A story that mirrors organizational change

So imagine that you have never been on a wake board and your cousin says “I will teach you, it is fun”. He promised support; he had done this before and he promised the result will be rewarding. So you agree.  You say to yourself,  “I am going to do this.”

Just as you enter the water he gives you an out, “Just let go if you fall forward!”

No problem, I have seen how this is done. I have done similar things and I have a coach. Now I am in the water  80 ft behind the boat. I feel alone.

He yells back to me, “are you ready”.  I say “yes”. The boat accelerates.  I hold on and I put my nose over my toes and drink a large amount of lake. That is okay, I didn’t think I would get it the first time.

Two minutes later, I am ready to try again. I repeat going nose over my toes and drink some more lake. I now question “Maybe I can’t do this”.

Third time is the charm. I am up; I can hear Lady Ga Ga coming from the boat; I am wake-boarding! After a minute, I thinking “I am working a little harder than I need to “.  I experiment a little bit but this style of ride in not very familiar.

After two minutes, my right leg is burning; after three minutes I go over the wake knowing I will wipe out. It was fun but my energy is done. I get back in the boat.

Change takes energy. It takes practice and it may take failure before we feel success. When we learn new behaviours,  we must practice and exercise those new muscles. Days later my back muscles were still sore. At the time of change we may not even realize the new muscles we are using.

Tips in change – do the right things and use all the tools you have to mitigate the negative impacts but also set clear expectations that this will take effort and energy. To learn something new takes energy, it takes practice and it may take failure before you reap the reward. Last tip, build in rest pauses around your change process to enable your best effort.

I welcome your experience on creating a great volunteer team. Please share your comments and links at the end of this post.

By Tudor Williams, ABC, MC, IABC Fellow

Some years ago, the leader of a political advance team said to me “How do you fire a volunteer?” As the public affairs and media relations guy on the team, my response is you don’t – especially in the rough and tumble of politics. The key to success is to critically select the team you need from the volunteers available at the outset and recruit from your personal and professional network if talent is not available. If you develop your team with care, you will never need to fire a volunteer.

Recently I was the leader of a team of volunteer business professionals. As I served my apprenticeship on the board of directors and then as a junior member of the executive, I decided that, if I was to successfully lead this organization, I needed to have the right talent in the right places.

Learn the various motivations, skills and talents of your volunteers as you get to know and work with each person. In the year prior to assuming the chief executive role, I self examined my personal vision for the organization and what I felt I could contribute. Then I defined the type of support I would need to accomplish a succession plan for future years and long term success.

First, I recruited my vice chair – the person who best complemented my leadership skills and vision. Together we examined what talents and skills we needed on the executive team. If we were going to achieve our goals and make a significant contribution to the business community, we need the right team. Then we aligned existing talent on the board with what we needed. The search was out for what we did not have.

I sat down with every board member, new and old, individually before we assumed our term of office. We defined aspirations and expectations of each other. I took that feedback and outlined my expectations for each member. It was equally important for me to ask what they would need from me to succeed.

The board entered its term of office sharing the vision, knowing our objectives, and knowing their individual role in determining the outcomes of the year. You want a team of volunteers that enjoys what it does, procures results and delivers high levels of volunteer satisfaction, do you homework early.

You can follow Tudor on Twitter @tudorwilliams

I had the opportunity to meet interesting, fun and smart people. Each of their stories and points of view enriched my experience. I live in a multi-cultural city but at conference I was working with people from South Africa, Australia, India, England and even a few Americans. Each person brought a valuable uniqueness to our conversations but also a universal value for people and relationships. Thank you IABC staff and volunteers for another great year.

A copy of my session handout.

Take always:
1.    Think about how you are thinking – Jonah Lehrer
2.    Have a passion for what you do – Deborah Tabart
3.    It is easier to grow a familiar behaviour than start a new one – Dr. BJ Fogg
4.    You can choose to be happy – Dr. Marshall Goldsmith

I asked my Dad to share his very different view of the conference.

The IABC Veteran View – What 30 years will teach you
By Tudor Williams, ABC, MC, Fellow

In the past few years, I have been adjusting my balance of work and networking at conference. I now focus 90% on networking and my working role is diminished to just 10%. I win on all counts here. I get to reconnect with some very old friends and outstanding colleagues. I never fail to come away from every encounter with fresh insights into the evolution of our professional world.

