Get Amanda to the NZLEAD unconference in the UK

Get Amanda To The NZLEAD Unconference In The UK

Project 2015-10-17 12:06:09 +1300

NZLEAD is a digitally based community of people and culture people driving change for people and culture at work. NZLEAD originates in New Zealand but is recognised globally. This year we are running three unconferences focusing on the question, 'How can we make our workplaces more humane?'

I've put alot of work into growing NZLEAD over the past three years, and the theme of the unconference events is based on my book, The Humane Workplace. I'd really love to attend the event in the UK so I can tie all threads from the three events together. 

We’ve just had the NZLEAD unconferences in Auckland and Wellington and they were absolutely amazing! I’m so proud of what we’ve created here and had so much fun being part of the events. There is an awesome bunch of people organising the NZLEAD unconference in Brighton, UK. There’s going to be a tweet up on the 12th of November, the Meaning conference on the 12th and then the NZLEAD unconference on the 13th. And I’d really LOVE to go! In fact, I’m going to get total FOMO if I don’t.

BUT... Gareth and I bought our first home at the start of this year and it needs quite a bit of work done to it. I get my income from the consulting work that I personally do. But any income from that goes onto our house. The NZLEAD community is not a profit making enterprise, it’s an awesome making operation. We keep the prices for our events and activities low, or free, so that money is no barrier to connection with people with a similar purpose and passion. It does mean that many people, including myself, give up a lot of their time for free to make things happen and our recompense is the satisfaction and meaning we get from seeing change.  

I feel like we’re making real progress in changing the conversations about people practices within organisations. I see the difference from last year’s NZLEAD unconference to the two that we've just had. The conversation has shifted from ‘how do we become a strategic business partner?’, to actually being one! I want to keep the thread of connection going between all the events we’re running. I want to keep pushing this conversation forward.

I also think we’ve got a real opportunity to turn these conversations into actions and resources that we can all use to create more humane workplaces. I’ve seen similar themes and conversations across both the Wellington and Auckland events. We can build on these conversations in the UK. It’s going to be a bucket load easier to pull all of these together if we have someone who has participated in the conversations across all three events. 

If I can go to the UK, I can co-ordinate pulling all of the themes discussed into resources that the whole community can use.

And this is just to give you an idea of what some of those resources could cover: 

•   How do you build communities?

•   How do you create work/life balance with the increases in technology?

•   What strategies can you use to help people change?

•   What are the best ways to help people use new technologies?

•   What is culture? And how do you develop it?

•   How do you onboard people for projects? How do you create high performing teams?

•   How do you influence leaders to create more humane workplaces?

•   How do you tell stories to engage people and change behaviors?

Digital technology connects us but there is nothing like talking to people face to face to build relationships. There is nothing quite like being there!

Will you help me?

What your pledge will cover:

• Flights $3,000
• Accommodation $2,000
• Cost price of T-shirts and books $500
• Pledgeme & credit card fees $500

I will cover all other incidentals myself. 

The dates I'm looking at travelling are:

8th November to the 20th November

More about the rewards:

The book - The Humane Workplace

The Humane Workplace is about people, community and technology. It’s about making the workplace more human.

Technology is changing the way we work and learn. In this environment, it’s easy to think that social technologies are removing human to human interactions. Yet it’s the behaviours that underpin the use of these technologies that really counts. Social technologies open up greater opportunities for communication, collaboration and community. It can transform our workplaces. But only if we put people first, if we make our workplaces more humane.

Those of us within the people and culture professions, human resources, learning and development, and recruitment, have an opportunity to truly shine. But to do this we need to re-evaluate what we traditionally think of as our roles, to change our approach, to step up and be brave.

The Humane Workplace is a guide for a transformed and people- orientated world of work. It’s the collective wisdom of over three hundred NZLEAD community participants from all around the world. These are people who have people at the heart and soul of their professions – people who are passionate about creating a better world of work. Their conversations and actions have been captured in over one hundred NZLEAD tweet chats and woven into this book.

Pledge for a book and, if you're in Auckland or London, I will personally deliver it to you.

The NZLEAD T-shirt  

We only ever had a few NZLEAD t-shirts made. Those are the ones with the NZLEAD logo and the tweet chat details on the back. You can get one in this exclusive t-shirt making run. The first time ever we've made them widely available.

