Leadership Notes from the Inside

Internal Customers

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 13:04:00 -0700

Note to my team as we think about 2012 planning and our customer—our internal leaders and managers.

Team—

As we think about 2012, how are we thinking about “the customer”? Our internal customers….same rules applied as in this article:

http://blog.kissmetrics.com/best-businesses-teach/

1) Consistency—what can our customers consistently count on in terms of programs, time we upload new blog posts, availability of our consulting?

2) What top 15 things are our customers dying to know and what are we doing to get them that information?

3) Our calendar for 2012! People want to plan for our management and leadership programs, speaker series, e learning modules, etc. Let’s have them include learning and development opportunities to be scheduled in their calendar now.

4) What other ways do we connect to our customers through the blog, other things they already touch?

5) What are our customers problems and how are we resolving them and making life easier?! What problem are we trying to solve with everything we do? Can we resolve two problems at once??

6) Is every communication, action, program, resource building our brand or taking away from our brand?

Look forward to the ongoing conversation.

Melissa

Let's All Do Great Work

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 21:29:45 -0700

I had the privilege of being a contributor to a book that was created from an idea Michael Bungay Stanier had, author of Do More Great Work. The idea of the book came from the premise that you can create great work—work that matters, that you care about, that makes a difference. His “great work” became a cause for which 62 contributors would share their ideas about great work. The book is called “End Malaria” and $10 —the cost of a mosquito net—going toward ending malaria.

I love the idea of focusing on a project and making it your “great work”. I shared how we’re doing that with learning at Adobe—through technology, relationships and ourselves. Check it out. I hope you’re inspired as I am by Michael’s idea and how you can turn any idea into not only a reality, but a cause. We are all great leaders with great ideas that can make a difference.

http://endmalariaday.com/learning-in-the-new-world-of-work/

Stirring Emotions

Mon, 23 May 2011 20:16:20 -0700

I just went to STAN/Tedx this past weekend (Society, technology, art and Nature) put on by Stanford University. Once again I wasn’t surprised that the presenters who most moved me and others were the ones who told stories and stirred emotions. Jennifer Aaker, a Stanford professor, urged us to swab our cheeks to donate bone marrow. This could’ve been a dull speech on the importance of donating, listing statistic after statistic that would seemingly compel people to at least THINK about swabbing our cheek.

Instead, Jennifer told a love story. A story about a man who had cancer and because he was a minority, did not have a donor match. His friend, determined to find a match, used social networking to make people aware and take action, ensuring the perfect match between his friend and a donor.

It reminded me once again of the importance of storytelling—not just because people like stories but because it stirs something inside of us so big that we can’t help but take action.

I swabbed both cheeks and became a donor.

What are your stories? How do we create stories around the every day lessons?

Check out the story here:

http://www.slideshare.net/DragonflyEffect/creating-infectious-action-innovation-uncensored

then, I came home, only to watch another Ted video about the importance of smiling…my emotions stirred again in a different way.

smile and we can live longer…

http://www.ted.com/talks/ron_gutman_the_hidden_power_of_smiling.html

Dance, Paint, Color

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 20:41:59 -0800

Brenda Ueland wrote in her book, “If You Want to Write” that everyone has a creative streak inside of them…that we’re all yearning to write, to express, to paint, to dance, to do something. Yet, we lock it inside of ourselves. We don’t color, we don’t imagine, we don’t explore, we don’t let ourselves color outside of the lines, we don’t finish what we started, what we dreamed. We get locked up in the way things are supposed to be.

It’s time to come out. It’s time to incorporate creativity into our daily expression—regardless of what you do, where you work, or who you are.

Just Three

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 20:30:00 -0800

This time of year is often a time for reflection as well as a time to create the future. I’m reading a lot of blogs and articles about New Year’s resolutions. In our Pilates class today, the instructor said, “Folks—you need to squeeze in closer since we’re always a little more crowded in the New Year, but this will last just a few weeks, so bear with us”. We all laughed, but not at the others, at ourselves—she was talking to us. We are all goal-oriented. We mean well when we create those big resolutions. We also mean well when we talk about why we didn’t accomplish them. I think there are three main reasons for not accomplishing our goals:

We are overloaded. We have too much information to process already and we expect to hold another 10 goals in our minds…and accomplish them! We need to focus on just a few. So, for a 2010 reflection and 2011 success, let’s simplify with the “power of three”.

