The Solution

Don’t just make a statement. Do the work

By Rick McMullen November 24, 2020 Change Management, Communications, Marketing

In recent years the world and our society has faced a litany of harsh realities. #MeToo, #BLM, #MMIW… it’s a long list. And companies, large & small have had to make some choices as to whether they make a statement in support of the cause that caught their attention (or the attention of their customers) or perhaps make a donation.

This is good. Unless it’s done for purely marketing purposes. A couple of years ago, Apple made an announcement that they had achieved gender equity in their payroll. Catch that? It was an announcement. It was news. How do we make it *not* news?

The one thing that Apple did do, was the work required to be able to make that announcement. What’s better than any announcement saying you support something? Doing. The. Work.

Most racists say they’re not racist. Toxic masculinity doesn’t admit to being misogynistic. So what separates those that say it by making a statement and those that really mean it? The work.

Accept the shame that goes with privilege. It’s ok. Step up and own the previous mistakes. Know you’ll make more. If necessary, apologize but then fix it and… Do the work.

Translating thoughts

By Rick McMullen April 20, 2019 Communications, Human Resources, Marketing

Perhaps the simplest method of transmitting a complex idea is to say it. To tell someone. The problem is, that involves at least two translations.

How do you think? Is it in words? Emotions? Do you see text? Do you hear words? While you’re thinking, do you concern yourself with what specific words mean? Why do we use expressions such as, “Think before you speak.” or “Perhaps you should use your ‘inside’ voice.” or even “Engage some filters.”

Is it fair to say that regardless of how you believe you think about ideas, that it requires some ‘processing’ before we release those thoughts to the world? There’s our first translation.

How about when you hear someone else’s thought? Does it always make perfect sense as soon as you’re exposed to it, or do we process incoming information before we assimilate it? Translation number two.

Ideas aren’t computer data. There’s no such thing as a perfect copy. We can’t plug a thumb drive into our head, copy an idea and share that exactly as we developed it. Not yet at least.