Showing posts with label community. Show all posts
Showing posts with label community. Show all posts

November 2, 2022

Chicken Little and Ten Bucks for Butter

If you consume news at all, you know the general tone is fear and concern. The pandemic is far from over despite full stadiums at sporting events and airports no longer asking about covid symptoms. The world's population is about to go over 8 billion and there are about half a million or so new cases every day. Some would said that is a small percentage; I say it's lot of people.

The affect of the pandemic is showing up at the gas pump, the grocery store, and everywhere else we buy stuff. The "R-word" is dominating pontificators' commentaries while we pay $10 for butter and in my country of Canada, somewhere between $1.60 and $2 for a litre of gas.  

It is strange that almost all of my clients are desperate to find employees and yet the news reports say we are in a financial crunch. Perhaps millions have opted to try and become a TikTok star in lieu of actual work?

Meanwhile this happened.

There have been 13 recessions since World War II which is defined by a period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced, generally identified by a fall in GDP in two successive quarters. I'm not completely sure why that means we should run for the bunker for fear the sky may actually land on us.

Some of the companies which were founded during global recessions include; Disney, HP, Netflix, Microsoft, Uber, Pinterest, General Electric, HBO, WhatsApp, Ford, Revlon, Ocean Spray, IBM, Airbnb, American Airlines, Dominos, Instagram, General Motors, Hyatt Hotels, FedEx, and iRobot - which Amazon acquired this past summer for $1.7B. 

What about us?

How does that affect you and me while we live our lives, get by, and not fear our next paycheck is in jeopardy like it was over the past three years? Well, I'm still here to write this post and you're still here to read it, so let's keep going. 

While Chicken Little worries about the sky falling on her head, we have survived worse. We might have to drive less and eat less butter, but community has never been more important than it is right now. So while the experts opine about the next 12 months, perhaps we can do something to make life a bit brighter.

Ask someone how we can help them.
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June 11, 2019

What's That?

It is an emotion related to natural inquisitive behavior such as exploration, investigation and learning, evident by observation in human and many animal species. The term can also be used to denote the behavior itself being caused by the emotion of curiosity.

So with that in mind...

Stay curious for learning. Stay curious about improving. Stay curious through searching. Stay curious like a child. Stay curious about now. Stay curious in life. Stay curious about others. Stay curious about learning. Stay curious for you. Stay curious through listening. Stay curious through living. Stay curious about possibilities. Stay curious in business. Stay curious about experiences. Stay curious for next.

Stay curious.

October 16, 2018

Curiosity

It is an emotion related to natural inquisitive behavior such as exploration, investigation and learning, evident by observation in human and many animal species. The term can also be used to denote the behavior itself being caused by the emotion of curiosity.

So with that in mind...

Stay curious for learning. Stay curious about improving. Stay curious through searching. Stay curious like a child. Stay curious about now. Stay curious in life. Stay curious about others. Stay curious about learning. Stay curious for you. Stay curious through listening. Stay curious through living. Stay curious about possibilities. Stay curious in business. Stay curious about experiences. Stay curious for next.

Stay curious always.
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October 19, 2016

My Priority not Your Emergency

It doesn’t matter what we read or see or share; no one has our experience. No two experiences in the history of humankind have been identical. I may not know what you mean; I cannot understand what you’re saying. I am not you.

John Percy once said “We judge others by their actions but ourselves by our intent.” This is important if you manage people or own a company. You can threaten life or limb but if someone doesn’t want to be on time for the sales meeting, they will not be on time for the sales meeting.

Who am I to say?

If you're a parent, you may not fathom why someone would be angry that you must leave the shareholder’s meeting to pick up kids from day care. Your passion may be golf and you could be outraged that someone bought the land at your favorite club to build homes for hundreds of families.

You can't worry about everything you enjoy in your life because others suffer. But you can be compassionate and understand that life is a lot more that all the crap we spent far too much time obsessing about.

