Table of Contents

• The Strategy Of Travel

• 1% Solutions

• What I’m Reading

The Strategy Of Travel

I am writing to you from unusually sunny England- land of Shakespeare and Idris Elba, home to the royals, and the setting to the critically acclaimed film, What a Girl Wants. I’m on some much needed PTO after three months that started with emergency surgery and included some amazing projects and clients, seeing old friends at the Horizons conference, and a speech at DisruptHR DC.

The trip’s plan evolved from one idea into a somewhat different one and now includes: visiting a friend near Cambridge, London, Taylor Swift (!!!) and Edinburg during the Fringe Festival (I did not plan to go to Fringe Festival, my timing was just lucky).

My travel plans (shockingly) usually involve some level of strategy- mostly because I do not want to be thinking too hard when I get to said location. They also generally involve google sheets— which also means I can share with friends who decide to visit a place after me (codify, codify!). As I reflected on how I travel, there is a lot that translates to how I plan and lead initiatives

• Have a purpose and a plan that aligns- Creating a well thought out plan beforehand can help you set reasonable itineraries and some structure to your time. It also helps you focus on your purpose during the trip. Are you trying to see new spots? Visit old favorites? Having a purpose helps to better make decisions. This is not to say ish doesn’t happen- it just means you will have the brain space to be in the moment and pivot because you know what you were intending to do. Lesson: A plan and articulated focus will make on the ground decision making easier.

• But don’t be too structured- You need to create space for the snafus (like travel delays or places being closed) and the opportunities (the amazing ice cream shop, the museum that’s off the beaten path.) Lesson: Give any plan the space to pivot and shift or apply new learnings.

• Have a sense of distance between places and activities- It’s all fine and good to say you are going to a specific museum, hit a certain restaurant and go to a certain shop. But if these places are all in vastly different parts of the city your plan may either not be feasible or you won’t have the chance to even enjoy yourself. I’ve recently started pinning places in google maps to develop a more realistic itinerary to design a more reasonable itinerary. Lesson: Think through timing to see if your plans are feasible.

• Listen to locals- There are a number of great guidebooks but if you know people from the area, they will know the hole in the wall spots that are not besieged by tourists. Lesson: Listen to those closest to the ground.

1% Solutions

• An AI Audit- Many orgs are wrestling with how to leverage AI and how to balance innovation with support with risk mitigation. I thought this idea of an AI audit was super simple and smart and allowed orgs that are smaller or stretched to better focus their energies.

• Audit your candidate communication for better employee experience- This recent LI Talent Blog post points out a seemingly obvious but overlooked fact- part of creating a great candidate experience is setting clear expectations for candidates that you then meet and exceed.

What I’m Reading

• Why Wisdom Work Is the New Knowledge Work- Can one be obsessed with an article? Because I might be. Chip Conley discusses the importance of wisdom over knowledge in a time where there are more generations working and increased technology. Younger leaders absolutely have passion and vision but don’t always have the pattern recognition that veterans may have. He doesn’t only discuss benefits but ways to actually implement (I love the idea of a wisdom map!)

• Why HR Implementations Fail- Having led a platform selection process (including polling folks, creating a scorecard and evaluating platforms), I’m now helping to lead the implementation of a platform (Lattice to be exact). This article has been helpful in that process (and I wish I had it when I was leading an HRIS transition several years ago). Also, if you’re going through a similar process and need advice, please reach out.

• Changing change management- In a similar vein, this article highlights how most change management practices are based on a pre-digital age. The author highlights how technology can support key aspects of change management including providing real time feedback can creating community. The author wisely adds that technology alone can not be the solution. Also? If you look at the principles of change management, these can be applied in a low-tech way.