X

The Gates Foundation | Inspiring The Grant Givers

gatesfoundation

This time last week I was in Seattle delivering some social media goodness to the Education programme team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

I presented for 90mins on the shift of the media landscape (with particular attention to young people) and explored how social creates many opportunities to engage with a wider audience. After that I lead a 90mins roundtable with the senior exec team to talk strategy adoption, and finally a half days training to about thirty of the staff (at their newly opened campus).

The feedback was positive:

It was a good day.

There was lots of discussion with individuals / groups about how they could use some of the ideas / platforms directly in their work—here’s a few of the ‘big’ ideas shared :

  • it’s more reveal than conceal—a challenge to share the process not product of the organisations endeavours;
  • be human—the brand is so well known it has a danger of becoming faceless through some of its communication;
  • engage—I challenged them to think about the following : what if all you could do was comment on other content out there (adding weight and value to it) rather than creating your own? This would in part enable more directive messaging plus leave lots of digital breadcrumbs;
  • play—how, as an organisation, are they creating the time and space to learn by stealth

Obviously, all of the above could apply to many sectors / organisations / brands.

Personally, the biggest takeaway was that size doesn’t matter when it comes to exploring the social landscape. Sure, the context is slightly different between clients but the aims and mechanics are the same. It comes down to one thing, your appreciation and insight to anything is greater increased if you become an active user rather than a passive observer.

My function is to either move people closer to that outcome and / or lower the barrier to entry (based on their attitudes and ideas to embracing it).

It was an stupendously humbling experience to work with a collective with brains / pedigrees the size of planets and here’s hoping I get a return invite…

Published

Reach Beyond Your Grasp

make something awesome

The following message I wrote to myself after a thirteen hour flight from LA to Auckland, just after 6am in the morning and still digesting the fact I had just emigrated to the other side of the planet

“It’s time to to be the humble-peaceful-hungry-for-life-warrior you deserve to be; this is the place to become that bonfire and dare the world to put you out!

To be open to new experiences, to give people all the goodness you have, to treat smiles as the currency needed and to challenge yourself to always reach further than your grasp.

Be mindful of your actions (and others) and their intents. Be graceful and aim to make others shine (even if it dulls your own talents).

Above all, make people think / smile.”

Image taken during a tour of the Googleplex
Published

TEDxOverlake Reflections And Thoughts

tedxoverlake

The TEDxOverlake was everything a TEDx event should be : inspiring, challenging, personal, educational, awakening…

Here’s the experience summed up in a glorious Twitter technicolour :

#tedxol over – brain melted – soul ignited – heart overflowing… thanks to all involved!less than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhone Favorite Retweet Reply

I was invited to attend as a back-up speaker (never got on stage as everyone turned up), but the ones who left a permanent mark in my head / heart from the great lineup were :

  • Merilee Wilmore—how even without a traditional education you can have something to teach and share. Provided a great question around what is more important : what you know or who you are?;
  • August de los Reyes—stated that everything we design is alive. There were other gems plus the fantastic quote at the end of this blog post;
  • Christian Long—provocative and engaging. Reminding us all to ‘fall in love an go’ and how failure is a way forward;
  • Susan Scott—wicked thoughts along the lines of ‘leadership is not a title but a behaviour’ plus how radical optimism and transparency would transform organisations;
  • Krissy Moehl—honest, heartfelt, triumphant (in her achievements of ultra-trail running);
  • Alex Kummert—was fortunate enough to share a giggle with Alex over lunch, then he gets on stage and blows my sides off with stories of how comedy has taught him valuable and life-long lessons;
  • Dr. Gary R. Gruber —calling upon seven decades of learning Dr Gruber was a perfect final speaker, leaving us with a wonderful challenge to ‘pay attention to the sacredness of human beings’.

Many thanks again to Greg, Ryan and Megham for hosting / organising the fantastic event (plus the other wonderful backstage peeps).

“The future is a race between education and catastrophe.”
H.G. Wells

UPDATE: All videos are now live

Published