EMC Innovation Conference Aftermath: An Environment of Trust
01 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: innovation, tips, trust
After an inspiring day at the EMC Innovation Conference, I began to realize that we are all surrounded with brilliance. The woman who was talking about some quantum-physics style algorithm (or something like that), the presenter who spoke about a nametag that could offer an analysis of your interaction via body language and the like, the EMC Innovation award winner who has a plan for global mentoring…..and so many more.
Brilliance surrounds us, but I wonder how much of it we recognize. Conversely, how much of it goes unnoticed?
EMC’s VP of HR talked about trust being the key driver of innovation. Trust to state an opinion, even if it opposes the norm; trust to make a stand and persist in the face of naysayers, trust that when you fail you may not be applauded but you will be encouraged to continue pursuing both your career and other great ideas.
Here are my quick tips on trust, gathered from 20+ years in corporate environments.:
- Know your group. Not a quick ‘hello’ in the morning that you learned in a management class, but via (minimum) weekly 1:1 meetings. In really trusting organizations, you don’t even need the scheduled meetings because you collaborate on a daily basis.
- Play to your, and your team’s strengths. Find out what folks love to do, and let them do it. Even if it’s in addition to their ‘day’ jobs, if there’s a passion it will be done.
- Laugh at yourself, not others. We all have our quirks, sharing a good laugh that doesn’t involved laughing AT anyone but yourself is a great tension reliever and builds trust
- Keep secrets secret. Really. If you’re told something in confidence, NEVER repeat it. If you hear it six more times, from six different people, get really good at putting that surprised expression on your face and saying, “You’re kidding!”
- Share the plan. We all have one, whether it’s our own career development or the evolution of our organization. Let people know what the current thoughts are, and where they might fit in. If you aspire to a different role, share your plan…..once. Make it known, give it a chance, and then move on if it doesn’t happen. No use bitching about it and bringing everyone else down.
Simple thoughts that require zero time in a management immersion experience 
