I don’t talk a lot about work, or my TMWK focus, when I am home. Family life is busy enough – there is nary a moment for open discussion. This weekend, though, Lori and I went out for dinner and to the cinema, so we had a chance to talk about #PKyvr33, and about the blog. Lori claims to read all the posts, and she gave me some lovely, simple feedback that is prescient to the #PKyvr33 process of explaining what the hell I did under the stairs at work for a week.

I made a few notes on my phone, herein paraphrased:

QUOTE

• In the workplace, where isolation and uncertainty pervade, you offer a voice of liberation.
• You give permission for people to exhale. You give permission to be human.
• It’s that #RelentlessHumanity idea – by you acknowledging that you are experimenting – and failing – but trying to do your best, you give permission for others to experiment – and fail – too.
• You create an opportunity for elevation through connecting ideas and community.
• You try new ways to do it (experiment) = permission to get excited
• This is not about technology. This is available in any organization.

UNQUOTE

Well, I guess she does read the blog, because she nailed my recent journey to get grounded, away from theory and systems to the person-to-person economy. If you can make a difference in one person’s approach then, with network effect, things start to stir.

This begat another conversation which I summarized with these notes on my phone:

Working out loud (and the other TMWK interests) is NOT about me giving permission to others. It is about giving MYSELF permission. I have decided to pick myself (after Godin). What I am doing is beginning the dialogue. The audience, the participants, the network thereafter decides for themselves.

This led to a great conversation about ego. I use “I”, “my”, “me” a lot. Indeed, it is a commitment to putting my voice first. Here’s the reason: when I begin a sentence with (eg) “You (generic) can’t change an organization unless you (generic) are willing to…” I believe this is a throw away sentence. There is no skin in the game. When you use that kind of sentence, you can say whatever you want…it doesn’t matter.

But when I say “I cannot do X unless I do Y…” I am acknowledging my own thought process, my own vulnerability, my own philosophy. Others can then challenge me, support me, hire me(!)

So, “I” is not ego for me, and Lori concurred and then KO’d me with a great upper cut. From phone notes:

You are definitely not egotistical. You are just arrogant! Bosh! Ha.

It is not about ego because you are prepared to fail, you don’t get crestfallen.

So, I probably need to synthesize that a bit more(!) but it makes sense about working out loud. I don’t work out loud because my stuff is THE BEST, everyone needs to know about me and my stuff. No. I #WOLyo because I have the arrogance to believe good things can come of it; I am arrogant – and foolish – enough to believe that when I REALLY put skin in the game, I can change the world.

More #PKyvr33 tomorrow.

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