Building Strategy: working out loud

I realised it’s been several years since i walked along the beach that early: seven thirty and it’s well before the tourists arrive, it’s a time for opening ice cream stalls, brushing sand off the promenade and still early enough to see the fishing boats heading out. Living close to the sea is wonderful, but i tend to avoid midsummer as it gets crowded: a blustery walk midwinter is a very different experience, but much less crowded!

I was working on strategy today and was lucky enough to have a group of people assemble with diverse skills and a generosity of spirit.

In the Social Age, sharing is a core skill, and we have to be prepared to share our weaknesses as well as our strengths. A fundamental principle of #WorkingOutLoud is that we conduct our ‘sense making’ activities in public. We narrate our journey and it’s that narrative that may help others contribute, lead or follow.

We were working in the Russell-Cotes Museum: a grand Victorian mansion now housing a collection of paintings and Japanese art. I like the Russell-Cotes: the old building now sporting a modern extension that mirrors many of the original architectural styles, but translated into a more contemporary style and language. Whilst the older parts of the building are all brown wood panels and dark corners, the new is white, glass and steel, but the cupolas and light-wells provide a modern unity.

The core team provided continuity of thought: the guest provided perspective, challenge and the potential for co-creative sense making activity, all provided the permissions were set correctly.

Creating permissive environments for collaboration, creativity and change is not a matter of coincidence and luck. It’s a matter of mindset and planning.

Working out loud can mean bringing in people from different spaces, people who will challenge as well as support: people who are generous enough to share their thoughts and experiences in return for the chance to co-create something stronger.

It’s been a great day of collaboration and sharing.