I’ve been recognised as one of 25 influencers in Enterprise social media in Bill Ives’ A list developed from Traackr (putting me in 6th position):
Thanks to Bill for putting the list together.
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This book is promoted as a ‘must-read’ for those who are keen to identify their executive skills and match them to the most natural, best-fit career solution.
Martin explains that, particularly when under pressure from stress or fatigue, research shows that the weakest executive skills fail first. Once you know your executive skills strengths and weaknesses it is much easier to predict where issues may arise and which positions are likely to be unnatural or difficult for you and which positions best match your strengths. You are in a good situation if one or more of your top three executive skills is required for the job.
Knowledge of executive skills enables you to assess those around you. It becomes easier to understand and anticipate the behaviours of others in work situations, gives you the knowledge to suggest to others what you are good at and the ability to make the right move by selecting those openings that play to your core strengths.
Call it a mid-life crisis if you must but I was suddenly curious to find out if I am following the correct career path, particularly as an online assessment is included with the book. I decided not to read the book cover to cover but instead chose to steer my way around Chuck Martin’s map of 12 executive skills which, he says, are hardwired into our brains from birth. In order to creative this effective executive skills map Chuck Martin analysed each of the executive skills and matched them against industry, department and job titles.
I will say that it is important to do the online assessment before reading the book. I think if it had been the other way around I would have got it in my head that I should be answering questions in a certain way to be a high achieving director! As it turned out Chuck Martin’s careful analysis of all 12 executive skills was such that through the online assessment tool he was able to order my top three strengths and, oh God, my top three weaknesses and I have to say that all of them rang a familiar bell in my head!
As it turned out I am naturally suited to marketing, sales and communication which is my area of work. Now that I am nicely reassured what else can I do with his findings? Well, Chuck Martin uses research to show that under pressure from stress or fatigue the weakest executive skills fail first. Ah! Yes. That does means I have a tendency to put things off to the last moment and then go all out to meet an oncoming deadline – I just knew you would want to know my weakness! Although, I would like to point out to potential clients and employers that now I know my natural strengths and weaknesses I will be able to predict where issues may arise and which situations are likely to be unnatural or difficult for me and plan things accordingly (once I’ve had that cup of coffee, that is!). And the important thing about me is that, as Chuck points out, it's as if my memory is always on, no matter how busy I am or what I am doing. I am able to hold information in memory while performing complex tasks and I can draw on past learning or experience to apply to the situation at hand or project into the future. I am usually able to do one task and not lose sight of other commitments. I am considered by others to be reliable, can be counted on to follow through, and able to keep my eye on the ball. Now, you’re reassured!
Also, curious person that I am, this newly acquired knowledge of executive skills helps me to assess those around me so making it easier to understand and anticipate the behaviours of others in work situations.
Above all, I now have the knowledge to suggest to others what I am good at and the ability to make the right move by selecting those openings that play to my core strengths (the above was just a modest flirtation!).
Duly tried and tested, I am inclined to agree with Chuck Martin that this book is good for personal career planning and for managers and executives to discover more precisely who might be best suited to a particular job/industry or department.
Sandra is an experienced internal & external communication professional who consults alongside me through Strategic Dynamics. Please contact her with any communication requirements at sandra dot ingham at social-advantage.com.
The reason for writing these posts is that I do believe HR has a useful role to play – not just in terms of organisation design (including social networks and organisational hierarchies), but in selecting the right people, developing them, creating the right environment and culture and so on. And probably even more important than this, in facilitating the right sort of strategic conversation that focuses on social outcomes / social capital (collaboration, innovation etc) rather than just social activities – which is where I think IT is getting it wrong.
I’ve proposed to take this argument to a number of HR events this year, and to some IT-led ones as well, like the Enterprise 2.0 conference in Boston. I think some HR (or at least human / social capital) input at these events would inject some much needed insight:
“Over the last couple of month’s there have been a couple of conferences on Enterprise 2.0, in US and Europe. And because IT people tend to blog and tweet more extensively than HR people do, it’s been quite easy to follow these conferences from afar. And the sense I’ve got of these conferences is of a couple of hundred IT people talking together about culture change! And there’s been little to no HR contribution to this. I’ve submitted a proposal to present at the next E2.0 conference in Boston, but as it’ll be mainly IT people voting on this, I’m not that hopeful of being chosen.”
From my post on Next Generation HR
The conference’s call for papers received 466 submissions which are now undergoing a community vote:
“We encourage all who submitted, all who plan on attending Enterprise 2.0 Conference Boston, and anyone interested in Enterprise 2.0, to review the submissions, and vote for their favorites. Submissions are searchable by category, speaker or keyword, and votes received by each session will be viewable by all participants. Sessions advance to the final ‘Selected’ stage based on community votes and final approval by our Advisory Board, and will be announced upon completion of the vote.”
My proposal is languishing about half-way down the voting league, and some proposals are being heavily gamed ie are being voted for by friends and colleagues who I guess have little interest in E2.0 or attending the conference etc. So I guess if I’m going to have any chance of presenting there, I’m going to need you to help me play the game. I need your vote (which for some reason is called a spig).
If you’d like to see HR having an input to the E2.0 agenda, and have me show IT how HR can help Connect the Dots in the social business, please visit the ‘spigit’ site, register, and vote for my proposal (please!).
We’ve got till next Wednesday January 20th.
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I thought, if you don’t mind too much, that I’d give you an outline of the sort of consulting I do within this area as well.
This includes:
I travel anywhere in the world (or use social media so I don’t have to), and you’d love working with me even more than you like reading this blog.
I’m still learning about this area myself of course, but I think I know as much as I need to in order to help. And I do seriously believe that work in the HR 2.0 area can result in real, solid improvements in business results. Particularly in a recession when you’re looking to achieve the same or more (ie planning for the upturn while you’re still managing the down) with less people. So you need each person to be as effective as possible. But you need to manage the relationships and conversations (ie social capital!) between your people as well.
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