From the foothills of Adelaide

Imagine a team of ten people, all dressed in a haphazard way, inside a corporate, open-plan office.

They're fenced off from everyone else. All working like demons.

Interruptions leave the interruptee open to snarls, derision, and outright nastiness.

From the outside, it looks like a viper's nest, a place to be approached only with trepidation, and whether you come out all in one piece or not is a matter for the gods to decide.

Nobody knew what would bring these people to order.

Eschewing authority and rules, the pirates seemed to do what they wanted. The fact that they actually got so much work done was astonishing to every leader on the floor.

Not one leader knew what they did all day. Or why they were so busy. Or so snarly. Or even how their tech worked!

It was a hands-off situation.

And then Yours Pixieness was put in charge of them!

How on this green Earth was I going to handle these cats? I wondered. Is it even possible to lead a team of pirates? Will I have to keep up when they head ashore to go and get drunk? Is that what it takes?

The stories and the steps I took, which resulted in them calling me Captain, willingly, are legion.

So today, just one:

I studied them.

I watched, I listened, I asked questions.

Out of that study, I understood that getting information was tough for them. There was an intranet, but it was useless. So that's where I started.

Because of the research I'd done, I knew what they needed and how fast they needed it.

Diving into the intranet I rebuilt their team site in a day. It was focused on their use, their needs, their patterns, not what the business wanted. Truthfully, the company, a large media corporation I'm going to call NewsCamp, had handed the tech to the (unskilled) leaders and said, "Here you go! Build! Have fun!" without giving them training.

Sucks to be them.

Solving this one step for the pirates allowed them to work at an even faster pace.

Their respect for me grew ten times.

They grudgingly accepted me as someone who could help.

Which unlocked... Well, no, that's a story for another day.

If you take just one lesson away today, make it this:

Whatever your internal publishing is like, if it isn't focused on the people using your information but is instead focused on your systems, rules, or what you like, then you'll never get the productivity you want.

Ease is a massive component of business publishing. And of productivity.

Especially when it comes to enabling others to do what they do best.

Nutting out this kind of process is one of my best skills, so if you want help book yourself in:

https://calendly.com/brutalpixie/consultation

~ Leticia Mooney

PS. If I have to reschedule, and it rubs you the wrong way, don't try to guilt me. I'll just boot you out of my diary and refuse to let you back in. Ever. 

PPS. No, I'm not kidding.

PPPS. I had someone try that on me today. Guess what? They're getting a refund.

PPPPS. This is what it actually means to stop running a needy business. And no, this isn't the same as "focusing on what you like" instead of others. Even though it kind of is. I can write about that soon, too, if you like.

PPPPPS. I'm just writing more of these to see if you're still reading them.

PPPPPPS. Oh, you are? Then try this random link I've added just for fun. Let me know if it blows your mind, and if you'd like more of it.