Forum Discussion
Where are you (and your competitors) on the digital workplace journey?
- Lesley I could not agree more. I started out my career in journalism and corporate communications and evolved into technology and change management, primarily Microsoft. Being on the other side of the table usually with project management office or project teams on consulting projects, 99.9% of the time I am recommending communications programs to corporate communications departments who are woefully unfamiliar and underutilizing the technologies available to them. Using the tools we have like SharePoint and Teams channels to me to engage employees, and better yet, let them drive the conversation, is something many organizations are still afraid to do. I am an advocate of the message that the benefits outweigh the risks. I still remember when fax machines, cell phones and the big bag WWW came in and were going to destroy the communications profession. What a wild career ride it has been! I love your story and am interested in knowing more about WOL. I haven't come across this in Canada yet.
It is a little long, but the highlights are:
I started in HR, fell in love with Power BI and Power Automate. Saw a job open in IT with the team that manages those tools, and also does Adoption for M365. And now here I am! I technically sit in IT, but work closely with our Corporate Comms partners on Adoption strategies. I still do Power BI, but I have now added most of M365 to my list of competencies.
I am excited to be a part of this community!
Great post!! HR sector is equally as crucial as Comms folks for a great EEX. Plus Viva with Power BI, Power Automate, and now Copilot for streamlining mundane work in both these sectors.
Me and Jamie met at M365 Conf in April 2023 in Vegas. At the event's end was an Ask Microsoft Anything (AMA) session. I asked if it was okay, and with support from MS, to create a Corp Comms/ACM network. I nearly fainted as I got a big round of applause, and at least ten audience members put their hands up, one of whom was Jamie. And MS SLT wholeheartedly agreed, let's do it.
Since then, Jamie launched a group called "Adoption Masterminds," open to like-minded members. Contact Jamie to join - we meet and chat on Teams.
And Liz Sundet, with allyship from Adam Harmetz, created this Corp Comms Hub.
#WorkingOutLoud does make a difference. Please invite your colleagues, its early days here, but I think it will have plenty of legs!- Lesley I could not agree more. I started out my career in journalism and corporate communications and evolved into technology and change management, primarily Microsoft. Being on the other side of the table usually with project management office or project teams on consulting projects, 99.9% of the time I am recommending communications programs to corporate communications departments who are woefully unfamiliar and underutilizing the technologies available to them. Using the tools we have like SharePoint and Teams channels to me to engage employees, and better yet, let them drive the conversation, is something many organizations are still afraid to do. I am an advocate of the message that the benefits outweigh the risks. I still remember when fax machines, cell phones and the big bag WWW came in and were going to destroy the communications profession. What a wild career ride it has been! I love your story and am interested in knowing more about WOL. I haven't come across this in Canada yet.
- Hey Sherri, thank you for your lovely response. I bestow on you the BEST ANSWER to date as I found a kindred spirit with the most similar professional pathway to mine. Please look me up on LinkedIn and connect I would love to share my insights on Working Out Loud and hear more from you. My title on Linkedin: Lesley Crook. MVP. MCIPR (UK)