1.    I try to do this while enjoying the delights of the city I am in and San Diego has to rate amongst the best.
2.    I make a point of making new friends and getting to know rising stars in the profession.
3.    I appreciate what is changing in the communicators’ world.

One of the benefits of 30 years in the conference trenches is that I can pretty well accomplish my objectives without my conference badge around my neck. I would describe my experience as a recharge of my creative and professional energy. It is pleasure to be part of the IABC family.

You may have had a discussion that looked like this, “Is it a group or a team?.” Teams have attributes we desire. Even if it is actually a ‘group’, we label it a ‘team’. This is similar to being a community member. Community is much deeper than a label and it requires us to be in relationship.

It is easy to ascribe attributes of proximity to community when we need attributes of relationships. Proximity will ensure we see each other, have common experiences and spend time together. In relationship, we invest into each other and fundamentally change as part of the process.

At Tekara, we ascribe to a transformational leadership paradigm. As Macgregor Burns states in his book Leadership, to transform something it cuts profoundly, “It is to cause a metamorphosis in form or structure.”  To be in a transformational community it requires being open to deep relationships that will fundamentally change who we are, what we do and how we do it.

Painting can be a metaphor for combining the concepts of transformation, community and relationship. Paints can be bright and distinct; they can have similar features and in combination bring the best out of each other. Paint on a canvas is in proximity. Take yellow and mix it with blue and you get green. The new mixture cannot be returned to the original colour and will continue to be changed with new additions. It has been transformed and can continue to transform.

This observation is both an opportunity and a caution. We can and do transform. Relationships leave us in a new form.

Pick those colours that build into your life carefully and then be open to the new mixture.

The best and the brightest in the communication profession shared their work to be evaluated by peers. The entries were insightful, well measured and at times inspirational. Some took change resistant environments and effectively matched communication tactics with a process that ushered in new opportunities and achievements.

Our Leader

Other entries helped me think big and dream about what could be. Some campaigns really did change the world. When the winners are released these entries will inspire us all.

Providing communication platforms and being change agents with good research and hutzpah entrants charted new courses but they did not operate alone. Many of the successful communication campaigns were in partnerships with larger movements and other change agents. By listening to the needs of our audiences and our businesses many participated in movements. Communicators enhanced the positive sentiments while minimizing the barriers to success. Communicators were crucial leaders and implementers that led to great outcomes.

A memorable conversation
Blue Ribbon brings together communicators from around the globe. I find my colleagues challenges and insights invaluable. This weekend, I learned from an American adjusting his style to operate effectively in Hong Kong. His story unearthed some vital principles that will help me be successful in Canada. The conversation left me with some questions to contemplate.

1. How and when should we adjust our approach to meet the culture we are operating in?
2. Does the culture we are operating in need to be challenged so we can achieve our goals?
3. Are we evaluating the positive and negative aspects of our own culture?
4. How is our culture impacting our communications?
5. Do we have overarching principles as professional communications that apply across cultures?
6. Am I, North American centric and believe others should conform to my cultural beliefs?

Asking these questions will enable me to understand the needs of those I interact with and adjust or advocate depending on the situation.

Linking Communications to Leadership
Great conversations and great communication entries reminded me that transformational leadership is not asymmetrical. As communicators we have espoused two-way communication for decades as necessary for positive change. Recently, the topic has move to three-way communication, where the audience communicates with the change agent and with others in the audience. Steve Crescenzo in this month’s Communication World stated this as a new responsibility for communicators to foster.
Interactive communication acknowledges that for leadership to be sustainable the leader and the led both need to change. With the increased emphasis on dynamic feedback and interaction this becomes more likely. Effective communication and leadership both seek to deepen relationships – relationships impact both parties.
My challenge for professional communicators and myself is to be willing to change as part of the communication process. When my audience shapes me, I am able journey into a deeper relationship. The relationship should grow the influence of all parties involved.

Thank you – IABC
To all the wonderful people and minds that make the Gold Quill experience possible, thank you for engaging in the profession and enabling our community of professionals to learn, grow and transform. This weekend many fun stories were told, collectively we encouraged passion and the food in San Francisco fed my growth.

