The thoughts of a 21st Century Change Agent

I have been working today on a presentation I have been asked to give to a collection of business psychologists in a few weeks. As the weather here has been drab and dismal, this has been a good thing to do and I have come up with a few thoughts that I wanted to share here.

Firstly the audience is going to be quite scary and I have found my ideas changing as I go through it. Looking back I started preparing a typical business presentation, structuring it the way I would for a management meeting. It was a bit of the old "tell them what you are going to say, tell them what you want to say and then tell them what you told them". It was coming together, but I found myself moving pieces around.

I them sat back a few moments and put myself in my audience's seats, well as far as I can. They will be there in their own time for an evening so I want them to feel it was worthwhile and go away feeling good and stimulated to think about the subject. I do not have expertise in their field (apart from helping my daughter with her A-Level) so won't be instructing them and I don't have time to instruct them in mine.

What I can do is share my insights on the topic of change and the challenges we all face. I can also try and entertain them. While humour can be a difficult element, I can try and keep the delivery varied and not too serious. I can also make sure I say it in my way, from my perspective and with a few twists and unusual combinations of ideas.

I am aware that I do not have all the answers, I am not sure anyone does, but I can offer the things I am working on.

So................the synopsis is

While we are getting better at managing projects, change is getting even harder to deliver. Just doing what we have done since building the pyramids, albeit as efficiently as possible, will not be good enough going forward. In truth, it is not good enough now! 

In particular the shortening of time frames is impacting the things like trust and planning, risk appetites amongst stakeholders and investors are dwindling at a time when uncertainty is rising everywhere. This all impacts on confidence. It seems that we are concentrating on industrialising change at a time when the leaders of management thinking are saying that the "industrial" approach has had its day and needs to change. I like a phrase I heard the other day which was "Feel not formula". I am also planning to talk about "soft hands". 

The necessary changes will not be easy, but the challenge is for change professionals to lead the way in changing themselves.

I am finding some interesting graphics so here is a taster......

I am looking forward to completing and delivering this.

OMG Do I have "erotic capital" I never knew about?

Last night I found myself speechless..... which is a rare event for me. Let me tell you why but first a little background.
The other day there was an article on a news site I read entitled "It's OK for women to use 'erotic capital' at work". This argued that men have long used whatever assets they possess to get on at work so why shouldn't women.
Against that background I found myself at a networking event last night. I was in smart casual attire as I had been in a workshop earlier. This comprised a fine wool round neck sweater over a tailored shirt and trousers. There was of course the obligatory name tag that I pinned over my left breast.
I found myself talking with a couple of guys when one waved over an antipodean lady who works in communication and staff engagement. She was bubbly, easy to talk too and stood at about 5'3" ( that is relevant ).
She was dressed (and please forgive my poor fashion vocabulary) in a silky mauve top that had a low, but not too low neck. She had placed he name tag in the centre front of her neckline, if you can picture that. There was absolutely nothing risqué about it, but one of the guys commented in jest that she really shouldn't have put the tag there. He admitted he was finding his eyes drawn to the tag and it's location.
The lady admitted that she placed it there intentionally, not wanting to pin through the fabric of her top. This was the point I was reminded about the article I mentioned above. It was also the point at which she left me speechless.
She calmly said, "And I am being distracted by Ian's nipple poking through his sweater".
I can honestly say that no one has ever said that to me before. How does one respond?
I briefly stood with my arms crossed, palms covering my nipples, but in the end I just smiled, relaxed and carried on. It did however set me thinking and I wonder how conscious I will be in future attending such events without the defensive guard of a formal jacket?
So back to the title of the post, maybe I have some "erotic capital" - even at my advancing age - that I should be more aware of.

Unbelievably good, yet founded on profound sadness.

At the week end in the London Marathon a young lady collapsed and died one bend before the finish. She was the first woman to die in the event's history making it noteworthy, incredibly sad, but not fantastic.

What has made it fantastic is the response of the general public and something that restores one's faith in human kindness.

The lady was Claire Squires. She was 30 years old, running in memory of her brother who died of an drug overdose and was looking to raise money for the Samaritans.

Last year she had trekked Kilimanjaro raising £1,430 pounds for the RAF Association and this time she had pledges for £330 on her Claire Squires JustGiving site as she ran the race.

At the time of writing this blog that figure is now £315,000 and climbing.What makes it special is that it is made up of pages and pages of modest donations from people touched by the story. People who have made the effort to give something in recognition of this tradegy and ensured that her memory and intent will live on.

As I said itis incredibly sad that Claire should die, but something wonderful has been triggered both in the kindness of people's hearts and in the power of technology.

Social media is often berated for its impact on individuals and society, but in this instance it has been a catalyst for an outpouring sympathy and action. That action is itself aided by technology in the form of the JustGiving site, a place that makes it easy for people to donate, even modest sums, to specific fund raising activities.

I wonder if the result would have been the same even 10 years ago. Of course the news would have evoked sorrow, but it would have been slower and more transient and while some additional donations might have been made, I doubt it would have been on this scale.

Listening to a lady from the Samaritans on TV earlier they are planning to put the money raised into a specific fund and then discuss with Claire's parents how best it should be applied. This seem entirely appropriate and will be worthy legacy.

My thoughts are with the family at this devastating time. I am also reminded how kind and generous people can be, even in these difficult economic times.

Tips for a new transformation manager

On a network site I frequent there was a post asking for tips for a new transformation manager. He was met with looks of sage, if predictable advice about documenting scope, ensuring stakeholders agree, etc.

I took a slightly different approach and thought I would repeat and enhance it here.

Be...............

Bold in your thinking
Graphic in your vision
Creative in your approach
Pragmatic in your delivery
Inspiring as a leader
Excited in your communication
Sincere in your appreciation
Observant of progress
Attentive in your listening
Resilient in yourself
Disobedient (constructively) where you need to

That is a good start!

