Transformer. Change Agent. Leader

I follow an interesting blog on marketing and strategy and came across some fine insight about XXIC business transformation needs. Basically the author states that in these times, we need to think way bigger than we used to. The era of large corporations making incremental changes is giving way to the era of small ones making huge predicaments. Of course one would argue that business transformation comes from aligning stakeholders with a shared sense of purpose into new ways of doing business, setting processes or entering a market.

But, in fact, it’s just people (as in individuals, the human subject matter of the mix) who can actually make or break this. And, according to this author, in order to make them tick, you need to maximize purpose, maintain a bifocal focus, and make change safe.

• Maximise purpose: do you see the value and virtue of “co-creating purposes”? If not, get with it!
• Maintain a bifocal view: watch the horizon and keep your eye on the small footsteps – at all times, see both
• Make change safe: nothing matters more to your organisations’ survival, yet nothing scares people more than change. So be aware of what freaks your people out and make sure you address it, making a safer environment for them to take risks and embrace change. “Understand the organisations’ specific fears”; reward change agents.

If you like what you read here, go for the full original post from Idris Mootee to get more insights into this approach to organisational transformation.

Stalin’s tall buildings (Stalinskie Vysotki)

I am currently staying for a few weeks in one of Stalin’s Seven Sisters. Specifically, the one on Kudrynskaya Ploshad, in Moscow. According to Khrushchev, Stalin had said the following prior to this project:

We won the war… foreigners will come to Moscow, walk around, and there’s no skyscrapers. If they compare Moscow to capitalist cities, it’s a moral blow to us

I am not sure the architectural value of these could be considered a main attribute, but the history of the project is of certain interest. It seems it was the Municipal Building in downtown Manhattan that both impressed and inspired Stalin’s orders to the architects who were commissioned these buildings.

Perception (mis)management

The phrase perception management has often functioned as a euphemism for “an aspect of information warfare”. A scholar in the field notes a distinction between “perception management” and public diplomacy , which “does not, as a rule, involve falsehood and deception, whereas these are important ingredients of perception management; the purpose is to get the other side to believe what one wishes it to believe, whatever the truth may be“.

I shared this information on perception management with a colleague of mine just as I came across it, and he sent me the following and positively interesting interpretation on the issue:

Please bear in mind that the Truth is absolute, simple, universal and unique (“Truth is Truth”).
Perceptions of Truth are relative. Therefore, facts (which are perceptions of Truth by human beings) are relative. The Truth of the human mind is also relative therefore, perception of that which is personal Truth.

Only WISE PEOPLE may perceive the TRUTH, although they call it by different names. Truth shall triumph. That is why the Truth is singular, but the perceptions are plural.

I found this statement of special interest and highly relevant to the world we live in. However, I am not sure all of us would agree that facts are “perceptions of Truth”… Read and interpret at your own whim!