the FLAT ARMY cheat sheet

Are you looking for a little insight into the 90,000 word version of my new book Flat Army: Creating a Connected and Engaged Organization? Perhaps a ‘try before you buy’ approach? Fair enough. Let me do my best and help you out in 559 words. First off, Flat Army is aimed at three audiences:

• Those in charge of the organization on the whole
• Leaders with direct teams and/or teams of indirect teams
• Individual contributors looking to make the leap into leadership

Second, it is a manifesto to change both the culture of your organization or team as well as the habits of leaders and teams. It aims to drive up overall employee engagement by connecting the dots between increased levels of collaboration, empowerment and participation coupled by new ways to lead, learn and share. When employee engagement increases in your organization or team, when everyone feels as though they have both a say and an influential part to play in the objectives of the organization, productivity will increase and results will improve. It’s a fact. The book is broken down into seven sections: Chapters 1, 2 and 3 are the setup. It discusses the horrific state of employee engagement, culture and command and control tactics on display in today’s organizations. It investigates why we got this way in the first place, and it outlines at a high level what we have to change in order to improve the health of our workplaces. From there it’s a journey into the Flat Army philosophy aided by 5 key models. Chapters 4, 5 and 6 revolves around the first of those 5 models; the Connected Leader Attributes. Think of a tree with its roots, trunk and branches. A Connected Leader is one who is becoming, being and going beyond through fifteen specific leadership attributes that will ensure you become a very engaging leader, helping your team and organization do the same along the way. Chapter 7 surfaces what I call the Participative Leader Framework which requires leaders to employ the CARE principle (continuous, authentic, reciprocal and educating) as well as being able to both consume and contribute knowledge, ideas and content with the organization. This is coupled by the need to build out both your direct personal and professional network. Chapter 8 is all about a daily leadership habit called the CLAM. It’s my belief that any Flat Army leader in today’s engaged organization must connect, consider, communicate, create, confirm and congratulate through all actions and initiatives. Chapter 9 highlights the Pervasive Learning model. Quite simply, leadership and learning should always be thought of as part formal, informal and social and this chapter explains how to make it happen. Chapter 10 cements the new Flat Army style of a leader and organization through Collaborative Technologies. Leaders need to converse, create content and provide context (the 3 C’s) to effectively become Flat. The final and seventh component to the book (Chapters 11, 12 and the Afterword) details how each of the five models can be put into practice (individually, as a team and through the organization) such that everyone in the organization is singing from the same choir sheet, engaged and being a very productive member of the mission. You can read Chapter 1 for free or if this has whetted your appetite enough, you can grab a copy of the book over here. (hardcover and ebook versions) There is also a one-page Flat Army Cheat Sheet you may have interest downloading. (PDF) Thanks for reading. Hopefully this was enough of a cheat sheet to get you somewhat interested.