Dining with Della: Myke Ludvigsen at Ginger
July 11, 2016
We sipped on glasses of Jesus Murphy while munching on taco chips and salsa at my "Ginger" office in Chinatown. This is a zen environment for good conversations.
Mykle and I first crossed paths during the United Nations International Gerontology Conference in early 2000. There were some 4,000 delegates from over 100 countries and 92 media from 17 countries. Mykle, a fresh grad from SFU had taken on the role of media relations coordinator. Then, he was given the gargantuan task of managing communications for this big event. His boss had great faith in his capabilities but realized a bit of help from a senior communicator might be needed. That is where I came in. Mykle was a quick study and did a great job. He soon advanced his career taking on communications jobs with the Canadian Mental Health Association, BC College of Teachers and most recently as the Director of Communications and Engagement at the College of Pharmacists of BC.
What one bit of communication impacted your life?
When Mykle entered the workforce, one of his co-workers noted he had the most amazing ability to fall off a horse (read: make a blunder), and quickly get back in the saddle and keep going. The comment stuck with him.
He knew his family trait was stubbornness and recognized not everyone has the intestinal fortitude to keep moving forward when situations are tough. His family has a saying, "There is stubborn and then there is Ludvigsen-stubborn." His clinical psychologist sister even has a t-shirt with those words emblazoned on it. It is a running joke in the family. He wonders if it is somehow connected to his Scandinavian culture.
He knows this streak is an asset in his work. Stubborn, in a positive way, where he is determined to meet objectives and unrelenting in getting the job done.
(Note from Della: I can attest to Mykle's drive and enthusiasm for his work. He communicated a critical "change to medication dosage" program focused in the DTES and found every way possible to connect to people who were disenfranchised and hard to reach. It was complex and without good communication, it might have had disastrous results. His tenacity paid off and the program was a success.)
What did not work...
He has a regret and it is a more of a recent one. It is related to assuming people know or understand more than they do. He was quick to say he was not knocking others but it surprises him when people don't realize communications is more of an art than a science. He notes there are steps and formulas but ultimately there is no guarantee of success. He found explaining a process might work well once but not necessarily work the same way the next time. He knows the ever-changing comms world baffled some of his more logic driven, prescriptive colleagues.
His aha moment came when someone asked if he missed one of his steps in a process because there was a different response.
The lesson for him is to have more upfront conversations about how communications works. And, to explain how people process information differently based on their own experiences, knowledge base, lifestyle, environment, etc.
(Note from Della: Ahhh, the never-ending task of managing expectations around communications - now that is an art not a science!)
What if...
What advice would you give to your younger self to enhance your ability to communicate with others – and why?
His advice would be, "Don't worry so much about what other people think."
When you need to communicate something sensitive, be sensitive but also be clear and direct. Couching words, in an effort to not offend or for the sake of harmony, does not work. There is a place for fancy language but if you are dealing with a crisis or confusion, don't be ambiguous. And, it is okay to disagree and argue things out.
He thinks back to times when he had written a piece or a descriptor and kicked it up to the director level where the language got softened to the point people could take any meaning they wanted. Be blunt in your defence of a position to rein in the language or flower it up, just make sure it is clear.
Understand there is not an automatic respect for the profession of communications. It not revered like a lawyer - you have to build respect and demonstrate your track record.
Blending your personal life and business life is super important. Mykle had a persona in one of his jobs for publicly addressing disciplinary action scenarios for a sector of professionals. He communicated in a stern tone. He and a lawyer colleague wrote a paper addressing going beyond the "name and shame" approach and presented it to a group in that profession. There had been a lot of distrust and angst about his serious nature. The group was surprised to see that Mykle had a sense of humour. He was taken aback and surprised they only saw one side of him.
Note from Della: It is hard to imagine anyone knowing Mykle not seeing his sense of humour. Here is a note he sent after this blog interview:
"I am looking forward to seeing what you conjure up – I’m a little scared that I might come across in the photo looking like a young Bill Vander Zalm with a perma-tan that unemployment has let me maintain since coming back from Maui but I know you know how to make people look good :)"
Posts
1 comments
I echo what Della says! Mykle was a pleasure to work with on a recent project and he will indeed be off the job market soon!
ReplyDelete