I hope to see many of you in San Diego in June for IABC`s world conference.

1. How you communicate builds or takes away from you message
2. Your business operations have to match your messages
3. You need to be able to respond where your customers are
4. Social media is a dialogue – you will pose questions, make statements and respond to what you are hearing
5. You have to be authentic in your communications
   

   Tudor and Ryan at a Delta Chamber Event

Globe and Mail article

TUDOR WILLIAMS, ABC, MC, FELLOW
ASSOCIATE, TWI SURVEYS INC.

• Management consultant, Tudor Williams, ABC, is recognized internationally for his communication research and modeling, change management strategies and strategic communication planning. He has over 30 years of professional wisdom earned in research and communication management.
• His communication career began with eight years in corporate public affairs management in the energy industry. He has led the Canadian communication practices for two international consulting firms, Towers Perrin and The Alexander Consulting Group (now AON). Tudor has led his own consultancy in Vancouver for the past 15 years.
• He conducted his first audit as manager of internal communications for Syncrude Canada in 1981. Since then he has become a recognized world leader in communication measurement and the translation of audit data into the development and execution of communication strategy and tactics.
• In 2004, he and business partner Ryan were recognized by the International Public Relations Institute in New York City with the Golden Ruler Award of Excellence for Measurement in Communication for the research conducted for the Alberta Medical Association.
• Tudor is an IABC Fellow, the highest honor IABC bestows upon a member. He received the award at IABC’s International Conference in Los Angeles in June 2004.
• Tudor is the recipient of many national and international awards including six IABC Gold Quills for communication planning and research. He is an Accredited Business Communicator (ABC) and was named a Master Communicator by IABC Canada in 1989.
• He is a frequent speaker at international conferences including the Conference Board of America and the June 2008 IABC World Conference in New York City.

SAS Tops Fortunes List this year – here is how they survey employees

Regan Interview about survey results

From Mat Wilson’s Regan article

Karen Lee, senior manager of internal communications at SAS, said the #1 spot reaffirmed the role of communications in creating a stellar work environment:

“In an  era of social media where communication is critical, transparency within internal communications at SAS reflects the trust our employees have in our leadership and in one another,” said Lee, who was celebrating the selection with team members before dawn on Thursday.

Every year, managers/clients expect a complicated process or survey. The fact is a simple survey that is discussed, turned into action themes and acted upon creates a positive momentum. Surveys are the most scalable and demonstrable activity an organization can do that proves they are listening and that they care. Today, social media can also do this but the advantage of a survey is the legitimacy that the methodology brings to the conversation. Both should be used and likely in combination to enable a dynamic conversation with employees that encourages innovation and creativity.
Employee Survey Process Achieving Leadership Results Ryan Williams Oct 2007 http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog is doing awesome!.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 2,700 times in 2010. That’s about 6 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 13 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 36 posts. There were 34 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 7mb. That’s about 3 pictures per month.

The busiest day of the year was March 22nd with 55 views. The most popular post that day was IABC Gold Quill Blue Ribbon Panel 2010.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were twisurveys.com, facebook.com, twitter.com, insession.x.iabc.com, and cordless-homephone.info.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for happy people, people happy, team charter, happy people pictures, and employee engagement.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

IABC Gold Quill Blue Ribbon Panel 2010 March 2010

Does aiming for employee happiness undermine engagement? May 2009
2 comments

Employee engagement in economic downturns February 2009

Being an effective leader – Fair does not need to be equal December 2009
1 comment

About February 2009

My name is Jonathan Conlin, and I graduated from Vancouver College in 2003. I was a five year man on the football team and captained the 2002 Varsity squad to a championship game, only to fall short on the scoreboard. I have a passion for this program that has never wavered, even in the face of many heartbreaking losses in the years that followed. It is with great pride and honour that I am able to address the team, the coaching staff, and our faith and learning community after such a meaningful win.

First, to Coach Bernett and his staff. As I was walking out of Empire Field on Saturday night, basking in the glow of celebration, I felt compelled to impress upon you how proud your past players are of the team this year and all they have accomplished.

While the result was finally what we all hoped it would be, the one common observation from past years was how well the men carried themselves – on and off the field. The maturity, poise, and dominance which characterized their performance will never be forgotten, and the integrity found in our victory was a direct result of your influence on the players and the virtues that you instil through coaching.

