Our Ongoing Education

We live in a fascinating time. Technology, communication, collaboration, and knowledge bring us more changes every day to connect and grow. As far as leadership and business culture, it’s also an ever more complex time.

We have four and sometimes five generations in the workforce side by side trying to homogenize the experience through systems and processes, strategies and priorities, options and competing priorities. This is challenging for all of us.

I do subscribe to the mantra that education is a lifelong journey and that may be more important now than every before in our existence.

Sir Ken Robinson is a fascinating man who is a tireless champion for creativity, education, and possibilities. Watch his latest TEDTalk and replace teacher with leader and children with team and see if this may help for your career as well as our kids.


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Kneale Mann | Leadership and Culture strategist, writer, speaker, executive coach engaging leaders, collaborative teams, and strong business results.

TED | Ken Robinson

Be a Human Leader

There are over seven billion of us on this planet, over two billion online, and the noise is unbearable most days. Look at this, click on that, check my offer, attend this event, go to that store, read this article, buy that cool gadget, the list is endless. Then we're expected to share it, text it, tweet it, connect it, friend it, email it, or blog it.

The cries for attention seem unrelenting and perhaps as we have trained ourselves to sift through endless data, content, and advertising, we have forgotten ourselves? But it would be good to think we take more care with our relationships and careers. This creates strong bonds, great friendships, and successful companies.

Culture Matters

Leadership and culture are not job titles and your team is not a group of robots carrying out mindless tasks to grow the revenue for your shareholders. Like you, they have dreams and goals and a need for more meaning and passion in their work.

If you focus on the meaning of your business, significance of your people, and importance of creating a collaborative culture, the focus on revenue will no longer get in the way of creating all of your goals.

Daily Care

If you feel yourself wanting more on a deeper level, it’s safe to say so does every person you work with, every partner you do business with, and every connection. In a busy world with too much going on, keeping relationships our biggest priority will serve us well. Letting the distractions replace the interactions is dangerous.

If you understand that everyone around you is not too different than you, have a need to belong like you, and want contribute and be a part of something like you, that will go a long way.

As a leader, be human, they will thank you.
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Kneale Mann | Leadership and Culture strategist, writer, speaker, executive coach engaging leaders, collaborative teams, and strong business results.

flickr

Awaken the Child

When you were a kid, you were probably discovering new stuff all the time. There wasn't corporate governance tied to strategic objectives to increase third quarter earnings, you just tried stuff.

Some stuff went well, some not so well, some evolved into other stuff, but you probably didn't over think much because you were too busy discovering and creating. My mom still remarks about how I would get lost in my own world when I was a kid. That kid is alive and well. Is yours?

Snakes and Ladders

But as we grow, we begin to form teams and norms and start to worry more about the opinions of others and grow older and our image becomes more critical than our identity rather than the other way around.

Then we enter the workforce and the race is on to be better than that guy, sell more than her, dress better than him, get the promotion she wanted, make more money than he made, and the world continues to push us to do more – often for them.

Time Flies

So in just a few short years, we go from a kid to a competitive driven individual. Now the business world will love her because there is no place for that childlike wonderment, there is far too much work to be done, meetings to attend, emails to return, and profits to increase. He needs to stay focused on company goals and revenue projections.

Then you may get to a point when you discover your values have been compromised, your goals have been shelved and replaced by those of the person who pays you every two weeks, and you yearn for the simple times when you just discovered new stuff every day without all this noise.

Do As They Say

If you own the company or you’re in a leadership role, telling your employees what to think, want, and feel will work never. Embracing that they do have goals and dreams will work if you do it with authenticity. Don’t be afraid to wake up and help those around you do the same. Put culture and humans in front of profit margins and share price.

Don’t shy away from that young girl who spent hours discovering new ideas on her own. Don’t shun that little boy who lost himself in creativity. Embrace life and let everyone on your team do the same.

The results will astound you.
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Kneale Mann | Leadership and Culture strategist, writer, speaker, executive coach engaging leaders, collaborative teams, and strong business results.

static.guim | flickr