Ascentum » Organizational Leadership

Inspiration and Iron Fists

Joseph Peters — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 15:58:43 +0000

Rob Mariani and I represented Ascentum at the Strategy Institute’s inaugural Innovations in Public Consultation and Engagement Conference in Toronto this week. It was an interesting event for a couple of reasons. One reason was the “new” diversity of interest, but the other was an inspirational address that caught me by surprise. First, we only knew a handful of participants at the conference. It was nice to meet and see so many different people interested in public participation. From Hydro One, to ViaRail to cities across Canada, public participation is what they are doing or at least is a giant blip on their radar. Times are a changing. There was even a small group who travelled from Singapore – and that is a state that has traditionally held more weight in an iron first than open ears. But let me get to the inspiration. I have heard my fair share of speeches from the stump. I also have a healthy dose of pessimism to go along with my well-worn BS filter (BS = bold but shameful). Naheed Nenshi, the Mayor of Calgary, is the real deal. In a country that aches for political inspiration, the Mayor could be the most promising resource out of Alberta that could be tapped and barreled for use across the country. Why? He gets it. He speaks with candid eloquence. He admits mistakes. He wants to do better. He doesn’t stand for the broken “old ways” of government. He truly believes in the role/value of the citizen in democracy – not just on Election Day, but in the four years between them. He has 52,000 twitter followers. He’s bottom line genuine. I am not 100% sure where Naheed Nenshi sits on the political spectrum. Let’s pretend that it doesn’t really matter. There are a couple of parties looking for leadership – the Tories could even draft him. The fact that he was elected in Calgary might signal that the country may be ready to consider a leader from outside of a Christian faith. What’s important is that in a national role he has the ability to shake up a sleepy system not just with rhetoric or ideology but with a mantra of continuous improvement and value for investment. His vision seems to be grounded in a belief that citizens matter and need a voice, beyond that of an elected representative. Citizen’s need to have their own voice. Let’s hope that the Mayor continues to exercise his own. -Joseph Peters-

Gmail and GSA – one giant step forward for government

Joseph Peters — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:06:50 +0000

I am a big fan of the Government Services Agency or GSA in the US. Canada’s equivalent is Public Works. GSA have been early adopters and supporters of social media with apps.gov but now are on the brink of a giant step forward for government. They are moving to Gmail. Think of the cost savings, the collaboration options, the bottomless in-box (for all intents), but also a recognition that web based makes sense.

Contrast GSA’s innovation with government departments here in Canada that use antiquated browsers (IE 6) and Lotus Notes as a major email platform. I know, Lotus Notes. GSA’s decision is one to be commended.

One of the funny parts of this move is that some believe that this will make the more attractive to younger employees. What is amuses me is that younger staff assume that this is the way that it works. It is their expectation that they should be using today’s technologies. However they are in for a surprise with blocked access to Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter, and are shocked and appalled at zero blogging and a 6-12 month approval lag for a wiki.

It just shows that government can be innovative when it choses to do so. GSA is a shinning beacon for other government departments, agencies or ministries to follow, on either side of the 49th parallel.

Joe

Building the Business Case For Social Media

Ascentum Staff — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 10:59:34 +0000

Social media is here. There are 100s of millions of users worldwide and a strong majority of our population actively uses social media. This is in our own backyard. Regardless of the stats, senior management in business, government, and not-for-profits still need to be convinced. Those with a more substantive understanding of social media know that it’s long past the status of “just for the kids.”

Some organizations have already taken the plunge with great success, like Honda or the Centres for Disease Control. Other organizations closer to home, like the Public Health Agency of Canada and Veterans Affairs, have taken positive steps forward. Regardless, the case still needs to be made for those islands of business and government that continue to remain isolated from social media.

It might be nice to think that there is one magic formula that can be used to convince organizational leadership that social media needs to be more than just on their long-range radar. Organizational culture and dynamics demand us to put the need in the specific context and reality of the organization. I have attached a link to a blog by Amber Naslund (thanks to Tim for sharing) that puts a list of 20 questions to consider in “making the case.” It’s not perfect but it provides some good food for thought.

http://www.socialmediatoday.com/SMC/147451

Also, don’t forget our social media video. It is a cornucopia of stats that may still be surprising to some.

Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV91kGc9Rbg

I hope that you find this helpful.

Joe

PS – Manon and I are chairing/presenting at the 5th Annual Managing Public Consultations course in Ottawa on Dec 7th and 8th. We’ll make sure to post our presentations.