Why passing the change baton to journalists is not a good idea
Dr Mumbo loves it when bureaucrats escape into the outside world, so it’s been a delight to see an internal AMP Capital Investors memo, replete with jargonese, make it into the wild, particularly into the hands of journalists.
The fun began an hour or so ago, with an internal note from head of organisational investment Madeline MacMahon, in which she accidentally copied the organisation’s press list. (To avoid spamtards, Dr Mumbo has deleted the email addresses).
From: Madeleine.MacMahon
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 12:07 PM
To: Adam.Tindall; Mark.Beardow; Analisa.Kirby; Jacqui.Sullivan; Paul.Foster; Karma.Wilson; Shane_Oliver_Media_List;
Subject: UIH – a change to the change lead
Hi all
As you know I’ve recently taken on the role of Head of HR in addition to my role of Head of OD i.e. Sharon has combined these roles into one. The result of this change is that I need to reduce my involvement in some areas and increase it in others. Hence, over the next few weeks I’m going to pass the UIH Change Lead baton over to Kate Donnelly.
Kate is currently the HR Manager for MAG, Listed Assets and International Business. She is a very effective operator and I have every confidence that she will add a great deal to the team over the next phase. This role will allow her to develop her strategic HR skills and get to understand other areas of the business. We will be making some changes to Kate’s workload in other areas to ensure she can deliver in this role.
It goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway) that building an outstanding unified investment house is still a central focus for me but I just need to lift myself out of some of the detail and put some fresh eyes on some of the people related changes.
We will transition this change over the next month so I’ll start bringing Kate along to our meetings from next week onwards. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Thanks
Mads
Head of Organisational Development
AMP Capital Investors
Five minute’s later, The Herald Sun’s Craig Binnie spotted the potential for fun:
From: Binnie, Craig
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 12:12 PM
Good luck transitioning this change. Good luck at the HR and OD and UIH. Seems a shame Sharon combined the roles because the world will not be the same now.
Then Fairfax’s online small business editor Helen Westerman joined the debate:
From: Helen Westerman
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 12:16 PM
Fair go Craig, acronyms have died and they should be remembered respectfully.
Helen Westerman
www.mysmallbusiness.com.au
And SMH’s Jacob Saulwick had these kind words to say:
From: Jacob Saulwick
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 9:18 AM
Good luck with managing the change process.
But The West Australian’s business reporter Louise Burke had her own theory:
From: Louise Burke
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 11:20 AM
Or is it changing the managing process?
Louise Burke| Business Reporter | The West Australian
By which point Mads had realised that she was rapidly going viral and tried to put a stop to it:
From: Madeleine.MacMahon
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 12:16 PM
To: Shane_Oliver_Media_List
Subject: Email sent in error re: UIH change to change lead
Dear all
Please ignore and accept my apologies for the email that you just received. It was sent to you in error.
Regards
Madeleine
Head of Organisational Development
AMP Capital Investors
As Binnie kindly put it:
From: Binnie, Craig
Sent: Thursday, March 04, 2010 12:22 PM
No need to apologise. You made everyone’s day
But Fairfax’s Scott Rochford didn’t want the conversation to end quite yet:
From: Scott Rochfort
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 12:20 PM
By combining the HR and OR roles do you get an upsurge in the salary space?
Meanwhile, Nine’s Joanna Townsend was too busy producing 60 Minutes to join in the fun:
From: Townsend, Joanna
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 11:49 AM
Quiet news day guys?
Joanna Townsend Producer 60 Minutes
Which of course left her open to this from the Herald Sun’s Binnie:
From: Binnie, Craig [mailto:BinnieC@heraldsun.com.au]
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 12:54 PM
Nope. We are just able to do more than produce one show a week
The SMH’s Saulwick probably put it best:
From: Jacob Saulwick
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 11:55 AM
Zing.
And somewhat harshly, Rochfort adds:
From: Scott Rochfort
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 12:39 PM
This might be too complicated for Sixty Minutes to investigate.
Dr Mumbo sincerely hopes there’s more to come.
Update: Indeed there is. Much, much more. Sadly there are a few grumps out there, including Sara Webb of Thomson Reuters and Sky News’ Carson Scott:
From: sara.webb
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 1:48 PM
Grateful if you could drop me from this message group thanks
From: Carson Scott Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 1:51 PM
Ditto.
