Jul 31, 2006

Bring Projects Alive

Just following on from the post how to bring development and objectives alive, I wanted to revisit projects. In my last HR Director role we needed to develop a new integrated system. For the HR people it was boring and for the managers we were working with, it was a great solution but getting them involved was hard in the nitty gritty. So we gave a project a name - Bob, and treated him as our newest member of our customer service team! To judge progress we had a height chart, and a photo album which had all the stages of the system development. What this did was literally bring the project alive! Soon into the progress people started talking about him, he, our newest member...to look at how to roll it out we were talking about his induction.....it brought fun, we laughed a lot about his growth, the teaser campaign, how to take this analogy forward. Fun brings engagement, engagement brings determination to succeed. I never got to see Bob fully grown up but I still think about him ......

31 Jul 2006 15:43:04 | Employee Engagement

1 Comment

Timothy Johnson

Great post, Anna... tried to trackback to you but... well...Typepad is being tempermental... I'm running a contest on my site (carpefactum.typepad.com) based on this post... what a fun idea to bring life into a project. See the post entitled "I will call him Squishy"

Posted by: Timothy Johnson | Aug 10, 2006 at 01:57 AM

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Goals, Objectives....I'm confused! Well, not exactly me, but a lot of people who I talk to are... So forget the jargon...if you know the person you are managing and their favourite hobby use terminology that equates to it. So I have been working with someone who loves travel and has never been to New Zealand and would love to....so we have the basis for a goal and objective sheet. Steps Choose what you want to achieve - write it under a heading - My New Zealand Plot the journey and at each country have a way-marker.....a little achievement on the way to what you want to achieve. What do I need for my journey - under this list all the development work that they require. In my live example we have put this together in a passport - home made - and I will stamp it when the steps are achieved. When the entire list has been completed I have promised to take her out for some New Zealand lamb. This can work with most hopes, dreams, hobbies and gets some fun into the area....if they do not progress....I feel an immigration officer lurking!!!
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Beta Management On the web we are constantly looking at beta systems, Google seems always work in beta. I love this idea, and challenge people to learn from this and start Beta Management. Think about it. People want to be included, they are wanting dialogue, passionate for feeling valued....the answer is Beta Management ! Modern leadership is about inclusivity, leveraging the power of individuals, working together for higher performance, its about getting ideas out there and believing that the Wisdom of Crowds will enhance the idea. By getting ideas out there without the final answer I can see the following benefits People feel valued for being allowed the chance of giving input. Momentum. Too many business ideas slow down in the search for perfection....get it out there and the idea has the chance to grow quicker. It fuels creativity....co creation is the name of the game. Humility - it shows that although you are the leader, you recognise that you don't have all the answers....gives a feeling of openness within your team. Development - people in your team get the chance to implement or grow their ideas as part of their ongoing coaching and development plan. Sense of ownership for the team. The earlier you include people the less fear they have in the idea...they get to be part of the solution rather than fearing how the new idea will impact them. Go on....try beta management.....get ideas out there, let the community help you develop the final answer!

Anna Farmery

Social Marketing Architect, Speaker, Author and in spare time completing PhD on the future of the social business model

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