Change is good, redux

With Posterous closing soon, I've migrated many posts back to this (ancient) Blogger site. Expect odd things to happen. Contact me directly for writing samples: e@appswhisperer.com

On Communicating Well

Lately, I've been researching best practices in training, and was looking for stories about presenting in 20-minute chunks. I found this excellent video by Susan Weinschenk, on "5 Things Every Presenter Needs to Know about People".

Best quote from the video?

You know what I call slides with lots of text? Your NOTES!

Everyone needs to communicate well in order to be successful. The tips in this video are key to communicating well, and can be used in many situations:  building a presentation, writing a proposal or even networking at lunch. 

This new year, go forth and communicate!

Originally posted: January 03, 2013 at  9:32 AM

Impermanence and Silicon Valley

I like startups, and by choosing to work in this crazy environment, I feel passionate about the people and the product, but have little expectation of a long-term commitment. That's not to say I don't expect a startup to be successful, I DO, I just don't expect that it will be the same company over time, or that I will have a guaranteed role when they go big. 

In the startup environment of Silicon Valley, you will be more successful if you can go with the flow and learn to expect more change than you can imagine.

It's the nature of companies to reinvent themselves, to introduce new products and features, to respond to market demands and business challenges. On top of that, there are internal constraints: policy and procedural changes, staff turnover and budgets to meet. In startups, these factors are even more capricious - and the uncertainty about decisions and direction can cause staffers to lose faith - they feel betrayed by a company that (seemingly) changed it's mind. 

If you choose to work in a startup, you may find that the environment is frustrating, chaotic, and likely to change without notice. Will you be flexible enough, forgiving enough and able to adapt to the impermanence?

Originally posted: September 17, 2012 at 12:37 PM

 

On Motivation and Writing

The motivation to write differs from person to person. I follow a number of writers on Twitter and there are endless discussions on methods and motivations. For me, it's a state of mind.

When I'm fully engaged in a project, I wake at 4am with my head full of brilliant ideas, solving all the issues of the previous day. I find I can jot a few notes, then gratefully hit the pillow until it's time to wake and start the day.

But, when I'm unhappy at work, or struggling with an issue, or stonewalled by a situation, I wake in the wee hours and start writing, spilling the anger and injustice on paper, scribbling viciously until I calm, and perspective sets in. It will be hours before I can sleep again. The next day, I edit the angst to build a reasonable, relevant story that is post-able.

This is, by way of explanation, the reason I haven't posted in so long - I've been happy at work. That's not to say I'm now unhappy at work, rather, the work isn't there anymore. It's a consequence of working at a startup - along with the chaos and drama, there's always the impermanence to consider.

On to finding work – I've just completed the "drink heavily and commiserate with friends" phase, which is a good start to the "what do I want to do next?" phase. All of which will prepare me for the "OMG WTF I have an interview" phase.

Wish me luck!

Originally posted: August 23, 2012 at 10:53 AM

Thoughts on Delegation

This article, titled Delegate or Die: The self-employed trap, is directed to solo managers in small organizations, but the message applies to workers everywhere.

For teams to perform efficiently, it helps to have a guidebook - something that captures the group's "tribal knowledge".

When a group is small, say 3-4 people, it's easy to communicate about methods and come to an agreement on how to handle [this kind of thing] or what to do in case of [insert your favorite crisis here]. 

However, as teams grow, passing on that tribal knowledge becomes a hit-or-miss proposition, dependent on the story-telling ability of the more senior workers. For organizations that *do* take the time to document their processes, maintenance becomes a pain point - it's just too difficult to build and maintain SOPs for every situation.

That's why I like the advice in this article so much - it's about empowering staffers to make decisions and take actions, safe in the knowledge that they are acting as the group leader would. Not because they have a ginormous SOP guide, outlining every possible scenario, but because they've been given guidelines that can be used in any situation.

The guide would evolve to contain the philosopy and culture of the organization, describing methods to make decisions and take actions. Knowing that, even a new team member can be effective on day one.

Originally posted: February 24, 2011 at  8:26 PM

Boomers and the old reality

Thinking about this New York Times article Generation B - Keeping the Plates Spinning by Michael Winerip, about the career of Nina Lentini, an editor of a number of weekly e-newsletters.

The story tells us that, in a shaky economy with high unemployment, workers are asked to contribute more, sacrifice personal time, and expect no additional compensation. 

As a member of the Boomer generation, I understand and accept that the modern workplace is different, we are 'always on' and the work/life demarcation line is blurred. In fact, I'm one of the early adopters, happily trying out every new tool or application that promises to save time or improve my life in some small way. And when it's crunch time, I'm there, thrilled to be part of a meaningful project, working with a great team, meeting the deadline and delivering exceptional work. Reschedule that root canal? Sure, it's not like it will get worse... Work late? No problem, my Mom will be in town again in a few months...

But I am reminded of a time in the '80s, when many women were entering the workplace as professionals and managers for the first time. We were told we could have it all: a career, a child, a marriage. But soon we discovered that we needed a support system to make it all possible; people to help care for the child, clean the house, prepare the meals, manage the budget: all the tasks that were traditionally handled by the housewife (or maids and butlers, if you had them). Lesson learned? You can have it all, but only if you have help.

