Lindsey Rainwater, also known as Lindsey RainH2O, is a sought-after business consultant, leadership coach, writer and presenter to the fitness and wellness industry. For more information about Rainwater, follow her on Twitter @LindseyRainH2O
"Why modern organizations must move beyond a simple alignment of IT with business practices, to a complete, corporate-wide embrace of digital technology and all that it entails." -Digital Outliers Podcast
If you're a manager or leader, how many times have you been met with the phrase "That's not my job", I cringe at the thought of being on the receiving end of that statement. Regardless of how short sighted it might be, people can demonstrate the tendency to compartmentalize their role or job into the title they are given. If you're in sales, you're not in marketing, if you're in operations, you're not in sales. My opinion is that this is a dying idea, one that is starting to become an expression of past.
The employee of the future might have a specialty of sorts but over all demonstrates a well rounded acumen that addresses many different roles and is a closer cousin of that of an entrepreneur.
The driver behind this shift in thinking is technology, and not just "tech", I am talking about the way that the internet of everything is increasingly the way of the future. In the old world IT has historically been the driver on any initiative concerning tech and how the company will deploy their strategies relative to technology. In today's evolving world it is important that if you want to be the best sales person, you have to also be a fantastic marketer. Not to mention a tremendous relationship builder that is also dynamic at demonstrating how technology impacts their role. A successful sales person today can not rely solely on their in person charm, their own personal Omni Chanel must demonstrate a through line so that what they present digitally is also the in person experience.
On this topic there are many thought leaders inside the fitness industry, my good friend Bryan O'Rourke and Rasmus Ingerslev are two outrageously awesome thought leaders to watch on these topics. Likewise, two thought leaders I admire outside the Fitness Industry are Brian Solis and Didier Bonnet, these two do a stellar job articulating this concept in a concise and easy to understand way.
In one of Mr. Brian Solis's most recent podcasts, Digital Outliers he spoke with Didier Bonnet (@didiebon), Senior Vice-President and Global Practice Leader at Capgemini Consulting and the co author of one of my favorite books, Leading digital. I have listened to the podcast about a dozen times at this point because the message was so well articulated that It has to be shared here. I am so impressed with Didier and Brian's dialog and ability to articulate such a complex topic so succinctly. Click here or on the link below to listen.
“Digital Transformation is really a business transformation driven by the current digital wave. If you can not get your workforce to adapt to this change, then your program will fail... the people side of the digital transformation is still as valued as any transformation, that’s where the big block is... the technology side is not the most difficult thing to change, the people change within the organizational change is the far more difficult to pull off. “”
At the end of the day, the responsibly as individuals is to round out our skills to reflect today's world. This is a wonderful opportunity for growth for many.
What do you think? Check out the podcast and let me know, how are you and your organization adjusting to the dissolving IT roles and adapting to the new world?
Lindsey Rainwater, also known as Lindsey RainH2O, is a sought-after business consultant, leadership coach, writer and presenter to the fitness and wellness industry. For more information about Rainwater, follow her on Twitter @LindseyRainH2O
One of my favorite people, Bryan K. O’Rourke, often says “You can't put lipstick on a pig.” In context here, if you've got big problems in your organization, adding technology systems to solve for those problems is like adding gasoline to the fire.
With a tremendous amount of possibilities to consider and platforms to evaluate, how does one decide what technology enhancements are right for their business? I will tell you this, in many cases it doesn’t have to do with what you would think.
If you want to realize what technology to add to your business you have to start with looking at the heart of your business and evaluate your vision and what you are solving for.
A fantastic starting place is answering the following questions: “Why are we here? What are we doing? Who are we serving?” Get the business plan in place (or revised) to then provide you with the content to which you want to add technology. The goal is to use technology to enhance your purpose, not hinder your progress.
Just like in the fitness industry we are seeing clubs sell wearable devices like FitBit’s at their front desk. And while that's not a bad idea, without a plan as to why you're providing a FitBit and what part of your business objectives this fits into, the FitBit might as well just be batteries or gum. However in contrast, do you remember many years ago when 24 hour fitness launched the body bug, it was a part of their entire infrastructure, programming, and marketing strategy. It infiltrated the clubs and provided their trainers with a system to track their clients calorie burn, and food in-take. It was truly woven into the fabric of the entire operational plan; it wasn't just positioned at the front desk as a product add-on to membership. See the difference?
