The Lone Ranger: Managing the Ups and Downs of One-Person Offices and Small Teams

Confab for non-profits

Transcript

1. The Lone ranger Managing the Ups and Downs of One-Person Offices & Small Teams @ronbronson #confabNP
2. the lonesome path
3. #SOLOPROBLEmS What are common issues faced by small teams & solos?
4. ‣ INDEPENDENCE ‣ FEWER STEPS TO GETTING THINGS DONE ‣ ABLE TO TRY NEW IDEAS ‣ ADAPTABILITY/NIMBLENESS ‣ LEARN A VARIETY OF SKILLSETS ‣ NEVER A DULL MOMENT the ups…
5. ‣ NOT ENOUGH HOURS IN A DAY ‣ HARD TO GET BUY-IN FOR MAJOR PROJECTS ‣ NOT BEING SURE WHERE TO START ‣ HAVING TO WEAR LOTS OF DIFFERENT HATS ‣ BEING TAKEN FOR GRANTED ‣ NOT A LOT OF UPWARD MOBILITY ‣ STAGNATION THE DOWNS…
6. the dilemma imagine how much faster you’d get somewhere if you could drive 100 mph
7. How do you do “all the things” without all the budget? all the time? all the personnel?
8. SPOILER ALERT: 
 YOU DON’T
9. In this era of austerity, we’re all being asked to do more with less.
10. Strategize. Prioritize. Execute. Measure.
 Evaluate. the keys
11. Our future prosperity depends on the quality of our collective imaginations. ! Eric Ries, “The Lean Startup”
12. YOU BETTER RECOGNIZE… INSTEAD OF TRYING TO BE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. LEVERAGE YOUR BEST SELF TO MOVE IDEAS FORWARD OR IMAGINE NEW ONES.
13. make your bed everyday. If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another. And by the end of the day that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. -U.S. Navy Adm. William H. McCraven
14. RECRUIT ALLIES one person can’t do it alone. even if you want to.
15. FORGIVE FAILURE. The corollary to accountability is forgiveness. Things go wrong all the time in relationships, and the healthiest ones move on from them, leaving behind grudges and blame. This is not to say that failure is accepted; rather, that it is acknowledged and understood. ! Charlene Li, Open Leadership: How Social Technology Can Transform the Way You Lead
16. PICK 
 YOUR BATTLES NOT EVERY BATTLE IS YOURS TO FIGHT.
17. “The more people are involved in a given task, the more potential agreements need to be negotiated to do anything, and the greater the transaction costs.” ! Clay Shirky, Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations
18. ONE TASK AT A TIME
19. “We tend to design companies the way we design machines: We need the company to perform a certain function, so we design and build it to perform that function. ! Over time, things change. The company grows beyond a certain point. New systems are needed.” ! Dave Gray, The Connected Company
20. EVANGELIZE take OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE YOUR MESSAGE.
21. avoid shiny objects you don’t have time for that. seriously.
22. CELEBRATE big wins. small wins. all wins deserve praise.
23. Resist the need to know it all. (Even when it feels like you need to…)
24. trust those with boots on the ground
25. One idea can impact the entire organization.
26. But only if You speak up
27. YOUR TAKEOUT BOX
28. ‣ RESIST THE URGE TO DO IT ALL ‣ Even superheroes get help. ‣ STRATEGY IS EVERYONE’S JOB ‣ If you’re in charge, listen. ‣ If you’re not in charge, speak up more. ‣ SHOWCASE YOUR WORK. ‣ COMMUNICATE! ‣ TURN YOUR LABOR OF LOVE INTO A CRUSADE. ‣ STRATEGIZE. PRIORITIZE. EXECUTE. MEASURE. EVALUATE. takeaways…
29. questions? ON YOUR TWITTER MACHINE: @ronbronson