A terrible revelation

Don’t you hate when you discover something really unflattering about yourself?

I’m growing to love it more and more. Becoming a Sophist. Know thyself. (<- there is a difference between Sophistry and Socrates…)

I realised I love to speak at conferenes, and I hate to go to them. Because I tend to dislike anyone on a stage talking to me about my profession. So, if I were in my own audience, would I hate me? I probably would.

Starting to feel a bit like A Scanner Darkly here.

I would say I actually learn something new perhaps 1 in 3 times I go to or speak at one of these things. I don’t mean that arrogantly, and I know it might sound that way. I have a lot to learn. I just don’t think I’ll learn it at conferences. Is it the conference industry? The same speakers, topics, case studies, over and over again? The people who are better at getting speaking gigs than they are at creating insghtful, innovative work?

(That reminds me of a conversation I once overheard in an elevator at a major investment bank I did an interim internal communications role for years ago. Some younger-than-me people had just left their influencing workshop. A very excited guy, well, ejaculated in the proper English sense of the word: “The great thing is, this means that even if your idea isn’t as good you can still get your way!”)

The older I get, the more I realise this is true.

Filed under: Employee engagement, brand engagement, digital engagement, employee communication, internal communication, internal marketing, organisational communication