Cheers
From: KAROLINA MIZIOLEK, BLOOMBERG/ NEWSROOM
Sent: Thursday, March 04, 2010 11:03 AM
Please remove me from this message group.
Thank you
But those with a sense of humour too, including The Age’s Eric Johnston and Fairfax’s Daniel Hurst:
From: Eric Johnston
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 12:54 PM
Keep me on it.
From: Daniel Hurst
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 1:55 PM
Keep me on it too!
From: Scott Rochfort
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 1:56 PM
Thought Sky News and Reuters were onto this. Does anyone know if AMP are providing any updates or media briefings on this?
From: Binnie, Craig
Sent: Thu Mar 04 13:58:47 2010
Subject: RE: UIH – a change to the change lead
I’ve got other journalists asking to be put on the list
From: Chris Reason, Seven
At: 3/04 11:01:41
If the loop continues on like this, they can take my spot.
From: Scott Rochfort
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 2:06 PM
Can you remove me from the people who do not want to be included on this list…
From: Klan, Anthony The Australian
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 2:09 PM
I’m with Scott.
From: Scott Rochfort
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 1:10 PM
Bugger. Didn’t now Klan was onto this yarn. Thought I had to myself.
From: Klan, Anthony
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 1:16 PM
We can probably still get away with the exclusive tag. Surely?
From: Louise Burke
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 2:15 PM
*know*
Louise Burke| Business Reporter | The West Australian
From: Scott Rochfort
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 1:17 PM
OK OK. Know. Suppose I’ll never get a subbing job.
And the AFR’s Bernice Han was another member of the fun police:
From: Bernice HAN
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 2:05 PM
thanks, please remove me from this message group too.
To which the ABC’s Neal Woolrich had a question about the AFR’s daily column:
From: Neal Woolrich
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 1:09 PM
If I add something really funny, will it get me into “Rear Window”?
From: Jacob Saulwick
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 1:13 PM
No, that will get you out of “Rear Window”
From: Peter Kerr wanews
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 1:18 PM
Wouldn’t be hard given how lame everything else has been
OMG! LOL!
this is probably an exercise in futility, but please remove me from the list as well.
From: Jacob Saulwick
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 2:00 PM
I’m bringing some friends in.
And a finance-focused zinger:
Stephen Long ABC
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 1:10 PM
I hear that AMP is bundling and tranching all these exotic HR-type acronyms and trading them as Collateralised Acronym Securities, or CACs for short.
And this comedy message:
From: Tee Ming San [mailto: @sph.com.sg]
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 2:16 PM
Hi all ,u send the wrong person , don’t send me anymore .
And:
From: Newman, Geoffrey
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 1:20 PM
me same. you email me long time
Wealth Editor
The Australian
From: Fiona Carruthers
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 1:23 PM
Same goes for me. You are going to cause Sydney’s media outlets to melt down.
From: Rupert Murdoch [mailto:rupert.murdoch@hotmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 2:19 PM
Enough.
R
From: Eric Johnston
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 2:23 PM
For a second a chill wind went through southbank.
From: Mark Story
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 2:34 PM
I’m on deadline with four publications today and this is really steaming my buns – please DESIST these emails unless you owe me money
From: Michael Evans
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 2:35 PM
mmmmmmmm, steamed buns ….
From: Scott Rochford
Sent: 2:39
Still waiting for something funny from Neal Woolrich.
From: Tee Ming San
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 1:40 PM
pls don’t me anymore !
I suddenly have an admiration for Mr Saulwick.
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too funny
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I read this wondering why you’d bothered posting it – nothing scandalous or interesting in the original email – but was pissing myself by the time I got to the responses from the journos.
Remember the good ol’ days when to accidentally reach an unintended audience directly in this fashion you’d have to accidentally photocopy the letter, accidentally stamp and address all the envelopes, and then accidentally put them all in the mailbox? Ah, email, you really have revolutionised the way we communicate…
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brilliant.
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It’s an IB for sure. Irrefutably brilliant.
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I reckon Craig Binnie wins for sheer awesome snarkiness. Love it.
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I just had my best laugh for the day
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Communicating the transitioning of managing the handling of change is always fraught with diffculties
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“To avoid spamtards, Dr Mumbo has deleted the email addresses”
All except Tee Ming San at Singapore Press Holdings that is. Launch the spambots!
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I wish I was on that list. Love it.
