Presentation recap.
Thursday, April 1, 2010 at 6:50AM Here is how it all went down. Mind you, I tend to feel a bit like the Oracle at Delphi after I speak in front of a group. Not so much for the wisdom I may have imparted, but for the fact that I can't recall much of what I said. I guess it was pretty good stuff, though.
I kicked it off with a little dig at myself for being a difficult speaker to manage. As late as Monday, when the program coordinator was trying to gently wrangle some specific examples out of me, I was reticent. I suppose there is a bit of John Wallace in me--I don't like to sound scripted or over-rehearsed. I'm very much a game-time performer.
And, so, to my riddle:
Q. What do you get when you put an auditor and a novelist together to create a business presentation?
A. One really nervous auditor.
The auditors in the room liked it. It was kind of a risk, but it worked. And that was appropriate for my talk, which ended up being more about risk management (who knew?) than accountability. Because, really, they're pretty tightly linked. Or at least they should be.
When the dust had settled (and literally, because at one point, the side door to the terrace blew open; never one to be upstaged by the vagaries of nature, I handily welcomed the prophet Elijah and directed him to the empty seat--complete with untouched meal--at my table and then continued my discussion).
Anyway, when the dust had settled, my main point ended up thus: When put in groups, people think about accountability the wrong way and at the wrong time. Accountability tends to be expressed in terms of blame; we never hear, "Who's accountable for this?" [Smiling] "I want to shake her hand!"
Think Congressional hearings with finance and auto executives being verbally eviscerated by squeaky-clean and oh-so-upstanding legislators. Saracasm aside, my concern is that we become afraid to take risks when accountability is all about wrongdoing and blame and punishment.
My advice? Flip it. Take charge. Add accountability to the front end of decision-making. That's what I do, and it's quite liberating. I'm less afraid to take risks and make choices, once I acknowledge that the outcome may be something other than what I'm trying to achieve. A couple of really negative work experiences led me to fear risk-taking and even decision-making. It took some serious introspection to overcome it. But I did. If nothing else, publishing WHOSS was an incredible exercise in self-fulfillment and thoughtful risk-taking. I believe the one-word summary is "empowering."
I concluded by encouraging the women in attendance to model this behavior at work (and at home, for that matter). It's a grass-roots effort. It will take some time, but the reward is worth it.
There. I think that was it. If anyone can recall anything else, please post a comment. I'm still somewhat fuzzy. It was a great experience. What a fantastic group.
Reader Comments (2)
At risk of sounding incredibly superficial, you looked absolutely fantastic. You're a gifted presenter, very natural and people can relate to you. I loved it that the whole room laughed at the parts I laughed at, and that often my tablemates would catch eyes and nod in agreement. I'm so glad I was there.
Oh, I'll take superficial. Some days, that's all I have going for me. ;-)
Thanks, Stasa. Thanks for being there and for always supporting me.