FatDUX Eric Reiss on Leadership
On today’s show I chat with Content Strategist and Partner at FatDUX in Copenhagen, Denmark Eric Reiss about leadership in the age of information.
Eric points out that leadership isn’t about creating a buzz it’s about creating results. In essence a leader is someone you can trust to make a good decision on your behalf.
Younger people can do the job in many cases but they lack the experience to help them avoid pitfalls common to anyone starting out. Our experience in life determines our perspective and that perspective in turn shapes our unique reality.
This is a fundamental reason why we have a difficult time communicating effectively; we value different ideas based on experiences that shape what is important to us as individuals versus that which can be left undiscovered.
Eric discusses the work of Eli Whitney and the way in which he changed how we work during the Industrial revolution through the development of interchangeable parts. This in turn lead to the creation of products that forever changed the workplace from one of artisan to that of an employee in a factory.
In turn this lead to the advent of the corporate culture and to this day businesses discuss how to best motivate employees. We still talk about the “carrot” and “stick”. Prior to the industrial revolution there was just the “stick”. You had to do what you were told. Then with the creation of factories and different managerial styles, the “carrot” or rewards to motivate people came into play.
Eric argues that there needs to be a third element to the “carrot” and the “stick” – not quite sure what that might be but we need to start debating and thinking more about that element.
“If I haven’t experienced it, it can’t be true.” A mantra that many have, and yet holding fast to such a thought process prevents us from gaining new experiences and by extension improve our capacity to lead others.
The video below was a framework I shared with good friend and colleague in Philadelphia Michael Carvin @mcarvin about how to move the conversation away from the usual debates that force projects to compromise and lead your team back to a focus on those for whom you are designing.
Seek First to Understand from Jeff Parks on Vimeo.
User Experience has much more to do than the web! “Back in the day” Eric was the Assistant Director of plays at the Royal Theater. In one particular play the scene took place in Italy in an authentic old world Italian kitchen; yet no one could get into the scene, it just wasn’t working. Eric suggested they fry up some onion and garlic stimulating the olfactory senses of what it would smell like in a real Italian kitchen allowing both the actors, and during the live performance the audience, to feel as if they were literally in the old country. (Plus snack sales went through the roof!)
I suggest that the IAI and IxDA board members should find ways to interact with their members through video and engage with their members in a more human way.
Eric is helping to build EuroIA 2009 this year being held in Copenhagen Denmark at the Scandic Hotel. Speakers are flying in from 14 different countries; an event that is shaping up to be an incredible opportunity to learn from those both within and outside the Information Architecture discipline.
Outstanding! An honest conversation between two ego-free UX thought-leaders. I enjoyed very much the topic and the point-of-views. I’d love to see this topic as a Leadership series, perhaps interview other practitioners? Thanks, Jeff and Eric.
I’m glad you enjoyed the discussion Valeska – thank you for your kind words and feedback.
It’s interesting that you ask about a series on this topic. Being a “dude” I’ve been in discussions with the “kahuna’s” over at Johnny Holland http://www.johnnyholland.org and we’re in production to create “Radio Johnny” a regular podcast for that great webzine on UX.
One of the first guests will be Joe Sokohl (@mojoguzzi) on this very subject.
Great seeing you @idea09 this year and I hope this note finds you and yours healthy and happy.
Thanks for your kind comments, Valeska. As usual, Jeff makes everyone sound good. I was honored to have this opportunity.
I had so many thoughts on hearing this that it’s been hard to pin them down. Thank you both for sharing so many good thoughts, frank opinions, and such great generosity.
My own experience is having been nose-to-grindstone in a single corporation for the last eleven years as a design manager – and then being laid off, and needing to reorient myself outside of that context. So I’ve looked to the community for support, information and inspiration only to discover that it can be difficult to find your voice or have it be heard, however much experience leading and creating you might have under your belt.
I think that there are tons of people in this industry doing interesting things in difficult environments who either don’t see the need to participate in this community or simply don’t have the time. These are people being local leaders – “empowering others to do great things and inspiring creativity” as Jeff says here – but of whom the gang on Twitter and at the conferences and on the mailing lists have never heard.
I’m finding – bemusedly – that that’s a novel thought to people in the inner circle. And so there is a definitely a certain thread of insularity about the community and their “rock stars” that feels very stultifying and unhealthy to me. It’s a small group in a mad scramble to control terminology and define the boundaries of the work that – in web years, as Eric will have it – is only advanced as far as the auto industry in 1960.
Let it go, folks – it may be still too early for us to lock things down so hard. And there’s so many of us who you don’t include, don’t know about, and for whom you don’t speak, quietly inventing stuff about which you will never hear, and trying our best to deeply, locally and effectively get on with the work of the world.
Joan,
I agree that there is an inner circle in these communities and this is also the main reason why dozens of people I’ve mentored over the past couple of years have told me they don’t get more involved; they’re intimidated.
However as Kyle Soucy pointed out at the IA Summit this year in her presentation with IxDA board member Nasir Barday “Professional IA/UX Organizations – How to Start and Run a Successful Local Group or Chapter” http://tinyurl.com/cjxakm and has been proven by Steve Baty’s initiative with the UX Book club http://tinyurl.com/pnr55j the opportunity to share experiences and learn from others locally is entirely possible without the community of practice.
I believe that with the explosion of tools like Twitter, Facebook and others people don’t require such organizations to connect with other professionals. So the question becomes – what’s next?
I see the next couple of years as an opportunity for such groups to redefine their purpose by reaching out to their members and asking them what they want from such organizations.
This can then also make the work of any board members an easier task – simply follow the wishes of the members and at the same time communicate the direction in a format such as video or audio that ensures ideas and directions are clearly understood by members.
For the record – I have zero issue with any community of practice; I believe strongly that the ideas from any discipline can help all of us explore new ways to improve processes in our own work.
I just think we should be raising the bar to ensure we also raise the level of debate and ideas regardless of your title or chosen community of practice.