Getting the hang of leading small things

Posted on July 24th, 2010 by Sacha Chua

I’m working on an expertise location pilot for a group of IBMers around the world. My team members are focused on other priorities, so I volunteered to handle most of the work. I sometimes get confused because I don’t have the experience or context they have. Drafting plans, messages, and presentations helps me think through the pilot and get their feedback.

On Monday, I led the launch call. I explained the structure of the pilot, demonstrated the tool, handled questions, and identified the next actions.

Leading an initiative – even a small one like this – can be intimidating. I’m really glad my team members can help me learn all these skills. I’m learning how to plan and follow up. I’m learning how to communicate. I’m learning how to measure and report.

Sometimes I feel like such a beginner. Looking back, though, it’s pretty incredible what we’ve been able to do: scale up and transform Idea Labs, improve our expertise location processes, organize our information and our methods… I’m getting the hang of work.

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Short URL: http://sachachua.com/blog/p/7269

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