labels are a distraction

The rear view mirror is not the whole picture.

A couple of years ago a lecturer on the MBA course at Cranfield University asked me in an interview to take him backwards through my career so that he could understand the motivation of each decision I made.

 Two years on, and I still think to myself; was he serious?!

 Talk me backwards through your last dinner date and tell me your motivation in choosing that particular dessert. Was it the contrasting flavours from the main course choice? Texture perhaps? Or - and I'm going out on a limb here - no particular reason at all? Because maybe all you wanted to do was spend a few more minutes looking into the eyes of your significant other.

That lecturer was never going to find out what makes me tick by reversing backwards down my CV. If he really wanted to know the motivation behind each decision then let's break it down logically. There's a reason cars have lots more gears for forward than they have for reverse.


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Your success is their success.

The reason for that previous piece, was from a recent chat with a friend who was pencilled in for a one-to-one with their line manager to discuss 'future plans and career aspirations'.* 

 Enthusiastically, they told me they were going to mention that after three or four years in their current position they were getting restless and felt ready for that promotion. Playing devil's advocate, I pushed back and asked what role would that be? 

 After a few minutes of head scratching, came the slow realisation they were going into this meeting without any objective, outcome or clear plan in mind on how they would move to that next level. What a scary thought.

 All to often, I have met people who sleepwalk through a "career" by taking each day as it comes and only living in the moment. Or they under-value themselves and simply don't actually ask for that promotion. Or are too proud to take on that Mentor. Or too lazy to reach out and offer their help. Or too shy to network. BALLS!

 Your career is too important to leave to others to decide for you. Or worse, to be ignored completely. You're worth way more than that.

 * Bonus tip: EVERY meeting with your line minager should be around your 'future plans and career aspirations'. Whether it's the project you're working on, or those boring budgets or even an informal catch-up over coffee - just remember, your success is their success.
Give your career the goals and health check it deserves.

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Paying the interest on your lifestyle 'credit card'?

After months away from MyKitchenSync, just came across this post in my drafts folder. Perhaps it deserves the light of day...


 I posted a tweet some time back which quickly got a few retweets and replies:

Over on Facebook, I followed this up with a more introspective view on the idea:
"Been thinking a lot about mortality and lifestyle recently. A colleague was cleared of cancer by his doctor last night while another family friend was given just 12 months to live by his.
This morning I received news that a dear friend is recovering from a sudden stroke after having dinner with Mrs. K. only a few nights previously in Kathmandu. 
Even here on Facebook I have 3 or 4 friends in my list who are actually gone long before their time - their pages remaining as a tribute. 
If you smoke, drink, make poor diet choices or balk at the idea of exercise - good for you. Enjoy it. After all, it's your life.
But be prepared NOT to see out that retirement. Be prepared for NOT watching your children or grandchildren grow up. Be prepared for leaving your friends and family to wipe away tears of regret and sadness at your lost potential.
One day the interest on that lifestyle 'credit card' has to be paid back. Start today. You owe it to yourself."

 Three  four years ago I gave up alcohol. Two three years ago I took up running as a ‘quick' way of losing weight (and it worked as I now carry about 12Kgs 18Kgs less around with me all day). Giving up sugar is next on my list and will be my biggest hurdle yet. [It is.]

 To try and build on this momentum, I have also recently been toying with the idea of adapting a more vegetarian and, dare I say it, vegan lifestyle. That might be a step too far just right now (since it will be a family decision), but my point is change IS possible.

 So many industry leaders talk up their belief in 'business transformation’, 'change management’ and ‘driving innovation’. And they believe it. Really they do. But how many put the same level of planning and investment into their own lifestyle. 

 We know what happens to a car when you don't look after the engine, so why put a business or retirement plan in place where you're not around to reap the reward.

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You mean I ran 2500Kms! Now that's a milestone. #nikeplus


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Tapping back into My Kitchen Sync

"MyKitchenSync!! Where have you been?" A seemingly silly question the other night from someone who, like me, spends an inordinate amount of time reaching out and building communities on social media. They even joked that I might have left the country. Whoa! For a guy who is ALWAYS connecting on social media, this was certainly a wake up call.

 The irony of course is that just as I took up my exciting new role as Social Business Manager at BaxterStorey, my own personal social presence dropped off the radar for longer than I had anticipated. 

One of the key reasons for this was to do with focus. On the 3rd of February this year I was handed an iPhone for my job and some passwords. As I logged in to take a look under the hood (dashboards, stats etc.), the reality of tweeting out as our company brand began to weigh on my mind. "OK.... where do I start? What do I say? Who am I talking to?" Answering these questions was going to help me find that tone and voice that would bring the brand to life in an authentic, professional and relevant way. I also wanted to ensure we displayed a sense of fun and personality. A tall order perhaps.

 With so many different stories, perspectives and audience stakeholders, I knew the only way for me to create an authentic brand persona was to immerse myelf fully in our conversation on Twitter (and other channels, but Twitter is acutely 'in the moment'). This consequently meant that my own personal brand (known as MyKitchenSync to most people outside Facebook) was left to wither on the vine somewhat. 

 Anyone who knows me will know that running is very therapeutic for me, and I had been giving this some real reflection to understand the bigger picture. Here's how I see it...

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Running allows me to reflect, recharge and re-focus. Like this chap... #nikeplus
Many business and thought leaders will extoll the value of maintaining a good work-life balance if you are to 'go the distance' in life. And right now, I am very happy with the world we have created as a familly so we can enjoy that sense of well-being and satisfaction. 

 In a virtual world however, I have found that being paid to do 'social' really challenges this principle in a complex way. The very nature of being on social means developing an actively expressive personal brand, a sort of 'shop window' for your personality if you will, through which many people see and interact with you online. 

 The dilemma comes when you open up a second 'shop window' to showcase that business brand you are paid to represent. Now you have the dilemma of two windows showcasing two narratives to two audiences. The question is, where does one end and the other begin? This conundrum was a real challenge for me at the outset, so I decided to just focus on the business one until I got that right and worry about the juggling later.

 Over time, my tweeting and writing as and for the BaxterStorey brand has become almost second nature and this has alowed me to work towards finding that 'virtual work - life balance' specifically in relation to my social presence.

 So here I am back in MyKitchenSync and commiting a few words of personal introspection to make up for the long absence.  Over the next few weeks I am hoping to share a few thoughts and perspectives just to reconnect with my personal community on social. It's time to start separating out my own worldview, away from the work persona that I passionately live and breathe every day.

 If I get it right, then 'MyKitchenSync' reconnects with a hugely important community in my life. If I get it wrong however, then learning from those possible missteps will help me put a case study into my training workshops for others to learn from. 

 Not giving it a go however, would be the biggest mistake of all since you are defined by your community. This is true in business, in play and in life. What does your community say about you?


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