A few posts into this blog, writing whatever came to mind, I realised there were a few themes emerging. I quickly (beta) synthesized these down and shared the This Much We Know Manifesto (of sorts). The manifesto acts as a … Continue reading Designing A Visual Manifesto (Poorly): A Perpetual Beta Challenge
I often used to annoy my mum with my ‘cleverness’ – y’know, glib responses to important questions, portraying her 40-odd years of experience had nothing on a random school playground conversation with a friend. Very annoying, especially when I was right! “Aaaah, you fiendish child!” she would often retort. It is a term that often now comes to mind when my eldest, Lola, tries on her all-knowingness routine. What goes around, comes around. — When I think about issues and opportunities arising from the discussion around social business and technology and the changing nature of work, I keep searching for something supremely, … Continue reading You Fiendish Child! Letting The Kids Cut Through Workplace Bullshit
This is me, talking about my work, trying to disorganize and test out future of work practices. It was fun, and it was pretty good, too, based on feedback I received. You should watch it, right? How wasteful can it be to watch a 400 second presentation? Go! ←This Much We Know.→ Continue reading Working Out Loud For 6 Mins 40 Secs
I was asked to write a few words on personal branding for an IABC mentoring program in which I participate. This is what I shared… I could rattle on about personal branding all night long (don’t let me corner you … Continue reading Personal Branding: A Call To Arms
The TMWK Manifesto begins with curiosity – and, if push comes to shove, it could end there too. Curiosity is EVERYTHING. The Manifeto says: Cultivate curiosity. It all begins with curiosity. “Our number one value isn’t in any of the skills we have. It’s that we’re essentially curious.” – Jim Coudal via @brainpickings Curiosity is the kick-start, the pre-requisite. It allows us to move forward, in the footsteps of children. John Pilger had it right: “…the first step is to engender an approach, enable the measurement of distances and walking toward. It is show the possible and potential.” – Extract from article in The Guardian … Continue reading The Person To Person Economy: Curiosity
The TMWK brand arose from iterative work. It came from real action, real outcomes – the TMWK BrandBoard process. It came from working out loud trying to effect change in the workplace, to support people build their reputation and explain their individual advantage. Retrospectively, I considered the underlying themes of delivering a personal branding program. I identified five ideas that simply described the output / outcome. They happened to create a neat apronym – F.R.E.S.H. Fun.Revealing.Entertaining.Shareable+Social.Heartfelt. Now think about how you relate to another person. You meet someone at a party, or a conference, and an outcome is that you connect … Continue reading The Person To Person Economy: Be F.R.E.S.H.
What do we share when we #unSquirrel? Well, at work, our work will do for a start. Working out loud, in the open, is about the gift of knowledge, of assisting others (often unknown) in leveraging your skills and experience and attitude. Where does one begin? Somewhere. Share a project update (as widely as possible). Engage in a conversation about a topic on which you know things, or want to know about. Suggest an idea when no-one ask for it(!) Invite others into a project to help you. Do something. Do the opposite of what so many of us do, … Continue reading #unSquirrel Manifesto 4: Work Out Loud #WOLyo!
The #unSquirrel process is nothing to do with fear and loathing. It is an journey of opening yourself to the world. However, sometimes, you need a place to push off from. Oftentimes, we have been told that our opinions do not count. We have been worn down. #unSquirrel is about drawing a line in the sand, and saying no more. As you share, people will question you, will complain,, they will wonder (out loud) why YOU think YOU are so important. Sometimes, you need an enemy of sorts. ←This Much We Know.→ Continue reading #unSquirrel Manifesto 3: Something To Add
Now we’re talking. The process of #unSquirrel begins by acknowledging, and affirming, that I am important. What percentage of us are willing to say that? It requires us to find and develop our voice. Voice, strong and true. No frog in the throat. No whisper. Clear and true. Finding our perfect pitch. If you practice, your voice gets strong, it gets LOUD, your words become insistent. This is teh beginning of change in your life, in your team, in your network. ←This Much We Know.→ Continue reading #unSquirrel Manifesto 2: A LOUD Voice
Why is it important to share, to #unSquirrel? Because we are all important. The knowledge, experience, perspectives we have all add value. I am heavily influenced by the pithy epiphanies of gapingvoid. The ‘empowerment’ art captures the Gack! feeling about that term. Empowerment has been corrupted by HR – something the organization enables in us. No. the em and the ment are not required. This is about POWER yo. Power to the people. I am powerful. Say that sentence out loud. It sounds good. ←This Much We Know.→ Continue reading #unSquirrel Manifesto 1: It Is About POWER.
