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Sacred paths 10 January 2012

Posted by agsteele in : Personal , comments closed

Yet we would walk again
thy sacred paths,
repair thy ancient ruins,
restore thy broken altars,
raise up the foundations
of many generations.

 

Doing the best… 5 January 2012

Posted by agsteele in : Training , comments closed

I’m grateful to Elaine Applebee (@elaineapplebee) for pointing out an interesting take on jargon of ‘best practice’.

Gurprriet Siingh (@joyandlife) challenges the current fascination with the idea of best practice. It’s a popular idea that we should always be adopting the best practices demonstrated by colleagues or revealed through case-studies etc.

But as Siingh observes, what might be good practice for me may not be best for you. In his blog he argues that just copying because we’re told that an approach is good practice fails to consider our own context.

So what do we do if we want to benefit from the best ways of working? Siingh suggests that we need to modify as required or, better still, build our own best way of doing things.

Recently a colleague reminded me of Michael Polanyi’s observation that professionals know more than they realise. By all means aspire to excellence and learn from the way others do their job. But be ready to develop your own theories and practice by reflecting on what is really good and what will better for you.

 

O Little Town of Bethlehem 25 December 2011

Posted by agsteele in : Training , comments closed

I’m just back from midnight communion at our local church where we were encouraged to pray for a country on our hearts this Christmas.

I was struck by the carols and taken to the Holy Land – and in particular to Bethlehem. This year the carols seemed to have greater meaning. I could say that I’ve been there. Of course the inn and stable are long since gone, supposedly replaced by the Church of the Nativity. And the two separate locations for the shepherds’ field compete to be recognised as the place where the angels appeared.

But these places are alive for me this year in a way that they haven’t been before. And they have real people living there – some whom I now think of as friends.

As I celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Messiah, I remember those friendships and pray for peace for them amd their neighbours.

Friendships – just one privilege of training!

 

The loneliness of the itinerant trainer 15 December 2011

Posted by agsteele in : Training , comments closed

I’ve had a similar conversation with three separate colleagues/friends who are engaged in training and education this week.

I’m not sure whether there are particular circumstances that have brought things to a head for these friends, whom I will call A, B and C, but each one has discussed the challenges they face working remotely from an organisation. In each case they commented on the lack of face-to-face interaction they currently experience on a daily basis as they work on projects where the other participants are equally separated in the work process.

Of course, we now live and are employed in a world where home-based work is increasingly common. Working alone is a skill many of us will need to develop. We will also need to identify opportunities to interact with like-minded colleagues and partners. They may be colleagues within the organisation but might also be other home workers. There are an increasing number of work ‘clubs’ which offer shared work space and opportunities to meet and discuss problems and challenges.

Of course, we will need to consider the issues of confidentiality that will arise. But there are benefits to be gained by participating in informal communities of practice.

Meanwhile, apart from talking to the dog, a trip to a local coffee shop or even volunteering with a local community project might be enough to refresh our minds.

 

Lightbulbs and keys 17 November 2011

Posted by agsteele in : Training , comments closed

Working cross-culturally is both a privilege and a challenge. The fun of meeting and interacting with those from a culture other my own is matched by the challenge of getting the message across.

Today, in Alexandria, I tried to express the joy of times when the lightbulb comes on (no response) ; when the penny drops (still no response) and when everything falls into place (slight, polite agreement). Apparently the metaphor of a key being handed on to open a lock might have worked better.

Whatever the image, communication still takes care and effort.