Change Can Be Inspirational
02/01/2008
Spent last week in Miami speaking at The Women's Congress conference. The Women's Congress is a 2-year old organization with a mission to bring small business owners and corporate executives together for mutual learning. 
I knew the conference would be great. What I didn't know was the day would be inspired by change.
My thanks to Rebecca Weeks, Director of Business Development, Real Girls Media Network, Inc. for the invitation to moderate the panel on Web 2.0. In addition to Rebecca our session included two other savvy divas - Anne Murray, Senior Director of Interactive Marketing, Southwest Airlines and Virginia Simmons, Online Communications Manager, The ONE Campaign. Sidebar: Biz Blog Profile interviews coming soon. Love that networking online and off digital too!
Companies are tightening their training and travel purse strings and one of the first to feel the pinch is professional development conferences. Moments before our panel we changed direction. We decided to merge the Web 2.0 and social media sessions. So .. we tossed out the preplanned Powerpoints and the agendas. We pulled chairs into a big Conversation Circle and in true bloggy style, and similar to what I had done at the Healthcare Summit last fall, we trusted in our audience to tell us what they wanted to know. And they, of course did! Again, the feedback we got was "Best session I attended." "I learned so much." I must admit that having successfully gone down this road before I was pretty comfortable with the formate and new direction. Something to be said of experience. (smile)
Sidebar: Slides from the Healthcare Summit are posted. If you're looking for a basic 101 How to Create A Blog Strategy check it out.
What made this especially fun was my friend and winner of the Entrepreneurial Champion for Women Award (!) none other than Ms. Lena West, xynoMedia Technology, was the moderator of the social media panel. The panelists included Nina Kaufman, Making It Legal, and Cory Edwards of Symantec. Yes, the conference did include a few smart men .. and Cory is that indeed.
The session on Leadership And Change Change Management was particularly interesting to me since for so many companies a dive into social media marketing constitutes not only a new strategy but a change in company culture. The panel members not only shared their experiences about leadership, change and how women are likely to handle change differently than men (more talk, more involvement, more sharing of information) but were inspiring. The prestigious panel included: Jeri Dunn, Chief Information Officer, Bacardi Limited, Juanita T. James, Chief Communications Officer, Pitney Bowes Inc., JoAnn Lilek, Chief Financial Officer, DSC Logistics. Lisa Gibbs, Executive Business Editor, The Miami Herald.
For your reading pleasure my notes and a few random thoughts.
"Ships are safe in harbors but that's not where ships are suppose to be." Like sailing a ship change involves risk but you don't grow unless you sail out of the harbor." Jeri Dunn, Chief Information Officer, Bacardi Limited
On Change
- Systems are just tools.
- People often feel that change is a threat that is done to them on a personal basis.
- Remember when you institute change within an organization you also change people's lives.
- It's critical to clearly articulate both the vision of the new direction and why the need to change.
- You need to learn the rules before you can change them.
- You can not influence change in isolation .. it takes team work.
- The role of communication in change management is critical for both (internal) employees and (external) stakeholders e.g., customers, media, shareholders. Communication must include: listening, understanding and then talking.
On Leadership
- Leaders grow over time. A good leader understands the culture and how to work within to make changes. Listen to the experts but in the end you must form your own opinions.
- You may not always have all the information to make a decision but a good leader understands what is essential and what is nice to have.
- Understand the role of everyone in the organization and treat all with respect.
- Employees will share knowledge with you if you ask them; don't overlook some one who appears shy or quiet.
On Mentoring and Personal Learning & Values
- Get yourself a good mentor. Mentors come in different packages; you may find a mentor in a peer or a younger person.
- As important, help others realize their
full potential.
- Make yourself vulnerable. Openly seek and accept feedback from wherever you can get it. Learn not to take it personally.
- Your personal values must align with the values of your organization if there is a disconnect that's when the work and your life begins to unravel.
You can not define yourself by your work, by your title or by your position. Those are things that people can give and take away from you. Juanita T. James, Chief Communications Officer, Pitney Bowes Inc.