To each their own which is the magic of life.
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June 10, 2016

Stay Curious

Curiosity is an emotion related to natural inquisitive behavior such as exploration, investigation and learning, evident by observation in human and many animal species. The term can also be used to denote the behavior itself being caused by the emotion of curiosity.

So with that in mind...

Stay curious for learning. Stay curious about improving. Stay curious through searching. Stay curious like a child. Stay curious about now. Stay curious in life. Stay curious about others. Stay curious about learning. Stay curious for you. Stay curious through listening. Stay curious through living. Stay curious about possibilities. Stay curious in business. Stay curious about experiences. Stay curious for next.

Stay curious always.
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February 1, 2016

Schools and Wishes

As I prepared for my TEDx talk, which happened last week and I'll post the video when it's online, I watched a lot of TEDTalks and presentations. The difference between TED and others is the personal side. It wasn't easy to share my story and experience but it's what I love about TED.

If you ever get the chance, do it; it was a remarkable experience.

One of the talks I went to first was this one from the brilliant Dave Eggers from TED 2008 who shared his wish - along with the hundreds who have joined him since - of education and the creation of The 826 Valencia Writing Center in San Francisco.

If you haven't seen this, you need to, click play.


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July 9, 2014

Leading in the Nowist

We human types are the only beings on earth who worry about the future and think about the past. A dog will learn over time that certain things should be avoided. Being a prey animal, a horse is on the lookout for danger.

A horse or a dog doesn't worry about how they ran three weeks ago or how their day will go next week. But we spend our perfectly good now splintering it into recanting missteps from yesterday while stressing about tomorrow.

Joi Ito reminds us to lead and innovate in the now.


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Kneale Mann | Leadership and management consultant helping leaders, teams, and companies get clear on their goals and results.

TED | Joi Ito

November 28, 2013

The Thankful Leader

We're embarking on list season - best that, most this, least that, hated, loved, etc. Today is Thanksgiving in the US so let's add in items to be thankful for while we're at it.

• Thanks for helping me succeed and grow
• Thanks for the freedom to share our ideas
• Thanks for the chance to speak my mind
• Thanks for the ability to decide our own path
• Thanks for helping me learn and grow
• Thanks for the chance to collaborate and share
• Thanks for making me better each day

Thanks dude, thanks a lot, much appreciated, thanks for that - it takes literally two seconds to look someone in the eye and sincerely thank them.

Let's do it today. Let's do it often.
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Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.

istock

April 19, 2013

The Media of Our Culture

The news this week is filled with updates on the Boston bombings, explosion in Texas, and the killing of police officer Sean Collier at MIT. It’s been a horrible week.

We live in a time when a person can film an event on their mobile device, send to local authorities, and within a week suspects are found. That’s amazing. But that same technology gives us the ability to share or send misinformation.

The Human Network

As updates fly at incalculable speed, I guess it’s not surprising to see global news agencies getting it wrong in their quest to stay ahead of the Twitterverse.

Let's always remember Krystle Campbell, Martin Richard, Lingzi Lu, Sean Collier, and the hundreds affected by the explosion in Texas. As well, thank-you to the law enforcement, medical community, and local heroes.

Hug your kids, call a friend, say thank-you, help a colleague, keep perspective, and stay strong.

Kneale Mann

James Wilkinson

December 25, 2012

A Day to Celebrate

Generous estimates put the number of people who celebrate Christmas at about a third of the world’s population. Some extend their celebrations to boxes of chocolate and elaborate meals, brightly wrapped gifts and a cup of good cheer. While others pay respects in a more religious way. And of course, many do a mix of both.

If you celebrate, please make it a safe and fun one!


Kneale Mann

Pearl Jam

December 17, 2012

The Human Stuff

Making more money, climbing some corporate ladder, buying a bigger house, getting that promotion, not getting the deal, all pale when tragedy hits. Our relationships are important and necessary. We have a human need to belong and have purpose.

