I posted about  about Kim Cameron’s Personal Management Interview Programme last week as the idea seemed simple and full of potential. Following this I read this post from Don Ledingham’s Learning Log. Don is Acting Director of Education and Childrens’ Services for East Lothian – a  beautiful area to the east of Edinburgh and where we lived when our children were at primary school age. 

Don’s idea of having weekly meetings to which he will invite groups of people within the service he heads to talk to him again sounds like one of those ideas that are so simple that you have to wonder why more people are not working this way.

And then I thought back to opportunities that came up for me in the past to speak with someone  who had the overall view, the power to make changes and the ( apparent) desire to listen to me.  Personally I took this at face value and contributed when asked. But so many people are wary about  saying something that might “come back to haunt them” which means that they either did not take the chance to speak or contributed a diluted version of what they really wanted to say.

OK – that comment must be taken in context. Some leaders are really great listeners who use what they hear to make beneficial changes or to build more on the already good stuff. Much depends on how they are viewed by their people- and that  pretty much comes down to trust and rapport. So a leader whom most of the workforce would not recognise if they bumped into them will have a bit more work to do than someone  who “walks the talk”.

I know that Don is out and about in his role. How can I know that? Well he has been blogging for a couple of years. What he does, thinks and where he has been is there for anyone to see – including employees for whom he is ultimately responsible.

The new way of “walking the talk” – there must be a Web 2.0 phrase for that! I am looking forward to reading more about how his idea pans out.