Full circle
Looking at working out loud for the last week of PSM brought us round full circle. It is again all about making the implicit explicit. This simple action underpinned the team agreements in week 1 and it is the foundation in so many self management practices. You can’t assume that people pick up on what you need help with, what you are meaning, what is important to you, your appreciation and vice versa. We are not mind readers. You need to be explicit, including in working out loud and being generous.
By giving generously and authentically through small actions this week I soon saw and felt the benefits generosity can bring. Small actions can make a big impact to someone’s day. I am making the conscious effort to move from being an observer on social media and organisational channels to actively engaging and giving.
This week also helped me to reflect on this part of the course — posting about my learnings. In my first post I explored my hesitation to writing in public, but this small part of the process of working out loud has been really beneficial. It has helped me to reflect on the week’s learning, interactions and connections and brought real clarity to my thoughts. It is something that I intend to keep on doing in some form to help with my self management journey.
This course has been so much more than I anticipated and imagined. One of the most valuable things PSM provided was being able to connect with a fantastic group of people. So in spirit of this week’s topic — I would like to say a massive thank you to everybody on the course and in particular to Lisa and Elena for creating such a magical space. A space where we could bring our whole selves to the course and speak and share with such openness, honesty and vulnerability.
This space embodied everything about self management. It is much more than tools and practices. It is how we are, how we interact, behave, lead and support. The power in being able to create these spaces at work and in our lives is such a massive opportunity. One that I find slightly daunting at the moment, but the course has given me the confidence to explore, practice and make the first steps towards this change. So let’s do this!
