This week I tried something out that I recommend to you. I’m sure I heard this from somewhere else sometime in the past, but this exercise came to me as I sat reflecting on what I’ve learned recently.
I carved out some time to ask myself the question
What am I known by others for?
Then I followed it with
What problem am I uniquely qualified to solve?
Hopefully, the answers to these two questions are the same. When there is clarity behind what you are known for by others and what you are uniquely qualified to do then others can think of you when they see that challenge arise.
As I reflected on these questions, I realized I cannot answer the first. I don’t know what I am known for by others. This led me to reflect more deeply on the problem I am uniquely qualified to solve. If I can communicate more clearly what problems I can solve then it is far easier for others to know how I might be able to help them.
Over the years of my career, I uncovered a theme; I work on individual, team, and organizational people transformations. And what makes me unique is that I do this on a large scale. My work at Microsoft has led me to think in the context of scaling ideas, concepts, and behaviors to the full breadth of the company which today sits at nearly 200,000 employees.
Let’s break this down for a minute
Individual (1)
Individual transformation is challenging work. This is the work of shifting mindset and aligning an individual’s purpose and values to that of the organization. None of this can be forced upon someone. The only way to enable individual transformation is to create the environment in which the individual themselves can choose to transform. This is deeply fulfilling and rewarding work and I love to play in this space.
Team (2-10)
When you arrive at the team level you are working with different dynamics than an individual. Individual transformation still applies and is needed, and you have an opportunity to build on it. Team dynamics, mindsets, and systems have a significant impact on what the team can accomplish. Helping transform teams from standard performance to high performance is an imprecise science. It is very experimental, contextual, and can lead to massive impact.
Organization (20-200,000+)
The most difficult type of transformation of all is organizational transformation. This is because we are dealing with humans in the context of them as individuals, as teams, and across one or more organizations. This type of transformation, by necessity, requires a transformation in culture. Culture is not something you “do” but rather observable behaviors in a system. Edgar Schein of MIT has the following definition of culture:
“Culture is a way of working together toward common goals that have been followed so frequently and so successfully that people don’t even think about trying to do things another way. If a culture has formed, people will autonomously do what they need to do to be successful.”
Whether it is intentional or not, culture will emerge. I focus on the challenges associated with putting in place the mindsets, abilities, and systems that can reinforce behaviors that are aligned to the company strategy.
Unfortunately, there is no clean formula to achieve transformation in any of the three areas. People transformation with individuals, teams, and organizations will always be difficult and nuanced. This is the place I like to play; every day is new and exciting. This is the type of work that changes people’s lives.
Let me know if you are aware of any places I can uniquely contribute my skills and talents. I’m hungry to serve and happy to help!
