Project Managing your Project Manager, High & Low Status Work and The Doing Mindset.
I’ve been working on…
- *Still* chasing a project manager at a 3rd party to start managing a project (that doesn’t bode well).
- We’ve started using 7Geese internally for tracking Objectives & Key Results. So, have been wrapping my head around how that’s going to work in practice. One of the things I’ve often bemoaned is that there’s no easy way to get visibility on what the organisation at large is working on. This looks like it could potentially tick that box if everyone stays on board with it. Certainly less admin overhead than some of the other performance management systems & frameworks I’ve been subjected to previously.
- Had a 1-to-1 with my line manager. We had a good chat about where we’ve been and where we’re going. We often come at certain things from totally different angles, but it does spark a genuinely interesting debate.
I’ve been thinking about…
- I’ve been reading Turn the ship around this week. Still have lots of questions, but I’ll park them until I’ve finished the book.
- I recently observed that a newly installed IT system is struggling with adoption because some staff had no idea what problem it was solving for them. I’ve also just realised (somewhat obviously) that the other key ingredient is digital literacy. If you don’t understand how digital can be an enabler, it’s difficult to engage in the process or understand what problems it could potentially solve.
- Getting recognition for being knowledgeable about something that isn’t particularly in your official job description can be tricky. It’s one of the reasons I think job titles are a source of organisational inertia. If everyone was allowed to pick their own job title, would it prevent people from being pigeon holed?
I’ve been reading…
- Scotland has been making some positive strides towards evaluating Basic Income : https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jan/08/universal-basic-income-glasgow-welfare-revolution?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
- Government and IT vendors, a sordid affair!
http://www.gerrymcgovern.com/new-thinking/digital-making-government-redundant - High status and low status work. Why is your company’s sink full of dirty dishes? : https://medium.com/on-human-centric-systems/on-high-status-work-and-low-status-work-78c0ce8c19bb#.772h2xojp
- “Culture isn’t about unity, it’s also about division.” : https://hbr.org/2017/01/were-thinking-about-organizational-culture-all-wrong
- Emerging automation technology likely to be constrained by the way we currently work, instead of thinking about the new things it enables us to do. : https://mmitii.mattballantine.com/2017/01/10/the-rise-of-the-cost-benefit-robots/
- Turning web surveys into a conversation on any messaging app. Hugely interesting idea! Good way of making form filling less daunting? : https://blog.chatbot.com/turning-web-surveys-into-conversations-c0c604e97dfa#.drhpkiicq
- Here’s a fantastic post on the ‘Doing’ mindset. As a former chronic procrastinator, some of the tips for overcoming inertia really resonated. : https://medium.com/the-mission/the-doing-mindset-the-thinking-mindset-ba0d66228cbd#.gdltcjr24
- GiveDirectly is connecting people who give money with those who receive it. This unique level of transparency means donors see the immediate outcomes of their support — and it’s encouraging even more people to give. : https://www.fastcoexist.com/3067165/future-of-philanthropy/givedirectly-is-showing-its-donors-exactly-what-effect-their-money-is