Pledge for a t-shirt and I'll either post it to you (if you're out of town), or I will personally deliver it to you in Auckland or London. 

Sharing what I know through talking, writing, and workshops

Talking

I’ve done speaking gigs for the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Professional Development, UK), HRINZ (Human Resources Institute of New Zealand), RHUB (Recruitment HUB), Strategic Workforce Planning, HR Game Changer, and SOLGM (the Society for Local Government Management). Not to mention the talks I do for internal teams.

Most of my talks center around The Humane Workplace. These are the topics I talk about:

• How social technologies are changing the way we work and learn
• The world is changing - why creating humane workplaces is so important 
• Growing communities around a common purpose
• Modernisation vs. transformation
• What this all means for your HR, Recruitment or L&D team

I can also draw on hundreds of conversations with practitioners from all around the world to come up with a talk specific to your needs.  

You can pledge for me to come and speak at your event or to your team.

Writing

I can write about anything and everything to do with L&D, HR and OD practice. You can see some samples of my work in Employment Today magazine (NZ) (examples on my LinkedIn profile), my book, Workplace Insight, my blogs at www.nzlead.com, and my LinkedIn blogs. 

Pledge as a sponsor and I will write something for your business blog or publication. 

Workshops

I run workshops with HR & L&D teams helping them get their heads around what social technologies mean for the way they design learning or people practices. I help them get innovative and creative about their people initiative design, and guide them on the things that are going to have the biggest impact. Businesses I've worked with include Noel Leeming (one of NZ's biggest electronics retailers), Emergent recruitment (executive recruitment) and BNZ Bank (one of NZ's big 4 banks). 

I also work with businesses to co-create HR and L&D practices. Including things like:

•    Ways of measuring and managing performance

•    Engagement survey and action planning

•    Leadership development

•    People metrics

•    Defining culture and values

Pledge for me to run a workshop with your team or get in touch to talk about what would be best for you. 

The unconference in Brighton

The theme of this year’s unconference is The Humane Workplace, and we’re creating a space to create connections in real life and digitally, share knowledge, work on plans and support each other in the challenges that we have. It is open to all who have an interest in the people practices of organisations and how we can do them better!

The basic premise behind an unconference is that it is an open slate. There is no set agenda and there are no pre-organised speakers. You bring whatever challenges you want to work on or ideas you want to explore. We facilitate you connecting with practitioners who have similar areas of interest. The format is up to you. You could build, discuss, brainstorm, reflect. You can lead a group or just participate. 

Together we can create a humane world of work, one where people turn up to work with all of themselves, and make great things happen. Are you ready to help make it happen?

This unconference is being held in Brighton, UK at the Friends Meeting House. You can find more information here.

Pledge for an unconference ticket and, if I meet my target, I'll be there too! 

About me - Amanda Sterling:

I used to be a Human Resources specialist, a Learning and Development practitioner, and then an Organisational Development consultant. But the best way to describe me now is a challenger, innovator and creator.

I have a bold vision for the world of work: that everyone is treated with kindness, appreciated for their strengths, and supported to grow and give back. While traditional thinkers might see this vision as ignoring the commercial realities of business in a corporate environment, my experience is that it’s actually vital for people to perform at their best in a demanding business environment. 

I lead a passionate and proactive community of people and culture practitioners called NZLEAD. It’s an online and in real life community driving change for people and culture at work. Together we’re building so much knowledge, learning and resources about the future world of work, the role of the people and culture professions, and how to survive and thrive in this fast changing world.

I believe that as People and Culture professionals, regardless of our title, we have an opportunity to role model ways of working and demonstrate our leadership in a way that helps supports our business managers and helps our people perform. By connecting, building genuine strategic relationships, and working together, our organisation as a whole can better solve problems, be prepared for challenges, build a great workplace and continually improve the business.

My specialities are building relationships with people to collaborate, challenge, innovate and create. I bring this approach into how I design and deliver people and culture practice from the ground up. It means I can tap into the technical and analytical skills of others as well grow, and leverage, my own.

When I’m not trying to change the world, I’m reading trashy novels, chain sawing my backyard, practicing yoga, baking or watching bad sci-fi movies.

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