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Craig Binnie! Bring some of that humour to our email exchanges please!
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Shows how petty journalism has become in Australia … It’s all tabloid and Lara Bingle and poke fun at people … C’mon guys … publishing a bunch of people’s email conversation is just lame.
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That was brilliant. hahahaha needed a good belly laugh
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Stephen Long – I think I may now love you. Just letting you know.
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@Alex S,
While I don’t disagree with your sentiments about Aussie journalism, I think you’re missing the point in this case: it’s not supposed to be journalism, it’s just opportunistic comedy. And it’s bloody hilarious.
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I can’t believe noone picked up the gem in Mad’s follow up :
“Please ignore and accept my apologies for the email that you just received. It was sent to you in error.”
So how do you ignore and accept her apology at the same time? Clearly it’s a slow news day at my desk too…
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Tee Ming San writes for a chinese newspaper in singapore, you really can’t blame him!
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Makes me think I should re-jig my media releases to appeal to the business journos.
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I laughed so hard that a little bit of wee escaped !
Well done Mr Mumbo.
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Thankyou Geoffrey Newman, you made my day!
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And the gold medal goes to Craig Binnie.
Honourable mention to Geoffrey Newman – Tee Ming San was just making sure that the story had a happy ending.
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You forgot to delete Rupert Murdoch’s email address
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“From: Rupert Murdoch [mailto:rupert.murdoch@hotmail.com]
Enough.
R”
This is disturbing. Rupert Murdoch uses Hotmail.
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Eric Johnston gets my vote!
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Well, there’s no way you’d catch Rupert using gmail!
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Absolutely frickin hilarious! Wish I was on the list! I have AMP super – maybe I could ask to be included next time. Like there’ll ever be a next time!!
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I’m impressed with Rupert. I thought he only knew about MySpace.
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Please put me on your message group mailing list! My buns are steaming in anticipation.
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Madeleine MacMahon – unsuspecting internet sensation for March 2010? Hope this gets mainstream: funny enough to do so.
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Love it: “By combining the HR and OR roles do you get an upsurge in the salary space?”.
Why can’t we have more fun like this?
@ Andrew Wislon
I wish I could agree with you, but I still think it’s lame in this instance. And as opprtunistic comedy it’s still lame – everyone trying to make a wisecrack … all the usual banter / toilet humour / rupert jokes … is more tired and more ho hum than coprorate jargon.
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My personal favourite:
From: Binnie, Craig
Sent: Thursday, 4 March 2010 12:54 PM
Nope. We are just able to do more than produce one show a week
Bahahahahha. I love journalists.
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I reckon investing time reading that has added to my quality of life! 🙂
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@ Alex S
Why are still reading it then?
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priceless! why can’t the rest of the media be this entertaining?
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Another star is born
Guesing Madeleine.MacMahon will now be on Sydney’s A list for parties, hosting a reality TV show … ?
Along with that chic chic a boom chick
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Exquisite in its painfulness, that slip of the distribution list. On the plus side I see merchandising opps looming on the horizon (in lieu of bonus unfortunately for mm).
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Funny! A much better use of my blackberry reading these than actually working. I wonder if this is all just a clever PR trick hmmm
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Clare Werbeloff just got replaced – Click Click Newsroom
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Absolutely hilarious. Props to Jacob and Craig for stirring the pot. Pure brilliance 🙂
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Bahahahahahahahahahaha! What a great end to the week.
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Ah ’tis a good day on Mumbrella, with this and the dodgey PR/publicist story’s comments.
Good on you for sniffing these out Tim and love the fact you left Rupert’s email on there (if it really was him)
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I skimmed that, but it seems that nobody commented on “put some fresh eyes on some of the people related changes”. What language do these “change managers” speak? Do they take what they say seriously? Do they expect anyone else to? Thank (insert deity of choice here) for journos who send it up.
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Okay it’s not often I actually genuinely do laugh out loud in front of the computer, but this had me in fits. Thank you!
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In the future one thing is certain
Some HR people will get promoted
Some will deserve it and some won’t
Some people will have access to email lists they shouldn’t and some won’t
Some will watch as investment houses attempt to unify – freeze pay and lay off more staff
With AMP Capital broadcast emails there is no reason why those people can’t be you.
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My only experience of dealing with AMP was working with a client whose title was ‘Catalyst for Magic’
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