The context of today’s story would be lost if I did not pause to recognize how painful it was for many of us to come so close to the glory that today’s team enjoys. Until Saturday, time had not assuaged the disappointment of so many finals losses. However, now that I have the hindsight of some years as an active member of our Alumni, I would like to share with you something else that time has revealed.

You will be celebrated for this win, and this season, and rightly so. You turned a group of young players into a team of champions, and showed this school and this community the very best of itself, a testament to the heights that can be reached with commitment and sacrifice.

But the true mark of your impact has never been measured exclusively, or even primarily, in wins and losses. The unparalleled passion and dedication which you have infused into this program teaches life lessons far outside the boundaries of O’Hagan Field. Your impact is seen in the accomplishments of our graduates, no matter how diverse – in the university and college students, in those involved in charitable and faith-based initiatives, in those entering the workforce, and in the Grey Cup rings and Olympic dreams.

VC challenges us to “leave here as better men”. You have been one of the most important parts of that development for me, and for so many whose voices I channel in this address. In that way, every year you have attained the highest success in your coaching and teaching careers.

On behalf of the alumni of both this football program and this school, we thank you. Not only for the gift you have given us of shared championship glory, but also for the gifts you have given us through your guidance, friendship and teaching. We will hold both very dearly for a lifetime.

To the men of the 2010 BC High School Football Champion Fighting Irish, on behalf of the many generations of VC players and alumni, we thank you as well. I hope you could feel our support as you took the field last Saturday, as we were with you every step of the way, whether that was from the stands, or watching on tv or the internet thousands of miles away. For so many of us whose football experience at VC was missing this crowning achievement, we share in your victory as a community united. Since our last championship football banner was lifted, we have all experienced challenges from opponents far outside the realm of athletics. But as you did on Saturday, we overcame great obstacles to emerge victorious. Your win is fitting testament to the resiliency of this entire community.

By now you have experienced no shortage of people telling you how important this win is to them. Why? Each alumnus who could’ve filled my place on this podium might give you a slightly different answer, but there are common themes. To understand why is to realize….

THAT when you attend this school and walk these halls, you are not simply transacting with an institution for a high school diploma, but are part of a movement much bigger than any one person or any one year – united by the memories of our common progression in academic, artistic, spiritual and athletic endeavours, arriving here as boys, but leaving here as men, in the mould of Blessed Edmund Rice.

THAT when you wear the Purple and Gold and represent this school, you are ambassadors for a fraternity of past players who enrich this program with their collective support and emotion. We believe this is due to the many special things about Fighting Irish Football. It is special that brothers and cousins, fathers and sons and uncles and nephews share in the experience of playing football for VC. It is special that so many former players return from colleges and universities to help coach the next generation. It is special, too, that mothers and sisters and grandmothers and aunts care and work tirelessly, year after year, to make the program something to be proud of. And, it is special that the Bernett family, Rick Gazzola, Bruce Jagger, Dr. Koss, the assistant coaches, and countless others choose to devote days, nights, weekends and summers to helping make the players and the program better.

THAT our past losses were difficult to bear, and we carried the pain of not having a banner each and every year to do justice to our commitment and pride. BUT those losses do not define us. Rather, they form only one part of our collective experience, intensifying our unity and affirming our commitment to the support of future years. Because we know that for every past loss we endured, there are memories of Archbishops’ Cups, team meetings, road trips, days in the bunker, film sessions and final reps on squats – each of which enriching our lives and ensuring a lifelong connection to the men that we bled beside on the fields of battle.

AND THAT, when the clock finally reached zero and you hoisted that trophy that has for so long eluded us – you were also lifting the spirits of an entire VC Nation that has been waiting so patiently for the time when we could stand in unison as champions and rejoice out of the undeniable sensation that at that moment, one of the highest in this school’s history, we were all one in victory – past, present and future.

It is in the echo of these words that I turn to the future of VC football. You all inherit a program at an apex of accomplishment. Grab hold of this momentum. Feel this pride. Use it to write your own story in our shared book. And know that no matter how your seasons end, we as Alumni will be there, and will, as always, be forever faithful.