“Look at me, not the interpreter. I’m the one talking.” 👀 😬
“Look at me, not the interpreter. I’m the one talking.” 👀 😬
That was James Townsend from Slalom at #LAUG last night, and it was one of the most remarkable #InterviewWithAnAdmin I’ve seen! 😍
James is profoundly deaf.
And BSL is his first language, not English.
I learned so much in that half hour about how deaf-impaired I was, in terms of my assumptions about the deaf culture, and about accessibility and how ‘ablist’ I am.
Here are some of the ways he changed the culture at Slalom, especially as a Senior Consultant having to run meetings:
🍩 Cameras ON. He needs to see the nods and the frowns and body language
🍩 Only one person should talk at a time (taking into account pauses for processing, or for his interpreter to catch up)
🍩 Say who you are before you speak (otherwise the poor interpreter is going “who’s talking?!” 😱 – which would be so true for virtual calls)
🍩 No back-to-back meetings. Those of us who can hear can close our eyes and still listen. He cannot.
🍩 When he stops signing, wait. The interpreter may still be catching up.
And his colleagues told him it made THEM better. 🥹
I mean… how many of us have sat in a call with six cameras off, people talking over each other (especially in contentious topics), and meetings back to back till 6pm?
🙋🏻♀️ Guilty.
Here’s something that made me giggle (because it’s so true):
“Take the waffle off the table.” 🧇
He doesn’t need War and Peace.
Just ask the question!
Thank you James for being so open with us. 👐🏻
And happy 12th birthday LAUG! ❤️
And CONGRATULATIONS Beech Horn for winning the award for being #aLlRoUNdaMAzebALlHuMEnBeAN 🫶🏻
Thank you ☁ Will TurnerSilvia Denaro (happy buuurthday guuurrrl! 🥳🎂), and Patricia R. for the cakes that were gluten-free AND vegan. 🎂
What a night!
I hope all #TrailblazerCommunityMeetups are as awsome as ours!! 🥰
In the pic below ☁ Will Turner missspelt James‘s surname so Silvia fixed it!!😆
#OnThePeiroll
#PickTheWaffleOffTheTable
I know I’m nodding
“I know I’m nodding but I’m going to own my ignorance and ask – what’s XYZ?” 😮
A leader admitting she didn’t know something?
Whaaat? Am I in a parallel universe or something?!
“Oof, my bad. I made a mistake there and misunderstood. Sorry.” 😬
A senior manager owning they’ve made a mistake?
Again – unheard of!
But so very refreshing! 🥰
When leaders normalise making mistakes and learning from them, it makes it safe for everyone to do so.
This allows people to test theories and explore posisbilities without fear of penalties or reprisals.
And you know what?
That is probably the most important key ingredient in encouraging innovation and creativity to flourish.
It’s crazy that in 30 years of doing projects with so many organisations, this is so rare that I am literally humming with delight in my current project.
Great company with wonderful people who care deeply about doing a job that they can be proud of. ❤️
Reminds me of my podcast with Kevin Boyle, Gearset co-founder, who talked about the power of having a culture that encourages radical 360 feedback.
But that’s how we #GetGood, no?
When was the last time you admitted to making a mistake or owning a “my bad”?
Spill the tea! (as my teen sprogs might say 🙄😆)
“Err.. What does it mean for me? My team? My project?!” 😫
Connecting dots. 👀
Seeing the pattern.
Articulating impact and consequences of each chess move to create understanding.
Which drives the right conversations about how to move things forward.
#SystemsThinking is a skill that serves architects and project managers.
It can be incredibly frustrating when you’re the only systems thinker in a team or organisation. 😓
But when people around you get that
Everything is Connected…
It feels like we can move mountains. ⛰️
🍩 What happens when we introduce this change?
🍩 Who is impacted?
🍩 What’s the psychological, social, financial, physical cost?
🍩 Is it justified?
🍩 How do we achieve our goals without compromising our values?
🍩 Who/what else could be affected?
🍩 What about second and third degree of Kevin Bacon?
🍩 Today? Next year? Next 10 years?
And on and on and on.
Like every skill, practicing will grow that muscle. 💪
To #GetGood, just keep practicing.
Ask questions.
Probe deeper.
Seek more insights and peel the layers until you get the right answers.
That’s the skill of #RealProjectManagers and #TrueArchitects and #WickedProblemSolvers.
Sadly it’s not so helpful when you are parenting hulking grumbling teenagers. 😅
How to take charge of your career
How to take charge of your career especially during probation. Learned this from Kush Dhillon 😘
No one will champion you but yourself.
Go git it!
“The tech change won’t be a magic bullet.”
“We need to check the mental model behind this behaviour.”
“Be brutally honest with us if we are doing things wrong and there are better ways of doing things.”
😯 What is this grown-up speak?!
In my 30 years of consulting experience I’ve only met a very small handful of organisations that have such self awareness.
At all levels.
From those in the front line to #leadership.
And it’s so refreshing to actually focus on solving real problems without having to deal with political shenanigans. 🙄
Toxic organisations where fear and anxiety is the cultural diet is exhausting.
In a world where keeping-your-head-down, buck-passing, finger-pointing and where Dilbert principle is at work… #ThereAreTooManyPHBs
But you know…
Being able to have difficult grown up conversations is such a breath of fresh air! 🥰
However needs the learning organisation to have
As a parent of teenagers I always appreciate opportunities for grown-up conversations 😍
So it’s wonderful to be working for an organisation that has such a great culture.
What about you?
What kind of conversations are you having at work?
No one would miss me if I was gone.
Maybe the world would be better off without me. 💔
There are many of us who have had these thoughts and the world can be a hard place to be when we feel so isolated and alone.
If you’re in a good place in life, look around the people you love.
Check in with them.
There are many who are in pain, but aren’t able to ask for help.
If you’re struggling, reach out.
Talk to someone.
Call Samaritans freephone 116 123 in the UK
Or 988 for the Suicide and Crisis line in USA.
Or check out ReasonsToStay(dot)org.
You don’t have to go through this alone. 🌹