Creating a vision, a “why,” and a context to what it is that you want technology to accomplish for you, and then layering the system on top of that is truly the best way to garner the best results. Like Mr Einstein says, We can not create new solutions from the same perspective that helped us create the mess, paraphrasing his message, and, if we really want to create change we have to get to the root of what the new thing is we want to create.
Ultimately, technology is a tool, not a one size fits all solution. When you have a plan in place, technology can and will propel your business forward. Business leaders must demonstrate the patience required to consider what they are wanting to use the technology for to truly know what to use.
If you would like to talk on this topic, send me a note, I would be happy to go over your plan with you!
Lindsey Rainwater, also known as Lindsey RainH2O, is a sought-after business consultant, leadership coach, writer and presenter to the fitness and wellness industry. For more information about Rainwater, follow her on Twitter@LindseyRainH2O
"Be the CEO of your own life. Raise hell. Let the chips fall where they may. It'll never be easier to change jobs than it is today." -Keith Ferrazzi, Never Eat Alone
I am reading a book right now, correction, I am listening to a book on Audible that I am IN LOVE with! I sent out a tweet two weeks ago asking a few of my friends (Tamara McCleary and Amy Schmittauer) if they had any books they love, I had just gotten through my last round of recommended reading and wanted a fresh idea. The reply came back, Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferazzi, and Tamara chimed in that he is in fact the real deal, good guy. I promptly downloaded and got to listening. I have a habit of listening to books and podcasts audibly each morning while I workout, I totally recommend this method of intaking information. So, the book, I can not believe I didn't know about it sooner! I am a long time fan of "How to win friends and influence people" by Dale Carnegie and my experience of Farazzi's book is it reads like a current day catch up, expanded version of Carnegie's classic! Hats off to you Keith, love the message.
I want to share what I was listening to yesterday during my morning workout because this concept is one that radically shook up my life up a few years ago and I appreciated that Keith wrote about this idea. I wish I could remember who told me this, or if i woke up thinking it, but here is what happened. I connected the dots between how my life was going and the passive or active way I was approaching my circumstances. Practically: I needed to "promote myself" or begin behaving to the level I was wanting to achieve, I needed to be the CEO of my own life.
If my life is going anything other than how I would like it to be, the only person to blame is me! If I don't LIKE the way something is going, I need to handle that circumstance as if I was the CEO of my company, as Keith puts it "me inc."
Once this message began to click for me, I realized if I was not happy with a doctor, practitioner or even fair weather friend, in my life, I need to fire them! And find someone that did align with what I was wanting. The idea of being the CEO of my own life is that of taking charge of what I want in my personal life and seeing all of my encounters as opportunities to make decisions that align with my greater purpose.
Yesterday, when I was listening to what Keith had to say on the topic and reflecting about my own experiences, it is most relevant to share a few of Keith's tips that were also my experiences.
Here are two places to start when you do decide to promote yourself to CEO!
Do not ask for permission, you do not need anyone to say it's OK to take charge of your life, it is actually entirely up to you and if you do not take charge, do not be mad when nothing happens. It is my observation that it can be very easy to sit back and wait for things to happen for you without taking action. Good things don't come easy, lots of people say, I like to think that my willingness to put in the effort is what matters most, and if I want something, my energy towards that goal is what usually determines what happens. My willingness to grab the steering will, put my foot on the gas pedal and GO without waiting for someone to say "the light is green" is what allows for my success. We all have something to share that is valuable, so, green means go! Go start telling people how you can help them.
“To become a brand, you’ve got to become relentlessly focused on what you do that adds value. I promise you can add value to whatever job you’re doing now.””
The truth is, perception is reality ,what you project is how people will perceive you. Knowing that, how do you want to represent yourself? I think what Keith says really sums it up.
“Lets be real, image counts, so whatever your look, take time to think it through. What is your appearance telegraphing to others? There is one general, overarching caveat in this step: stand out! Style matters. Whether you like it or not, clothing, letterheads, hairstyles, business cards, office space and conversational style are noticed- big time. The design of your brand is critical.”
In order to promote yourself to the CEO of your own life, the requirement is a genuine desire to be responsible for what happens in your life. Passive measures do not yield great results in my life and when i am actively engaged and putting effort into my dreams, they in-fact do come true.
Have you read the book? Never eat alone? Please send me a note, I would love to have a conversation (virtual book club call) with you about your findings and compare notes! click here to connect
Lindsey Rainwater, also known as Lindsey RainH2O, is a sought-after business consultant, leadership coach, writer and presenter to the fitness and wellness industry. For more information about Rainwater, follow her on Twitter@LindseyRainH2O