corporate America and do what he’s best at – sharing his knowledge on social media with organizations who want to do things the right way, by listening to employees and customers, and letting them help guide the way an organization should work.
Here’s an interview I did with Phil on the topic of going independent and about his Make It Great philosophy. (Don’t worry, my camera work should get better in the future – I hope 😉
So, thank you Phil for the chance to have time to talk the invitation to visit you in Milwaukee soon, and the insight into how to make what I do even better. I truly appreciate it.
As governor, the State Capitol will stand for unity and common sense.
In addition to the POW/MIA flag that has long flown over the State Capitol, we will fly two flags when I am governor: the Wisconsin state flag and the American flag.
