August company: In the thinking corner with KPIs

“Oh! Mommy is fan-girling again.”

Indeed. I didn’t have to look up the meaning of yet another word from teenage vernacular, I knew they must be referring to my religious attendance of the “Friday Fireside Chats” hosted by Rita McGrath. It’s one of the rituals I picked up during the pandemic.

Rita McGrath , of course, the longtime Columbia Business School Professor who is a best-selling author, top management thinker and one of the world’s experts on innovation and growth. I, being an innovation practitioner, have read all her books including the most recent one Seeing Around Corners: How to Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen . As someone engaged in identifying problems to solve, it is always enlightening to read about the latest management philosophies, growth strategies and organizational tactics to help understand and predict emerging needs and trends. Her work and her wisdom resonate, and so does the weekly webinar with insightful exchanges between Rita and her luminary guests. These are top thinkers, leading experts, and thought leaders.

“Aren’t you one?”

“I am what?”

A “thought leader?” So, are you going to be on it?”

“On what?”

“Her fireside chat..what else!”

“Are you kidding me! This is Rita McGrath… and do you even know who her guests are?’

“Well, I don’t know… but she should have you.”

I shook my head and went back to listening - but couldn’t shake off the feeling – she done raised the bar on me …ugh-gain.

And she didn’t stop there! “Well… what happened to your you-can-do-anything-if-you-put-your-mind-to-it. Yeah Mommy?”

Tables were turned…I was in a corner.

Yes, I have always told my kids, and my mentees…and yes, myself… that anything is possible.

It’s impossible! said the imposter. It had already come out of the dark corner and invaded my mind-space.

Turning the corner

This month, I was on Rita’s Fireside chat ! It was a dream come true. Truth be told, it was also a good exercise in quieting the imposter and revving up my virtuous cycle to make this milestone possible. I needed to remind myself of the value of information gathered over the years as a STEM innovation practitioner, the keen insights into the culture, processes and leadership to support innovation and the intuition sharpened through this journey. It validated that we can all have a perspective, and all perspectives matter, especially if they offer unique insights and creative solutions.?

Among the many topics we touched upon, we discussed 3M culture of innovation and empowerment and my perspective on how to bolster and sustain it. We talked about the importance of the human context in science, innovation and leadership, and the integration of Humanities in STEM .?I also got to share my approach to innovation and finding problems to solve - what I call my “mosaic building ” process. It was an honor to have David Epstein write about this in his book Range . I also talked about the intentional approach to innovation amidst this time of change during the pandemic. And as it relates to the pandemic, I did assure the listeners that science is having its moment , it is in the forefront and we need to sustain that momentum and sense of hope . We also talked about our efforts at 3M to understand the global perception of science through 3M State of Science Index and our science advocacy platform.

Around the corner

Our advocacy platform, its history and how we continue to build it, was also a topic of discussion when I was invited on the ‘Leveraging Thought Leadership ’ podcast. In this podcast Steve Winick and Bill Sherman talk to guests about best practices in what they refer to as the “business of thought leadership.” Bill’s guests typically dig deep into organizational thought leadership “professionals who create, curate, and deploy thought leadership on their organization’s behalf.”

The meaning of “thought leader” designation or distinction or label is often debated and perhaps rightfully so. At some level every leader is, or should be, a thought leader because leaders are expected to develop a perspective or point of view about a trend or issue or challenge and need to influence others with associated ideas and insights. By most definitions thought leadership is not about selling products and service. In my thinking, it’s about empathy, education and engagement with an issue or trend that many care about, and the ability to raise awareness, foster conversation, and move forward with credibility and authenticity.

We talked about the motivation behind 3M State of Science Index (SOSI) and many of our activities geared towards solutions as we uncover the public perception of science. With the pandemic related challenges the world currently faces, and the sustainability challenges that are ahead of us, science has a prominent role to play. We need to advocate for science. And we need to advocate for diversity in science. I shared my own personal story and coming into the role of chief science advocate and how my own struggles, my journey and my experiences in raising kids has shaped my approach to advocacy. We talked about the recent 3M docuseries “Not the Science type ” inspired by SOSI results.?The public agrees we need to do more to encourage women and underrepresented minorities in STEM . The pandemic has pushed women around the world into a tight corner given its disproportionate impact in many ways.

Of walls and corner

All in all, this month I feel truly fortunate to have had the opportunity to share my thoughts at some prestigious forums and learn from the esteemed company. I feel blessed to be able to say what needs to be said, to provide perspective and a potential path forward, and to proactively pull people in. The 3M State of Science Index, and my own experiences as a STEM professional driving innovation within a large organization, have given rich content that I can authentically speak to. These are relevant topics with far-reaching implications and currently top of mind for many. It is great to see that our ideas and insights provide a perspective and the point of view from my own vantage point resonates with many. It inspires me to continue to take initiative with the incredible opportunity I have been given to share my thoughts and lead for impact outside the four walls of my not-so-corner office.?

How do we know if we are being successful? Bill asked this great question that we think about a lot- how do you measure success? What are the KPIs, the Key Performance Indicators, for this thought leadership platform? There are quantitative metrics and qualitative content that we can and do review from an organizational standpoint. As for me, personally, I am in the long game and even if we can change one mind, influence one life and alter the trajectory of one journey, I consider it a success. I am focusing on the context, inspired by the vision and committed to the outcome. I do have KPIs, it’s my own process that I hold myself accountable for – am I gathering the knowledge around this topic, am I developing a credible point of view that merits attention, and am I taking initiative and sharing my perspective to foster a conversation. And am I out there leading change with thoughts…and following it up with action. ?I don’t cut corners on these metrics – my KPIs!

Knowledge or knowhow or research… that you can authentically own

Point of view that merits attention… vantage point that makes it insightful

Initiative to inform, influence, inspire… and have impact

Share and socialize … simply putting yourself out there

This month, it was also great to talk about my book “The Heart of Science: Engineering Footprints, Fingerprints & Imprints ” in these engagements and it was exciting to share that we have sold enough copies for the first scholarship for a woman of color in STEM to be administered by Society of Women Engineers this fall ! A simple thought… that led to tangible action and satisfying results. Action and resulting success go a long way in confidently quieting the imposter.

My family too was excited that I was able to make it happen.

“But don’t expect me to fan-girl you!” said my daughter.

(No… not yet! But I know it’s coming…we might be at an inflection point. I am seeing around the corners ??)