Quick reminder: I'm Tom Critchlow and this is my email newsletter where I talk about independent strategy consulting, blogging and more.
Back in December one of my posts hit the homepage of Hacker News:
Yes! And... How to be effective in the theatre of work. That single post drove more than half of the subscribers on this email list (hi! welcome!).
Since then I've continued the series. Catch up here:
- How to be effective in the theatre of work
- Optimism as an Operating System
- Blocking & Unblocking Clients
And yesterday I just published the fourth part of the series:
Navigating Power & Status: How to get things done inside organizations by understanding power potholes and status switching
The archetype of "consultant" is usually one of the intellectual - someone who walks into an organization and
*solves problems by being smart*. In my own work however, and increasingly in my writing, I'm discovering that this archetype is flawed and counterproductive.
Instead of problem solving - we should strive for
capacity building: creating new capabilities with clients. This stance is by default more collaborative, longer term and more foundational.
And - it requires being able to actually get things done!
But... Anyone who's tried to get things done inside an organization knows that undercurrents of power, status and influence dictate who is able to get things done, which teams have favor, buy-in and more.
So - that's what this piece is all about. It's about navigating power & status inside a client's organization. Sensemaking, listening, watching and ultimately engaging with status transactions across the org.
It's long but I hope it's useful for you:
Read it here: Yes! And... part 4: Navigating Power & Status
This book project is picking up momentum. I just redesigned the book outline on my site (including listing all the unwritten drafts!) so if you're looking for the best place to "see" the book
start here.
Maybe next email I'll be ready to walk through some of the publishing options on the table......
With love
Tom
