THANKS FOR VISITING – Previous 10 days and the start of the reflective process can be found HERE.

Day 11 – What will you be known for?

Today asks us to think about what we want to be known for and how we lead. As I reflected on the questions, I started to question if I need to lead. This has got me thinking about social “followership” or social “supporting’. Currently I feel my role would be better suiting supporting or enabling others. I think this, because I am at the periphery of the OU and have no formal power or leadership position. My experience in leading previously, plus experience in coaching and facilitating could be useful to others.

Day 12 – Setting the rules

This day asks us to consider what our rules for engaging with others are. My rules, that I have abided for are pretty simply:

  • Trust people, as they are being their best.
  • Seek first to understand then be understood.
  • Be future positive.
  • Share ideas and resources.
  • Treat every interaction as a learning opportunity.
  • Help others unconditionally.

Day 13 – New libraries

My libraries are threefold:

  1. Social media – These are “popcorn: sources as it is reasonably random, but does throw out some interesting information, ideas and connections.
  2. Online news sources – I don’t watch TV so use online press. I tend to daily skim read these news sites: BBC, The Guardian, CNN, El Paid, El Mundo and occasionally Huffington Post and La Vanguardia.
  3. Online book resources: I have subscription to GetAbstract (great student rates!) and read books of interest over on ProQuest – EbookCentral (requires OU logon). I occasionally delve into HBR via OU library.

I am curious as to what others would suggest really, within the realms of Social Leadership.

Day 14 – Great looking, badly fitting

Today is about consider what we consume – I think pretty well ties into the previous day. I am not sharing very much socially in general and less so on the topic of Social Leadership. I think one of my first challenges is to locate a series of resources on this topic. The first two that come to mind are Working Out Loud and Theory U. Otherwise beyond these, I am not sure what is out there. I have started to curate a list of twitter users over HERE. SL100-Resources.jpg

Day 15 – An Action Day

Today was  doing day. I attended a HR Forum around engagement and inclusion from TAP’D Solutions. For the evening a re-read the book “Working Out Loud”

Day 16 – To disagree

I really like the idea that we should stare stories that we disagree with in order to learn from or engage them. Generally I think we have lost the art of “seeking first to understand and then to be understood”. Peter Senge’s “The Fifth Discipline” has been an inspiration for me in this area since I first picked up the book 1994 (pdf summary HERE). Dialogue is always essential!

Day 17  – Am I the problem?

An interesting day this one. Generally, my experience in the OU is that I have never been uncomfortable with things that have been asked with me. Whilst I do not agree with all policies and strategies, I can live with them. An example for me being FutureLearn. Whilst I like the idea in general, I do not live the governance structure nor the way it continues to gobble OU funds that could be used in other ways. £50 million or so now I think has been spent on the platform creation and management. That is a lot of money. Overall I feel I am pretty robust and able to cope with differences.

Day 18 – Aspirational values.

I think there are more than two sets of values, as teams and departments also have their own. HR’s culture AND values will be different from say estates, faculty or the senior leadership team.

The question, do you always do the right things….yes / no is a trick question. In my mind yes, but others could say “no” occasionally.


Here are some values exercises I have “accrued” over time:

Values Activity: Core-Values-Exercise

Values list: values list for card sorter type exercises

Team values survey: Team values questionnaire in English

HBR Article on values: Make Your Values Mean Something

Another values reflection activity: Work values

Yes, another one… The-Short-Schwartzs-Value-Survey

Here is an image if a Venn type diagram as drawn above, but done in a live session with a group (this is just before starting to place them in the overlaps). Ones that fall dead centre are more powerful):

Day 19 – The way you are in the world

Today asks us to reflect on two things:

Firstly – Are you clear where you want to be in the world? I am fairly sure I do, but it is a bit of a Journey. Professionally I would like to be using my facilitation and coaching skills in the social and leadership areas. This requires a pivot in my work practices as I work 99% corporate at the moment. Doing this 100 day journey is part of the shift, amongst other things.

Secondly – Who are the buddies on your trip? I have not thought this out really. I am not particularly well connected at the OU and my current work network is generally corporate. I recognise I need to extend my network. I am currently doing the BSc Design & Innovation, focused on the environmental track. I hope this connects me more. I also aim to connect more to a broader network in the graphic facilitation world.

This is the end of “curation”. Next up is “storytelling”. To continue reading, visit HERE.