Every few years, usually a year ahead of when a new strategy is due, I undertake a thought experiment. I imagine what it would be like to apply for my job afresh and sometimes in my head and sometimes on paper, I write out a new statement of why I want to be the CEO of ALT, what I bring to the role and what my vision is for the organisation going forward just as…
Category: leadership
I am still on holiday, which I am grateful for. The past year left me exhausted and by the time I finished work in December I was ready for a break. Nearly three weeks in and I have recovered some much needed energy and my sense of humour 🙂 With little let up from the pandemic and the impact on my working life continuing to increase, I feel it’s time to level up my preparation…
I have already written an EdTech end of year post, 2020 #altc – The year forged in fire, so this one is looking back at things I have blogged about this year… in around 30 posts this year. This year, I have blogged less about the conferences I have contributed to and the talks I have given, but fortunately for most of them there are slides or recordings available: Selected talks from 2020 VocTeach FE…
Last year I wrote a post about how working from home can lead to doing a lot of housework. I reflected on how working from home made me feel like I had been landed with all the domestic and care work and I explored ways in which I reclaimed a better balance. A year on, and several big life changes later, seemingly everyone is now working from home and finding any kind of balance is…
Read my new CEO Report to @A_L_T Members #altc https://t.co/5uk8WlPmi8 pic.twitter.com/NcAtcTIWhY — Dr Maren Deepwell (@MarenDeepwell) September 11, 2020 Dear Members Since my last report to you in June, much has happened in our community and the Association. From senior leaders to new recruits, everyone in Learning Technology has been working flat out to prepare for the start of the new academic year and continuing to cope with the impact of the pandemic. Whilst it…
In 2017 I spent nearly a year putting together a plan for transitioning ALT, the organisation I lead, from being office based (since 1993) to operating as a geographically distributed team. Executing the plan took another year… . Along the way to becoming not only a virtual team but also the employer of a (small) workforce that would be permanently home-based, I found out the answers to questions such as… why do you need a…
It’s Mental Health Awareness Week and currently every day feels like it should have its own campaign and come complete with support resources. Head to the dedicated website to find help, advice and support or get involved and show some kindness to those in need. When I hear people talk about how well they are coping with ‘the new normal’ I can only hope that they mean being able to have effective online meetings. Because…
I work with volunteers on a day to day basis and with a small, dedicated team of people. Saying thank you and showing appreciation is something that is important to me personally and professionally, both on an individual basis and in my capacity as a leader and on behalf of my organisation. Saying thank you and expressing how much value the contribution of an individual or a group of people has is really hard to…
Recently I contributed to a conversation around radical openness as part of the OLC’s Ideate online events, together with Robin DeRosa, Gerry Hanley, Leigh Graves Wolf and Rajiv Jhangiani. I was very glad to be invited and really enjoyed taking part. The session, described as a ‘community salon’ was described in the programme as an “opportunity for a group of thought leaders to engage participants in rich discussions around a broad topic intersecting with their…
It’s been a few tough weeks and there is more of this ahead. The longer it lasts, the more I read about how we are all finding this harder than expected. Fellow CEO David Hughes recently wrote on Coronavirus: ‘This is more difficult than I expected’ in the TES and the post resonated with me and many others. As a CEO, I am in a fortunate position in this crisis. I am not new in…