The world is stunned by the unthinkable events at Sandy Hook Elementary. There are no words or explanations that will suffice. We struggle with sadness and rage while keeping focus on the families and friends.

Let us never forget Rachel D'Avino, Dawn Latterty Hochsprung, Anne Marie Murphy, Lauren Russeau, Mary Sherlach, Victoria Soto, Charlotte Bacon, Daniel Barden,
Olivia Engel, Josephine Gay, Dylan Hockley, Madeline Hsu, Catherine Hubbard,
Chase Kowalski, Jesse Lewis, Ana Marquez-Greene, James Mattioli, Grace McDonnell,
Emilie Parker, Jack Pinto, Noah Pozner, Caroline Previdi, Jessica Rekos,
Avielle Richman, Benjamin Wheeler, and Allison Wyatt

This is the human stuff. This is what matters.

Kneale Mann

photos8

September 11, 2012

9-11 I Will

A lot has been said and done and written since that crisp blue Tuesday morning eleven years ago. It still comes up often. We talk about lessons learned but when we pause on this anniversary the key is our global community. We're aren't black or gay or tall or skinny or white or challenged or fill in the blank. We are human.


Kneale Mann

I Will

December 25, 2011

Happy Christmas


Kneale Mann

visual credit: Coldplay

December 9, 2011

Internal Social Networking

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This week I was on another conference call discussing the pros and cons of social media. This time it wasn’t whether the company agreed in their power or the fact their customer base utilized all the available channels but rather how to increase the interaction inside the enterprise.

There are deliverables and emails and meetings and customer interaction and sales and planning. Who has time to develop an internal social network? Well, if you do any one of these activities, you already have one. But you can slowly create something more collaborative and focused.

There is no Time

Running a business is hectic work and a keen eye must remain fixated on revenue. To many, realizing personal potential becomes secondary to making the quarter. We spend more waking hours at work than at home. But we don't seem to spend much time, if any, finding how those relationships can positively affect the experience.

Schedule the Time

Perhaps to start, you find an hour a week where you and your team get together and have an open and honest talk about each other rather than a client emergency or project deadline. Skip one of those agonizing status meetings where you dissect every current project to the point of nausea and spend it on each other's development. Perhaps it’s too touchy feely for some people at work but this is not to suggest tears and hugs are requisite. But it can unearth monumental ideas for growth.

It's a Waste of Time

You and I have interacted with companies that have horrible internal customer service and ones where the people actually like being there. Focusing on  the relationships within your company through clearer communication will create a stronger business whether that is through an internal social network or simply better communication among stakeholders.

Digital channels have proven we have the desire to connect and share with people all over the world. Are we doing the same within our organizations?

Kneale Mann

image credit: gettyimages

December 6, 2011

The Responsibility of Leadership

People are more easily led than driven. 
David Harold Fink

It’s easy to look at a company’s organizational chart, identify senior management and call that the leadership of the company. That can be flawed logic because leadership is not a title and if we wait to look for it when people become managers, it’s too late. And the biggest issue with corporate leadership is that companies expect you to do too many tasks which takes your time away from nurturing the strengths of your team.

Bosses say "Go!". Leaders say "Let's Go!" 
E.M. Kelly

If you are lucky to have a mentor, hang on to them with all you got. They are special people we need in order to move things along. If you’re lucky enough to be a mentor, take your role seriously. You are not only guiding a career, you are helping the hundreds they will touch throughout their career. Business is a team sport and if you choose the path of leadership, it can be a fulfilling decision.

Management is doing things right
Leadership is doing the right things
Peter Drucker

Leadership is a balance between the ego and grace. Well that’s until reality steps in. Quotas need to be met, revenue numbers hit, a competitor wins the contract and suddenly our flapless leader isn’t so helpful and nurturing.

Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.
Steve Jobs

In the corporate world, leadership roles are realized through myriad journeys. Some get the gig because they are the top sales person, others get it because someone left and they were the safe choice, the list goes on. Rarely does an organization choose its leaders purely from the perspective of leadership ability.

The only real training for leadership is leadership.
Antony Jay

If you’ve ever received a promotion within an organization you know that people start to look at you differently and you may feel a bit strange. That angry young person with all the bright ideas is in a position to act on some of them. It can be overwhelming. But that's what change and growth feels like.

It is not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling 
to do yourself. Eleanor Roosevelt

Leadership can be a lonely journey within a team environment but to the right person, the most rewarding career move of their lives. We all need to be leaders now and waiting for the corporate tap on the shoulder is not the time to begin the process.

How can you become a better leader?

Kneale Mann

image credit: istock | original: Oct 2010

October 21, 2011

700 Posts in 42 Months



It happened at a dinner on April 23, 2008. After the 5th person asked me where they could find my blog, later that night I started a blog. Like millions before me, I had no clue what I’d write about and I didn't think anyone would read it. So I started writing and I'm still surprised people read it.

I thought I'd write every now and then which turned into 699 posts in three and a half years with more than 12,000 comments and readers in 147 countries. There have been fun times and not-so-fun times in my career during that time but this space has remained the one constant. Thank-you for ensuring my thoughts aren't just fired into the abyss. If you want to write, don't wait for permission, write and keep writing.

Connect and Collaborate

Through this and other social channels, I have met literally hundreds of people I would never had met otherwise in a ten lifetimes. Some have turned into business colleagues, friends and clients. And the focus of this space continues to be to share creative ideas for business, leadership, strategy, marketing, social media and life.

My passion is to help business owners and managers become better leaders, build better teams and grow their companies. So let's keep sharing ideas and don’t hesitate to email, say hi, send thoughts, book a call or grab a coffee.

Thanks For Dropping By!

Kneale Mann

image credit: wikipedia

September 11, 2011

Ten Years Later

It’s difficult to grasp it happened a decade ago but it’s impossible to grasp it happened at all. There are plenty of reminders, visuals and newly released material elsewhere so the only thing left to say is for us to remember so we don’t forget.

The images of a crisp bright morning shattered by hate are seared in our grey matter. And ten years later, the people lost remain in our consciousness. When faced with a life threatening scare, people take stock of their lives and what is important. One nagging question remains, have we done so since then?

3,650 Days

This week, we've seen news reports and additional new information. There are "where are they now” programs and follow-ups with families and friends. And as much as it remains a topic that seems to come up almost every week since it happened, the feelings of that day in 2001 become especially vivid on this horrible anniversary.

All our talk about revenue and branding, media and marketing, let’s remember the important stuff. Let’s do our due diligence for it not to repeat – anywhere, ever.

Let's Keep Our Faith in Each Other

Kneale Mann

image credit: flickr

July 3, 2011

Google Plus or Minus?

Last week saw the launch of Google+. Like many early adopters or experimenters, I joined right away. As with the first few days on Twitter or Facebook or Empire Avenue or countless other spaces, I'm still trying to figure out what to do with it.

Google+ received seven million sign-ups in the first 24 hours and now the race begins on trying to attract attention and have conversations on another interface. If it lasts that long, we are a year away from business caring about this channel. In the meantime, the cool kids will race to add numbers to then claim it's not about the numbers.

Will this be another Google Buzz? Time, as they say, will tell.


Kneale Mann

image credits: Google

June 14, 2011

The Anatomy of Social Business

Last week, my colleague Mark Schaefer was kind to ask several of his community members to guest on his blog while he was on vacation. Mark knows now to build a community and knew darn well that each of us who guested would end up forming new relationships with each other.

This is the post that ran last week on The Anatomy of Social Business. Other guest contributers were: Steven Parker, Eica Allison, Jon Buscall, Margie Clayman, Caroline Di Diego, Leo Widrich and Natasha Gabriel. Thanks Mark!
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There is increasing discussion these days about developing a “social business.” The vital word to remember in this name is business — real work tied to a bottom line.

