Working in the open?! Arrgh!
Today I started working in the open and reuse with Third Sector Lab. This is something that I have wanted to do for over a year know but have shied away from. Why? Well, I find the idea of sharing some of the inner workings of my work a little scary and daunting. What if I get it wrong? What if I share too much (its happened before) What if no one cares?! And I take breath, listen to Marlous and Ross and realise I've headed straight to catastrophising. No real surprise there… *eyeroll emoji.
One of the key things I do in my role is to share the work that organisations are doing, to support them to realise that there is very rarely something that no-none has never done before, like ever. The voluntary sector has been going on in Britain for a long time, charities may come and go, names might change but the ethos remains the same and as with music, there is very rarely a new genre. Think Rolling Stones, Oasis, Slim Shady and One Direction. Its been done before by some one else. I terms of working in the open and reuse, that’s awesome!
If some one else has already done the thing that we want to do whether it worked or not, is great! it means that we can learn from them, we can pick their brains about what worked and perhaps more importantly what didn't. This can save us valuable resources, time, money, head space and means we can much quicker provide a better service for the people that we are here to serve.
So why, if I already do this and think its an awesome idea was I really shying away from it? Well, doing and writing about the doing are, two different things. Its like talking about my feelings. Initial thoughts are, ‘no thank you’ but I know that sharing how I feel is good for me and those around me. Turns out that mind reading actually isn’t a thing… ( I hate it when my mum and partner are right).
Applying this idea that mind reading isn't actually thing, in to the workplace and the work I’m doing make sense. Using another way to let people know about the work I’m doing, some of the of the ways I’m supporting the sector, some of the trends i’m seeing, things i’m hearing, some of the process and changes however small, I’m making could be the one penny drop needed for one person and that could be the drip that starts the ripple… I do love to mix my metaphors…
