c.Figallo

Posts Tagged ‘strategy’

Following up on the post about the priority of culture over strategy in organizational planning, I’m drawing from another of the acknowledged gurus, this time from the non-profit universe: Beth Kanter. I’m also a subscriber to Beth’s Blog, which is a constant treasure trove of good stories and ideas, often by guest bloggers.

In yesterday’s post, Beth was about to facilitate a discussion that she titled ”Creating a Culture that is not Afraid to Fail.” She wrote,

I’m defining failure as a social media strategy or program implementation that wasn’t perfect or didn’t work as well as you expected especially the first few times you did it.   This happens quite frequently with social media, especially in the early stages.

We set unrealistic outcomes, don’t have a methodology for learning or sloppy strategy implementation.  We get poor results.  We’re quick to proclaim that social media doesn’t work, feel some shame, and drop it.  We look at the wrong measures or unrealistic outcomes. We don’t value the learning and use that insight to improve the social media strategy the second or third or fourth time around.

Like riding a bicycle or a horse, you can’t call it failure the first, or second or third time you fall off. You only learn to ride either of them by getting back on and trying again. Some of this persistence must live in the organization’s culture. If its social foundation isn’t strong enough, the first failure of a social media initiative may lead to abandonment. In an organization where social learning is recognized as precious, failure is regarded as part of a learning process. New approaches – maybe new tools – will be tried. There will be patience for social changes to adapt to the technology and sharing of observations.

On Facebook and on Twitter, Beth posted this query: ”How do you create an organizational culture that is not afraid to fail? “

Read her blog post for the details, but in summary the responses suggested the following:

(1) Must come from the top: reward learning

(2)   Unpack the fear of failure through internal discussions

(3)  Make learning the norm

(4) Emphasize what works

(5) Start small, early, and reiterate

The Republicans have become experts at lying. Bush has lied to the public for 8 years. He was elected to two terms. His approval ratings are in the ditch, but that doesn’t seem to be affecting McCain’s prospects as he claims to be running against the Republican old guard while also feeding whatever it is that middle and lower class Republican voters find beneficial to them about the patriotic, fear-of-strangers, love of guns, condemnation of abortion mentality of the right wing.

I don’t think the lies are so much the problem as it is this mentality – this fear-driven attitude – that Repub strategists have become so adept at evoking.

As a non-self-destructive liberal, I’m set on voting for Obama-Biden in November. I’m willing to settle for the compromises they’re presenting for whatever political reasons rather than continue to allow Republicans to trash this country and – to the shrinking extent that America influences what other nations do – the planet.

Whatever decency and honor John McCain may have held in my regard – and I’ll admit, that’s mostly due to John Stewart’s ability to touch McCain’s jive-ass ex-Navy personality – I have nothing but contempt for the bastard since the absurd choice of a charm school rookie as his running mate.

Given the global warming situation, the very fate of the planet is put at risk by the prospect of Sarah Palin inheriting the White House. Even had he chosen a qualified VP partner, the Repubs stand to continue to drive this country toward disaster on all fronts – economy, energy, education, diplomacy and perhaps most importantly for the unity of this nation, the survival of a strong and attainable middle class.

But I have to hand it to the Rovians behind the Republican strategy: they started with a poor hand and, through an audacious, off-the-wall bet, they’ve gained the advantage in this race. Of course, they’ve had to outright lie through their teeth in full view of the public to do it. And the Democratic strategy team has had to adjust. Now they are responding promptly, calling the Repubs on their lies, with even the mainstream media supporting them. But I doubt that it’s enough.

Countering lies with the truth won’t be sufficient to derail the wave of enthusiasm that’s risen up around media queen Sarah Palin. Maybe the debates will expose her or show her to be incompetent, but George Bush looked absolutely lame and overmatched in the first two debates with Kerry, yet he still won the election. I’m beginning to believe that, like a genius chess player, the Rovians have found a way to bring a big chunk of undecideds to their side, while the Dems are forced into defensive mode rather than spend their energy and media time winning over their own chunk.

There’s still time for a counter surge, but I have to wonder why the Dems don’t have their own version of Karl Rove among all those braniac, Ivy League poli-sci laureates. I mean, c’mon!