The social business doesn’t start or end in the digital space but rather in the human universe. It includes the creation of a true collaborative, two-way exchange that embraces internal and external customer connection and service.

Labels such as social media, social networking, and social marketing are often misused. Social media are a collection of channels. Social networking is interaction between people through myriad digital and human channels. And social marketing embraces many channels to achieve social good. Channels are simply options.

So How Can You Make Your Company Social?

First it requires superior products or services. Creating an environment where it’s fun to work that has nothing to offer clients is a not a business. We can get distracted by the temptations of the social web and allow emotion to rule the day when we use words such as media and social. But without business, it’s a hobby shrouded in theory.

Our customers don’t care how many blog subscribers we have or who visits our YouTube channel. They may ‘like’ our Facebook group but that does not constitute a relationship, yet. They bought our stuff and they expect it to do what we said it would do. So we need an actual business that has customers or the potential of customers before we can build a social business.

Communications and marketing in a social business are not necessarily departments; they are tied to every function everyone does every day. Teamwork in a social business does not consist of butt covering, “good enough,” or that isn’t my job declarations. It embraces an understanding of the strengths of each and every person and how they complement the rest of the team. Building a social business is hard work but can be the single most important tactic you can employ to increase profits.

People Buy Into People

The construction of a social business requires the realization that human beings build the bottom line, not websites or slick messaging. It is also an environment where stakeholders understand we are all suppliers and we are all customers. We all live on both sides of the counter.

Have you ever been to a restaurant where the person serving you seems to have the best job in the world? Think about the last time you met a convenience store clerk who smiled, made eye contact and meant it when they wished you a good day. The little things are often the biggest things that can make your company social.

Different Things Different Results

It begins with the desire to look they do business inside and outside of their organization. It means they may feel uncomfortable for a while but they’ll be in good hands because the goal is to improve, not point fingers or increase workload simply to keep busy.

The clear focus is to create an environment where both stakeholders and customers want to be great and that is how sustained growth is achieved. Building a social business goes well beyond channels and websites.

How do you build a social business?

Kneale Mann

image credit: tutor2u

June 10, 2011

Digital Silence

Two Eyes One Keyboard

It is fascinating to read the blogosphere and the Twitter stream. Both are crammed with endless opinions and insight, useless links and life changing information. As the cliché goes, we all have an opinion and that doesn’t mean we’re right, we just have one. Many have been vocal about our collective impatience with taking chances. We push companies to get deeper into the social web, embrace digital business intelligence and try stuff but we are often quick to scream #fail the moment there is a misstep.

It is imperative to have a plan, a policy and some guidelines when you are navigating the online world but these don’t have to be encyclopedias filled with legalize no one understands. It is critical to remind stakeholders that if they reference the company on any of their profiles, they represent the company. But it doesn't have to be a restrictive environment that stifles creative thought.

Not a Digital Issue

No matter what spaces you interact, business decorum shouldn't be loosened but you can still be personable. Find your voice, find your company's voice but don't be irresponsible. There are countless examples where people have shot from the hip in a moment of emotion and that causes damage.

Any one of us two billion people online has a choice to share our voice. But what if we chose to find our silence for a while?

Listening is Frowned Upon

Some will claim that’s lurking and we should let others know we’re in the channel. With more than 600 million Twitter search inquiries and half a billion signing onto Facebook daily along the multitude of monitoring and analytics options, we can’t be tweeting all the time. We need to find time to invest in the immense power of data mining now at our keyboards.

And if we are researching, reading, listening, watching, consuming, does that mean we aren’t interacting with each other? If we want others to pay more attention to what we want to share, we need to find equal time to take in what others are sharing.

Some say the two sides to a conversation are talking and waiting to talk. Do you spend time in digital silence?

Kneale Mann

image credit: photobucket
 
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