Slides from my talk "Unicorns and Other Wild Things" at the IA Summit 2013 in Baltimore, MD. Audio and transcripts: http://library.iasummit.org/podcasts/unicorns-and-other-wild-things/ http://lanyrd.com/2013/iasummit/sccqpm/

1. Unicorns and other wild things
A crash course on thriving in organizations
that don’t know what to do with you
#changeisstrange
alberta soranzo | @albertatrebla
IA Summit 2013 – Baltimore, MD
Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are

2. me = INTJ
Hello!
Illustration: Dan Willis
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

3. Warm-up
The hunt
source: mamaslatinas.com
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

4. #hesaidit
When I think about what sort of person I
would most like to have on a retainer, I
think it would be a boss. A boss who could
tell me what to do, because that makes
everything easy when you’re working.
— A. Warhol
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

5. Check this out
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

6. Check this out
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

7. Normal people
andler
Chris Ch Klyn
Lynn Boyde rks, Dan
n Jeff Pa
H obbs,
Jason
ini
ea Resm
Andr
Eric Reis Yours Truly
s
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

8. They see us like this
Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

9. What is it that people want?
Richard
Saul
Wurman
—
The
Economist's
Ideas
Economy:
Informa;on
2012
source The Economist via youtube.com
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

10. Round 1
Roadblocks
source: angelairvin.com
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

11. Roadblocks
Ignorance
Unrealistic expectations
Resistance
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

12. Roadblock: Ignorance
ig·no·rance
/ˈignərəns/
Noun
Lack of knowledge or information.
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

13. Roadblock: Unrealistic Expectations
ex·pec·ta·tion
/ˌekspekˈtāSHən/
Noun
A belief that someone will or should
achieve something.
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

14. Roadblock: Resistance
re·sist·ance
/riˈzistəns/
Noun
The refusal to accept or comply with
something; the attempt to prevent
something by action or argument.
source drlynnesherman.com
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

15. Venn Diagram (gotta have one)
FEAR
Ignorance Resistance
Expectations
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

16. Venn Diagram (gotta have one)
FEAR Ignorance
Expectations
Resistance
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

17. Fear
Office Space (1994) – source virtualstapler.com
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

18. Fear
Office Space (1994) – source virtualstapler.com
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

19. (New) Armano’s WTF-OMG!
based on http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion/2008/12/the-omgwtf-spectrum.html
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

20. Drill sergeant? Think again
source wikipedia.org
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

21. The “E” word
em·pa·thy
/ˈempəTHē/
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

22. The “E” word
em·pa·thy
/ˈempəTHē/
Noun
The ability to understand and share
the feelings of another.
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

23. Empathy is a three-way thing
Stakeholders
You are
HERE Colleagues
Users
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

24. Empathy is a three-way thing
Stakeholders
You are
HERE Colleagues
Users
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

25. Empathy is a three-way thing
Stakeholders
You are
HERE Colleagues
Users
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

26. Be a journey companion
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

27. Round 2
The plan
source newlearningcentre.com
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

28. The plan (you have to have one)
Prepare
Visualize
Communicate
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

29. Prepare
Prepare
• Do your homework
• Be your own back-up
• Offer alternatives
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

30. The plan (you have to have one)
Prepare
Visualize
Communicate
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

31. Visualize
Visualize
• Sketches
• Whiteboards
• Diagrams
• Print-outs
• Anything, really.
source divergentmba.wordpress.com
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

32. Visualize
source divergentmba.wordpress.com
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

33. The plan (you have to have one)
Prepare
Visualize
Communicate
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

34. Remember Visualize?
Visualize
• Sketches
• Whiteboards
• Diagrams
• Print outs
• Anything that will translate what’s in
Anything, really.
your mind into something that others
can relate to.
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

35. Remember Visualize?
Visualize
• Sketches
• Whiteboards
• Diagrams
• Print outs
• Anything that will translate what’s in
Anything, really.
your mind into something that others
can relate to.
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

36. Collective understanding
Create a collective understanding by
building a common vocabulary and sets of
shared references.
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

37. Bonus Round
Take a chance
source: annamanderson.com
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

38. Where does it come from?
External
Earn
respect
Get
design
opportuni;es
Demonstrate
value
source uxmag.com - Kim Bieler
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

39. Where does it come from?
External Internal
Earn
respect Create
opportuni;es
Get
design
opportuni;es Demonstrate
value
Demonstrate
value Earn
respect
Greater
influence,
more
opportuni;es
source uxmag.com - Kim Bieler
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

40. Just do it, already
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

41. Just do it, already
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

42. Before I go
Let me tell you a secret
source: afterpop.tv
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

43. Yup, I emailed this
source blog.okcupid.com
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

44. and this
source blog.okcupid.com
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

45. and this
source blog.okcupid.com
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

46. and this
source blog.okcupid.com
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

47. and this
source blog.okcupid.com
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD

48. #whoissheanyway
Thank you!
alberta soranzo
@albertatrebla
albertasoranzo@gmail.com
unicorns and other wild things | @albertatrebla | #changeisstrange IA Summit 2013 - Baltimore MD