What are you most proud of accomplishing in 2010?

What do you wish you could’ve done more of?

What did you learn?

Repeat for 2011 on what you want to accomplish, do more of and learn.

We aren’t lazy. We are lazy at prioritizing! We are all VERY busy at being efficient, but are we being effective? We see each other race to meetings hoping to only be 5 minutes late, we multi-task (typing and looking up now and then to the person across from you saying “uh huh”) and wondering why we’re so exhausted at the end of the day. 2011 is the year of the Rabbit, but we can be “slow and strategic” rabbits vs. “fast and furious” ones. I often don’t end meetings on time. If there’s no natural break in the conversation, I let the person finish, which makes me late for the next meeting, and so it goes—another day of being late for every meeting. I will end and start meetings on time this year, be ruthless in managing my priorities, and giving myself space to create, innovate and focus—one thing at a time.

We try to let go of old habits without creating new, positive ones (!) Instead of drinking the sugar-free Monster drinks (which, yes, admittedly, I love!) I am now drinking green tea, vitamin water or some other energy drink that is healthier for me. Instead of continuing to try to get up at 4:30 AM on a consistent basis, I’m focusing on a habit of going to bed earlier so it’s easier for me to get up at that time. One of my good friends, Debbie Phillips, creates a theme each year that grounds her focus. My theme this year is “Positive Habits”.

So, there you have it. Another blog on the New Year, but one that will hopefully help you think a little differently from 2010.

Cheers to Three: A year of simplicity, priorities, and positivity.

one of my favorite videos of 2010

Sun, 26 Dec 2010 01:23:58 -0800

one of my favorite videos of 2010

It Gets Better

Sun, 26 Dec 2010 00:29:49 -0800

It Gets Better

Central Park in December

Sat, 25 Dec 2010 23:31:00 -0800

Central Park in December

It Gets Better

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 22:26:28 -0800

Wow…so excited to call myself a colleague to these amazing people at Adobe who made this video. My favorite quotes:

“It’s the people that are different that are going to be the difference makers in life”

“Give the future you a chance”

http://www.youtube.com/user/AdobeItGetsBetter

CFO of Adobe on CNBC: Digital Explosion & Proliferation of devices

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 21:49:35 -0800

Adobe’s first billion dollar quarter due to two major trends: Explosion of digital content and proliferation of devices

We are moving beyond the PC and building content for tablets and mobile devices

“The world comes to Adobe to create content”—Mark Garrett

http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1705424542&play=1

CLO Magazine asks for favorite quotes on learning

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 21:24:33 -0800

Here are some of my favorites:

The important thing is not to stop questioning. - Albert Einstein

The illiterate of the 21st Century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn. Alvin Toffler

Take the attitude of a student, never be too big to ask questions, never know too much to learn something new.-Og Mandino

What Did You Learn This Year?

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:54:16 -0800

Contemplating whether I should choose “Sparkle-icious” or “Holiday Red” at my local nail salon, I overheard a group of women laughing with each other as they were enjoying their own manicures and pedicures. They were sharing with each other what was best about 2010. I heard “starting my new job”, “quitting my job”, and “taking 6 months off”. Then I heard the real question: “What did you LEARN this year?” Silence—except for the sound of Frank Sinatra jamming a “Silent Night, Holy Night” tune. Finally, a soft voice chimed in—“I learned how to ask for what I want”….and another—“I learned how to delegate nicely”. The conversation got very lively and I could see the energy shift with the entire group. I’ve had this same experience so many times. A discussion shifts simply because of a powerful question—at a staff meeting, in a nail salon, or in a blog. So, what did you learn this year?

I learned that “just one day” never comes. I have yearned for “just one day” to catch up on email, re-prioritize my projects, focus on big thinking, start that blog, and process my inbox. Instead, I am prioritizing the “HVAs—high value add” projects first, and getting the right things done (note that I didn’t say I’m getting everything done). “Just one day” has turned into “doing my days differently”.

I learned a lot more, but would love to hear from you. What did you learn this year? By the way, it was a unanimous decision for all of us at the nail salon.…sparkle-icious all the way.

"Learning is our greatest technology."

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 07:15:43 -0800

“Learning is our greatest technology.”

- Justin Mass