X.commerce Innovate Conference: will you be there?

Carolyn Mellor, who we met at Jono Bacon et al's Community Leadership Summit, is the rockstar behind X.commerce, the PayPal+eBay+Magento commerce platform. At CLS, she told the Causeit team about the upcoming X.commerce Innovate conference coming up October 12/13/14 of this year, which has great tracks and an impressive speaker list.

Check out their innovative use of their conference-promo site crazy-brilliant, too—they've looped in a simple hashtag-scraping tool in a slick interface to prompt conversation and a thumbs-up/down about the emerging ideas of commerce which people are tweeting about.

Plan to see Matt, Jeremy and MJ at Innovate, and check in as we'll likely be blogging and tweeting a lot at the conference. We'll put our intended schedules up as we get a bit closer.

Divisive Language

Of the ten virtuous act spoken of in Buddhism, 
four are verbal: not to lie, not to engage in divisive talk,
not to speak harsh words, and not to engage in frivolous conversation.

 —The 14th Dalai Lama

In business, it's often easy to focus on what we perceive to be broken or wrong. Instead of focusing on what's wrong, try looking at what works and what could work better. From that lens, what might transform in you conversations with other team members? What could you acknowledge them for producing?

There is a value of the Causeit vision which seems quite apropos to His Holiness' comments. In a recent retreat, we declared: 

Our conversations are about works or what doesn't work in servive of profoundly important visions; we don't dwell in the old paradigms of right/wrong, good/bad, blame, fault, guilt or shame.

What could you adopt in your organization to build consensus around a value of generous, compassionate communication that also produces the results you're committed to?

Working with Social Privilege

If you had to go online today to find a photo that represents your company or business team, how easy would it be? Could you simply search for “business” on a stock photo site? How many words would you have to add to find a picture of someone in your profession who resembles you? In what circumstance would it be easier, or harder? Whether it is finding a photo, talking comfortably with co-workers about your personal life, or simply feeling safe or welcome in the neighborhood of your office, the degree of ease or difficulty you experience in any of these scenarios could be the result of social privilege.

The term “social privilege” is used to explain a phenomenon where unearned advantages are awarded to people in a dominant social group. Presumptions of innocence, credibility, or competence are all advantages of social privilege. Though it may seem to be an uncomfortable topic, it is important to realize that privilege has broad-reaching benefitsCauseit had to search for quite some time to find this photo on a popular stock photo site. Why is it so hard to find women of power in images? Look at the photographer's mindset and the buyer's assumptions. and disadvantages for everyone. People in the United States who are identified as being a part of the dominant group of white, male, heterosexuals are still subject to the effects of oppression, even if only because of how narrow thinking can be in places without diverse contributors.

Privilege is not always visible. In addition to race, gender, and sexual orientation there are a number of other assumptions that we may hold in everyday interactions with others.  Our ideas about family structure, class, and mental health may disadvantage or privilege others in our eyes based on what we think we know about them. When privilege is further examined as an intricate web of experiences and interactions, almost everyone can see places in their lives where they feel either accepted or othered as a result of cultural presumptions.

At Causeit we do not see social privilege as good or bad, but we acknowledge that it exists and has real effects on our businesses and our lives. One example of the power of social privilege in business is the archetype of the white, hetero-masculine businessman that still serves as the dominant image of success. Another is the difference in the perception of an assertive woman compared to an assertive man in the workplace. When we examine the expectations we hold for different roles in business, we can start to see how social privilege norms may be affecting our workplace.

At Causeit we believe that social privilege can be shared and exercised for good!  While we can’t choose whether we receive social privilege, we do have a choice of how to use it. We can challenge privilege by recognizing the value of experience and knowledge that is different from our own. We can subvert our own privilege by advocating for a diversity of voices, prioritizing those that are often not heard. We can share privilege by using our influence to empower others in a system where they are disadvantaged. With that said, it is not necessary to try to map out every complexity of social privilege that exists in your life. Instead, try to live and work in a way that acknowledges social privilege by asking yourself what assumptions you hold and where they might be coming from. Questioning ideas we have about the people we interact with is a positive way to make our workplace a more comfortable and more diverse community that is better equipped to take on all obstacles to success.

By Maggie Mahoney, with contributions by Jessica Long and MJ Petroni

BlogHer BET

Kaplan University's Jacqueline Jones (Executive VP of New Product Development, and a Causeit client) speaks about "managing up" in your organization at BlogHer | bet

I'm here at BlogHer's blogher | bet 2011 conference. It's been great to see the amazing speakers talking about being a woman of power in business, how to "Manage Up" and how to deliver a pitch which is both effective and authentic. Here's the conference concept: 

If you're a woman who has a big idea that involves technology, the Internet or social media, we have an opportunity for you. With the leadership of 50 pioneering entrepreneurs, technologists and business leaders, BlogHer is hosting a special event for women who want to start something. Whether you're considering a start-up of your own, or innovating from inside a company, we invite you to join BlogHer's 2011 Business, Entrepreurism and Technology conference on March 24-25 in Silicon Valley.

Check it out by following @causeit and the hasthag #blogher or #blogherbet on Twitter.

Organize your Workflow: Process Document Tips

At Causeit, we understand how difficult it can be to create sustainability amid the inevitable chaos of running a business. For example, what happens when someone in your company gets sick or needs to leave work for a period of time? Can you still do payroll? Do you have the resources to train a new front-line worker unexpectedly? How can you better manage those one-time processes that never seem to get remembered? Don’t panic! The solution to all your project management breakdowns and confusions is what we like to call a process document! A process doc (we’ve shortened it for efficiency’s sake) is a written resource that explains all the steps in a given project so that you don’t have to.

Writing a process doc does not have to be painful.  In fact, they can prevent unnecessary grief in the future. With a strong template and a commitment to keeping it updated, a process doc can act as a living, breathing contribution to your organization.

Here are some tips for creating a strong process document:

• Document a working process—don’t try to reinvent the wheel. You should not make up a process as you write it. A process doc should be created from an existing way of doing things. Build on what you know so that others can benefit from your experience.

• Strike a balance between too much detail and overly general steps. You should assume the person reading this is smarter than the average monkey, but watch out for shortcuts you might take for granted in your own process.

• Don’t miss a step! Like we said before, it’s easy to skip steps or make logical leaps when you’ve been the person completing the process for the last year. Be nice to the next person, include all the steps.

• Include a trigger. Process docs don’t work when they aren’t used. Think of what event should send us to the document for an answer and make that the first step of the doc (i.e. receive phone order).

• End of your process doc with a clear deliverable. This document is supposed to achieve a clear goal. Be clear about what you want the result of this the process to be.

• Add a timeline. If appropriate (and it usually is), attach dates or times to each step to show when things should be done (i.e. within a day, hour; by the third of every month, etc.)

A process doc can be made for any project or task in order to increase efficiency and flow. Step-by-step instructions are easy to follow even for someone who has never done the job before. A process doc can be a lot of help, but it is only useful if its content is relevant. Remember to keep your process docs up to date. So write it up, review it often, and make your life a little bit easier!  

Happiness is a life skill

"Happiness is the result of inner maturity. It depends on us alone, and requires patient work, carried out from day to day. Happiness must be built, and this requires time and effort. In the long term, happiness and unhappiness are therefore a way of being, or a life skill."

—Matthieu Ricard 

Interconnection

At a fundamental level, as human beings, we are all the same; each one of us aspires to happiness and each one of us does not wish to suffer. This is why, whenever I have the opportunity, I try to draw people's attention to what as members of the human family we have in common and the deeply interconnected nature of our existence and welfare.

—The Dalai Lama