Perspectives

Apr 14, 2010 | blog

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 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.

Happiness CCXCVIII

Jan 28, 2009 | happiness

By noon today, will the week be half over, or will you still see another half week to go before the weekend?

The Art of Listening

May 30, 2008 | blog, leadership

Listen To MeSometimes it’s good to just sit back and listen to the conversation around you. There are many voices out there, and many stories to be told by those voices. One of the best skills to have is the ability to listen.

It’s a hard skill to learn too. How often do we jump into a conversation, with the intent to add our experiences and perspectives? Its human nature to share, to participate, to interact. So it’s important to make sure that you take the time to listen to what people are saying.

The benefits of becoming a better listener are not simply limited to hearing what people have to say, it’s letting them to tell their stories in their own words. It’s the people and their stories that are important. Learning about them and what they need is how you can better offer services and products to them – if at all. After all, not everything we do, or service & products we offer are needed by everyone.

Taking the time to learn about people, their stories, their needs, concerns, and wishes help us build not only a better community, but a better understanding of what we can do to be a productive part of that community. All that can comes from listening.

Photo credit: JosephGilbert.org

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