Organizations need the same wakeup call now. Downtime is necessary: to creativity, effectiveness and long-term success. And we need help. As workers and as organizations, we all need the chance to take a breath, consider what worked well and how to improve for the next time. And organizations, especially must pay attention. What is the cost of sustaining a frenzied pace? How burned out are your people? Has the quality of your products and services declined? What technologies are available to help?

I'm not asking to bring back the old reality, I'm just asking organizations to embrace today's technologies to help. To give workers the ability to do it all, have it all. To work remotely, asynchronously and be creative, then sync up via videoconferencing to coordinate goals and deadlines. 

The new reality is different, but needn't be bleak. Smart organizations will figure this out, and workers in not-so-smart organizations will move on.

Originally posted: February 21, 2010 at 12:26 PM

Training Hunters and Farmers

Seth Godin recently posted about the kinds of people who might want your product/service/technology/{enter your passion here}.

He offers a great insight to successful communications, which is to recognize the mindset of your audience, and tailor your messaging accordingly. 

When designing a training programs for said {passion}, the first step is to understand the audience:

• what is the user level of expertise?
• is this a new tool that requires transitional materials?
• what are the takeaways (goal of the sessions...desired outcome)?

And finally, as Seth describes, we must determine if the learners are Hunters or Farmers, then build the training around those expectations. This is what we know about how Hunters and Farmers learn:

Hunters prefer wikis, blog feeds and knowledgebases for learning about new applications, while Farmers want a bound copy of the user manual on their desk. When it comes to online training, Farmers prefer to join "how-to" webinars, or watch detailed instructional videos, while Hunters join forums and interact with bloggers about what they say. Hunters are more likely to record and post their own "how-to" videos on the web. Farmers, on the other hand, expect the Help links to have the answers.

As trainers, we know that everyone learns differently, that some folks are visual learners, others relate better to vocal cues, and even others want a hands-on approach. Adding the "Hunter and Farmer" philosophy to your training programs will only make your content better and more effective.

Originally posted: February 03, 2010 at 12:34 PM

 

 

 

 

You're in charge, but how do you get the best from your team?

Whether you are a manager or supervisor, if you have the ability to affect the work life of anyone in your organization, it is important to remember to give your staffers control (or the illusion of control) over things that affect how they work.
Do they need...better status updates...fewer meetings...blue pens?
Ask them what they need to be effective - listen to your team - gather their requirements. When you give your team an opportunity to be honest about how they feel, they'll tell you things you never expect to hear.
They'll ask for things that cost you little, and reap big benefits.
Think this means you're giving up control? It's called delegation - something all great leaders do.

Originally posted: December 28, 2009 at 12:34 AM

Functional Specs, Written by The Engineer

Thank goodness for engineers at startups! Without them, there would be no specifications at all; then again, interpreting the meaning of the functional specification can be a challenge:

"For the fields which are created automatically when an object is created, the field property will be the property configured in the Field Visibility if the Field Visibility is other than Visible"

Welcome to the world of Technical Communications!
FWIW, this paragraph describes "How to Set Field Visibility Based on Role."

Originally posted: December 28, 2009 at 12:04 AM

Change is Good

When we buy something new, we generally know what we're getting: something newer, cooler, faster. Whether it's a breakfast cereal or a car, it's better in some way, and we're excited, because it's all upside. The cereal has bigger, crunchier bits. The car has great lines, goes fast and gets you from place to place, in style. What's not to like? It's the same, but better.

Folks everywhere become accustomed to doing things a certain way, and so have the expectation that things will improve, but stay the same. New, improved cereal with nuts and berries? I'll take a box! New, improved tofu cereal in a tube? Not so much.

In the business world, and with software in particular, it can take weeks to learn a new system and get back to doing work efficiently. Think about the growing pains organizations endure when they convert from a (home-grown) legacy software system to a new system (like a financial application for purchasing /payroll /reimbursements, or a human resources system to manage personnel records, benefits and training certifications). To a user, it's like buying a new car and finding the accelerator and brake pedals are swapped - yikes!

With new systems, users must get up to speed quickly in order to meet goals and quotas. While users are generally willing to accept the new new thing, they don't expect to have to re-learn everything - it slows them down and they may actually break something during the learning process. No one likes to fail. No one likes to lose control.

The typical solution is something called "Change Management". When done right, CM introduces someone to the project who is familiar with user needs and the project goals, and has responsibility for building a bridge between the "app that was" and the "system that will be". These folks are communicators, and do the heavy lifting to build the means to transition users to the new system. Depending on the nature and complexity of the system, CM can be as easy as a cheat-sheet taped to the monitor, or as complex as a month-long training program for users, managers and administrators. The method varies, but the goal is the same...define how to transition from "X" to "Y", and provide users with the tools they need to become effective in a new applications environment.

It's all about setting goals, planning and communicating:

 

• check in often to keep everyone in the loop 
• a whiteboard mock-up is more reassuring than a multiple-page email 
• be comfortable saying, "...I/we don't know yet..." 
• listen and accept all forms of feedback (good, bad or otherwise)

 

Originally posted: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2009