Learning To Live in a Jake 2.0 World

I have recently redesigned my web site. Stay tuned for the actual unveiling. (Btw, does anyone know why getting a web site revised or up and running takes longer than the gestation period of an elephant? For those who haven’t studied the baby making habits of these 5-ton creatures, it’s 22 months. That’s the longest of any land animal. Check the link out if you’re a doubting Thomas type.

Change doesn’t come easily. The new web site is part of a whole new way of working for me. Despite (or is it because of?) my extended labor of love with the site, I’m excited by the prospects of “Jake 2.0.” The web site is going to be a pretty lively place. There will be a steady stream of new articles, video-casts, webinar links, delicious tags, Twitter tweets (that’s code for sending Twitter messages), Facebook, LinkedIn updates, snapshots from client events, and lots of other useful, interesting stuff.

I’ve talked with colleagues about my foray into this new world of social networking. Most concerned about disappearing down the Looking Glass have said, “That sounds interesting. I don’t know how you have the time for all of it.” And that’s just the point. I have been counseling my clients for years: the more they make change work real work and real work change work, the faster they’ll be living in their preferred future. So….I decided to take my own advice. My social networking is not another item on a long list of “to do’s” on my daily list. It is as much a part of the list as consulting, calling colleagues, reading (and getting on a plane).

I’ve found an unexpected benefit from what my wife recently referred to as my “communicative” days. Having this blog, making regular status updates on Facebook and LinkedIn, and “tweeting” have all become triggers for me to capture what I’m thinking and learning. They also have all made it possible for more of “Me” to show up in the world.

When I read an interesting article like I did recently in Business Week on Leadership After Layoffs, I share it with others on twitter. Listening to my daughter talk about how she is building her equine business in this tough economy becomes raw material for a blog post. Reflecting on what I’ve learned about creating fast and lasting change leads to a Learning Series on Real Time Strategic Change. Knowing that the new web site needs fresh content encourages me to capture lessons I’m learning in articles. Sending out a regular newsletter reminds me to let others know about presentations I’m making and causes I care about.

“Going out on Front Street,” as my mentor Kathie Dannemiller used to say, is a great way to get clear. You don’t have to get involved with all this social networking stuff to put yourself out there (though I can promise you it’s a great way to do it). Think about the next meeting you’re in. The next conference call you’re on. The next e-mail you write. The more of “You” that shows up in each of those situations, they’ll clearer you’ll be. And the more value you’ll add for others.