Reinvention Revisited
Regardless
professional manager or entrepreneur, it is always good for us to take a step
back to reframe ourselves and our business, and to experience what we do
through a fresh lens. On my part, I regularly attend book launches, listen to
interesting and inspirational speakers, and read up on the latest business
dialogue through the many informative and relevant portals available.
Not that recently,
but certainly stuck in my memory, I had the good fortune to attend a book
launch in Kuala Lumpur. The authors were not Malaysian, nor to be honest, was
any of the content. But, it struck a chord – offering fresh insight into the
interactions I have every day, and with respect to the advice we as a business
give to our valued clients.
What was
enjoyable about the launch was not the content of the book per se, but the
delight of the principal author in delivering her presentation. A seasoned pro,
the author stepped it up a notch and demonstrated that all-important passion
for her content – something, sadly missing in some other launches I have
attended.
Kate Sweetman presenting about 'Reinvention' |
I
would be amiss to say that the content was not important, for it genuinely was.
Reinvention
by Shane Cragun and Kate Sweetman (Kate was the presenter) brings together
current practice in business. It focuses on how businesses (and their people)
can look forward positively, knowing that the operational landscape shifts on a
daily basis, to create positive and supported change for the organisation. This
is essential, as we know “the only constant is change”.
'Reinvention' Book Launch |
It
was reassuring to see that many of the themes discussed throughout the
afternoon paralleled recent themes we at Orchan had been expanding on – many
very new to the Malaysian context – and thus validated our interest in
continuing to pursue these new approaches to client cooperation.
One
of these themes is the power of storytelling within the organisation. This came
through prominently from all speakers as a new area to investigate. Ourselves,
as practitioners, have embraced storytelling concepts for several years; and
more recently have made the paradigm shift from the notion of story-telling to
story-doing to story-making. Personally, I was fortunate enough to have been
trained by one of the world’s leading storytelling specialists, Doug Lipton,
over ten years ago, in the art of storytelling for effective management within
the education sector. This revolution over a decade ago opened my eyes to the
importance of structured content to shape organisational culture, rather than
office banter as a fortunate mechanism to share values.
To
this day, I utilise these skills, and others that I have embraced along my
journey, in mentoring both my own team, my clients, my trainees, and when
active, my students. The power of the story, executed appropriately, can sway
negative perception towards positive, and can motivate people to go that extra
mile. Throughout the ages storytelling has been a tool to move people – the
only difference today is we are appreciating it in a fuller range of contexts,
and the younger generation are more receptive to it within select context.
Reinvention
reaffirmed many things for us. It was great to be seated in a room of
like-minded entrepreneurs, business leaders, and professional managers, and to
experience those collective “ah ha” moments as we reflected on our own practice,
and that shared by our presenters.
What
stuck with me most was ‘The Six Deadly Blindfolds’ analogy used by Cragun and
Sweetman. One of the first collective ‘ah ha’ moments, when we all realise,
that at some stage, we have been guilty of one or more of these practices along
our individual journey; followed by the reality that such a perspective can
hinder our ability to move forward in a progressive fashion. For us to remain
open to positive and necessary change, we must constantly ensure no blindfolds,
and must assert a changed mindset when we fall into old habits, which are so
easy to do.
Opportunity to speak with Kate Sweetman after the launch |
I
will post a separate commentary in the remainder of this week discussing The
Six Deadly Blindfolds, and how they apply to us as managers and entrepreneurs;
as well as how our current acknowledgement of such practices can help us to
progress and grow through understanding the contribution that can be made from
removing the blindfold.
If
you do get a chance to check out the book ‘Reinvention: Accelerating Results in
the Age of Disruption’, I highly recommend it as a valuable read.
Let's
further embrace Reinvention and continue making our mark on the business
scene.
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