Finding the right balance
When I first read the Responsive Org Manifesto in 2015 I liked it because it was not prescriptive.
The manifesto does not say that if you pull levers in a particular order you will be able to build a perfect organization. Instead, it outlines the tensions that every organization has to balance.
- The right amount of experimentation.
- A balance between privacy and transparency.
- Managing the tension between profit and purpose.
These are tensions that every organization has to contend with. There is no one size fits all.
And that’s why we had a very diverse array of speakers at Responsive Conference.
Over two days, some of our presenters included:
- Gayle Karen Young Whyte about coherence as a strategic capability.
- Jenny Sauer Klein about how to design great offsites.
- The Chief Information Officer at UCSF about change within enterprise.
- We sat with Carine Kanimba and V-Vonne Hutchinson as they talked about genocide and hope.
- I interviewed a journalist about cults!
- And even live music by a children’s orchestral group!
(Check out all of our presenters here.)
But Responsive Conference isn’t just about speakers on stage.
It isn’t even about the bookstore, puppies, popsicles, and an immersive venue.
Responsive Conference is about the people who attend – and the tactics, tools, stories and connections that they take back to their organizations.
The grass is always greener
Throughout a decade as an entrepreneur, I’ve jumped between projects. I've started:
- A cafe in San Francisco
- A conference about work
- A media agency
We ran Responsive Conference in the Bay Area in 2016. Then I moved it to New York City, and then to Las Vegas.
Running a conference is hard work, but running a conference in a different city every year is plain ridiculous.
The sign of a good leader
On Sept. 18th, we hosted a dinner with author Cat Bohannon and an amazing local chef named Romney Steele. When Cat brought Romney up to thank her for what was an incredible meal, Romney immediately began acknowledging her staff.
In an industry with a notoriously high turnover, Romney specifically thanked two of her employees, who were behind the counter and have been with her for decades years. And her first restaurant manager, who no longer works for her, but came in last night to help with dinner!
That’s the sign of a great leader.
In business, and in life, relationships compound.
When you stay the course and go deeper, things get better and better.
Relationships compound
My best friend and I have been close for 15 years. We talk every day.
Through the highs and lows, our friendship just keeps getting better. The results compound.
Even though Responsive Conference 2024 was our first work project together, my co-producer Marie Szuts and I have known each other for a decade. My other co-producer, Nicole Piechowski, and I met on the dance floor, and have worked together, on and off, since 2017.
Jonathan Kofahl and I have been making videos since before there was a Zander Media. He filmed an event I produced in 2017, and we’ve been making videos together ever since.
Take action
At Responsive Conference 2018, we had Simon Lowden, the global CMO of PepsiCo on stage. At the time, Pepsi was undergoing a massive restructuring and they were even using the word “responsive” internally to describe their change efforts.
During a Q+A at the end of their session, someone in the audience asked Simon and the PepsiCo team a question:
I’m a middle manager at a global enterprise company. My boss, and my boss's boss, and our CEO don’t really want to change. I’m passionate about these ideas, and about building future-ready organizations. What should I do?
Simon turned to the fellow and said:
It might sound a bit heartless, but I actually think it was the opposite. If want to change but are stymied, look elsewhere.
Your homework
Relationships get better over time - in business and in life. But what does that mean in practice?
It means putting in the time and effort.
It means following up again, even when you are tired or don’t really feel like it.
That person you met yesterday and said you’d email?
Follow up with them.
The person you had drinks with at an event?
Send them a message on LinkedIn or DM them on Instagram.
Put in the extra effort to keep those relationships alive.
Be the change
I exhorted attendees of Responsive Conference at the beginning of the conference to jump in fully.
To look for ideas, practices, people that you could learn from.
To create the companies, organizations, and work life you want, you have to take action throughout your daily lives.
As my colleague Marie Szuts said to me a few days ago: “Be the fucking change you want to see in the world.”
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3 things I’ve loved this week
Quote I’m considering
“The scientist does not study nature because it is useful. He studies it because he takes pleasure in it, and he takes pleasure in it because it is beautiful.” —Henri Poincaré
MrBeast is the biggest creator on Youtube. But more than his impressive stunt videos, I'm interested in what goes on behind the scenes and how his growing empire churns out "banger" video, one after another.
This Google Doc. handbook is a fascinating glimpse into how they work.
Experiment I'm considering: Swearing off television
I'm prone to addiction. And media - specifically television and movies - are squarely in the category of things that I enjoy doing while I'm doing them, but leave me feeling bad, afterwards.
I don't watch much (maybe once a week, on average), but I'm considering the experiment of watching nothing for several months, and seeing how I feel.
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Until next week,
Robin