Any more contributions?


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

How Elevators Defy The Basic Rules of Matter

Have you noticed that at times of peak demand in busy buldings with modern elevators there seems to be a temporary suspension of the rules concerning the preservation of matter?

It always seems that at busy times whether you are looking to go up or down, the majority of elevators are going in the "other" direction, such that far more seem to go than come back. Where do they go? Is there some elevator reservoir that collects the surplus lifts ensuring that only the bare minimum come your way?

I have some image in my mind of Dr Who's Tardis under (or on top) of these buildings.

Whatever the reason ingress and egress to major modern buildings seems to be a huge waste of time (can take up 10-15 minues of time at busy points) and a source of unnecessary stress to some.

Any thoughts to share?

NB for any reader no familiar with Dr Who, it is a long running BBC TV series with a Tardis (Time and relative dimensions in space) that is far bigger inside that it is outside!!!!

London & Mumbai

When I as in India last time we travelled by taxi in Mumbai and experiencing e traffic was an eye-opener. At one junction it just snarled up with taxis, motorbikes, buses and any other road user inching forward in their chosen direction until they escaped he melee. It reminded me of organised chaos in that there were no collisions that I could see, not co-ordinated strategy, yet eventually everyone got where they wanted.

This evening as I walked to the train I crossed the junction of London Wall and Bishopsgate. The traffic behaviour here reminded me of Mumbai. Of course there were traffic lights and the junction learned a little quicker, but the lines cut by individual cars, bikes (pedal and motorised) and buses had more than an Indian flavour.

Of course there were no cows in London,but it made me wonder; we used to say that what happened in the US arrived in the UK within ten years eg malls, out of town shopping, TGIF, etc, but I wonder if we should now look East or a glimpse of the future?

A new way of scoring golf

This afternoon I played golf with my daughter. The sun shone and all was good with the world.

I was even introduced to a new way of scoring golf. Forget the well established handicapping calculations - instead it seems that in order to win a hole one had to hit the "best looking" shots.

It is perhaps no surprise that it seems I lost the match. No surprise seeing that my daughter self-appointed herself as the unquestioned judge of good looking shots.

Still it was nice to spend quality time with her and see her relaxed and smiling ahead of the imminent examination season.

The moments that make it all worthwhile!

 
I think any parent knows that there are ups and downs in the interaction with your child and that has certainly been my experience, but there are moments that shine so bright that they completely obliterate the difficulties and make it all worthwhile.

I realise that I may sell my daughter short in this piece, because there are many more "moments" that the ones I will record, but that does not detract from the beauty of these occassions.

The first I will cite was a morning in a hotel on the way to Scotland. My daughter was probably around 4 or 5 years old. We were staying in a mid-rane hotel and my daughter was sleeping in a pull out bed in our room. As I woke and opened my eyes I was greeted by a little face cracked by a beaming smile and the words "Morning Daddy". Now who wouldn't melt?

The second was the inspiration for a piece I wrote to a short piece for a national newspaper competition.

Supernova Good

"Come on, Dad, admit it. I am better than you!"

This had been her cry from the very start, but it was not a competition – well, not for me. Instead, this turned out to be one of those happenings, more than a moment, but less than forever; something that feeds the soul and nurtures love, more than making up for other troubled times.

Nothing can prepare you to be a parent. Love just appears and is irrevocable, no matter what happens. The challenges you face are unique in the same way that you and your child are unique. As they grow it does not become better, just different.

When they are young you live for those good morning smiles as they open their eyes and the spontaneous hugs that reach inside and grip your heart. As they grow older and more self conscious you need to find other moments. Teenage years can be barren, but a time when you see a new, fuller person emerge. It can be much harder to love your child as they test themselves and you, but still you do and when it is good it can be supernova good.

To others this was simply a father and child playing nine-hole golf. To me it was a magnificent afternoon. We talked, we laughed, we helped each other, we kissed at the end and we reflected over a drink. Yes, there was a frisson of competition, at least in her mind, but that just added to the fun.

I was so proud that she was my daughter and felt privileged to have spent such time with her. I doubt it meant the same to her; she will forget it quickly, but I never will. It will remain one of those treasures I draw upon to balance the challenges ahead.

The last two I will add here came on the same day last week. In the morning we received a letter from my daughter's school. The weekend before she had completed around 5 days of canoe training and a practice expedition for her Duke of Edinburgh's Gold Award. This was on the River Severn and included negotiating rapids and camping out.

Now my daughter is not what you might call the outdoors type, more the "ASOS" and fashion type. When she did her Silver expedition it seems she thought that foundation was effective as a sun block _ wrong! On her Bronze training she managed to drown her Blackberry, a lifeline that was almost surgically implanted in her hand.

So when we received this from teh teacher overseeing her Award work it was something of a surprise and pleasure.
Now Ellen says it is a stock letter, but we think otherwise. It is another side of the girl who even now is lying in her bed putting off schoolwork.

The last item was that evening, when we went out to dinner as a family. This was an outing in recognition of some work I had done for a consultancy and was to a very nice restaurant. Not only was Ellen beautifully turned out (see picture at the start), she was excellent company for the evening. We had good conversation and she enjoyed a whole set of experiences that would have caused friction at home. For example she ate pigeon; in fact she ate everything she was given except some rhubarb that came with her duck. All in all it was a pleasure to have her with us and a source of pride that she handled herself so well.

She also held her father's arm as she walked from the car. This is a definite "no-no" in usual life. That said it was largely a safety issue given the towering heels she was wearing and the fact that she thought she looked better holding a man's arm than her mother's.

Still these are the moments you live for as a parent - may there be many more!