New words can build new worlds.

When you're trying to change mindsets and promote new ideas, memorable new words might possibly make all the difference.  

This story is about "nah, you really can't go there".

My most delightful (and perhaps most effective) moments in 30+ years as an implementation specialist (and as a training developer and front-of-the-(in-person!)-classroom instructor) often center around coming up with a new word or phrase that inspires those Aha! mental restructurings.  You know, spawning a powerful meme.

And now that the younger generation TL;DRs anything longer than a meme: if you can't meme it, they won't read it or speak it.

To be meme-eligible it has to be catchy.  If you can make it chantable, it could be gold.

But first it has to catch attention.  

And for me that borderland is very dangerous territory. 

"Outrageous" is clearly out of bounds.  If "edgy" can be applied to it, then in a corporate setting, it's already problematic.

In any sufficiently large audience, someone will be offended.  Post something on twitter, anything. If no one is offended that is only proof that no one noticed your post.

How do you make an impact if you are bland?  Some people can do it, but that black magic is beyond me.  I think they may have that AUTHORITY thing.  All I have is carrot and maybe some clever.

In the late 90s I had some analogies in class that MADE A DIFFERENCE in behavior.  Some were edgy then.  I'd be standing on the sidewalk with my personal items in boxes today.  

Recently, I had something mild, but chantable and mindset-changeable.  I ran it by a small group of organization leaders.  There was one "You better not."  Microtransgressions can have macroconsequences.

So, the title above.  I love it.  But I won't introduce it internally.  I likely shouldn't here either, but this post is less about the meme itself than meme risk.

In a recent meeting I pointed out a Better Practice for communication.  I got an immediate "But..." with a valid concern.  I acknowledged the valid points and threw in my common, "I will never take away the processes with which you feel comfortable.  I will give you better options to supplement your current practices."  I leave out the part that I seldom have the authority to take anything away.

Reflecting on that interaction, I felt grateful for the But.  I learned a long time ago that it doesn't matter how elegant I think my solutions are.  The audience embracing them is the most important metric.  Those who understand this fundamental not only welcome feedback, but promote it and act on it. Consistently.

Which took me my next mental step.  I have to be unmistakably clear that I want, I need, feedback.  I want their Buts.   (I'm already in danger here.   I obviously cannot say that.)

I've set up a number of feedback channels, and I not only need to promote their use, I want to promote a change in mindset. 

"Your feedback drives everything we will build for you."  Clean? Yes.  Clear?  YES.  Catchy?  No.  Memorable? No.  Impact?  Little to none.

Can I come up with a meme that is Catchy, Memorable, Chantable, and Impactful?  Absolutely.  The challenge is keeping a meeting with HR from being the sole impact in a very short meme-life.

The bulk of an engineering company is the engineers.  The few engineers who drift over to the dark side - process improvement - are often viewed by the "real engineers" as freaks.  You know: nuts.  But we "nuts" need the feedback to serve effectively.

Introducing "Buts to Nuts" as an aspirational cultural paradigm shift mantra?  I've already killed it. Which is too bad, because it would have been effective and it would have been fun.  It would have had legs.

The need is there.  We've got new ready-to-adopt Infrastructure is in place with multiple channels of making it very easy to get feedback to the folks capable of making change.   

But promotion and adoption are going to go slower unless I come up with something innocuous that goes viral (the corporate version of viral, of course, which means "not immediately forgotten").   And inocolations kill viruses.  

If you're still reading (thank you, and remember, you're only here because of the edgy hook of the title), this would be fun and quick:  Comment on what the appropriate punishment (clearly, there would be punishment) if:

I sent an email to a valid firmwide audience (those in need of responsive service) of, say, around 1000 people, promoting adoption processes and staff, describing the new infrastructure in place and the ease of which their feedback submitted - but I titled the email "Buts to Nuts - Easy, Responsive Advancement".

To be clear I will do NO SUCH THING (well, not again).

I'd ask for alternate titles, but that's way too much risk for a few shared laughs.

Feedback welcome. 

Cheers.

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Parent Category: Leadership

Category: Insight