Maren Deepwell

Category: leadership

  • On a tangent to leading a virtual team… going on holiday

    On a tangent to leading a virtual team… going on holiday

    This blog is mostly about the work I do, and things I find interesting. But, as a Learning Technologist in a leadership role, I think a lot a lot about work/life balance even if I don’t share much about my life away from work on this platform. The current series of posts written jointly with Martin Hawksey in which we take an open approach to leading a virtual team has prompted me to reflect on how important it is to be aware of a how less formal, home-based work environment can affect one’s well being. As I have holidays coming up, I wanted to share my approach to taking a break. In an environment where many talk about their work ethic, on being indispensable or never having weekends or evenings off, it’s important to also talk about taking time away from work, taking a break.

    So, here is what works for me when I want to get away:

    Lists: a list of things to do before I go away, a list of things to handover/cover, a list of urgent things for when I get back, a list of long term things for when I get back, a list of things to check… ticking things off my lists and having somewhere to note all the things I won’t get done, is essential.

    Ruthless inbox clearing: delete, delegate, deal with… always nice to see how a firm deadline focuses the mind and suddenly everything that has been languishing in my inbox for a while is gone. I also make an effort to send much fewer messages in the week before I go away, to get fewer responses back.

    Make sure everything is covered: as a Line Manager and in a role where things have to be covered whilst I am away, I am fortunate to have colleagues who will deputise or cover for me. I put my arrangements in place well in advance and remind everyone that I’ll be away, to help them plan ahead, too. It’s a good opportunity for me to model what a handover looks like and how to plan ahead around urgent deadlines.

    Keep for everything that I’ve forgotten: I am a big fan of Google Keep and use it for managing my to do lists. In the first few days whilst I am on holiday I’ll remember lots of things that I have forgotten and so I make a special list to which I can add everything that comes to mind. If I write it down, I won’t worry about it and it’ll be waiting for me when I get back.

    Really actually go on holiday: if I intend to have proper time off, I don’t monitor email at all. I set my out of office and that is it.

    Interesting reading: one of my main priorities when I don’t have to work is to catch up on lots of reading. That may be work-related research at times, and having that to look forward to is a big motivation for me.

    I look forward to having a break from my usual routine, time to go for a run when I’m usually at my desk, time to spend with family and friends, time to stay up late… time enough to feel more curious, keen and inspired again when I head back to work.

  • Don’t think you are brilliant? Exploring the full colour spectrum of reflection.

    Don’t think you are brilliant? Exploring the full colour spectrum of reflection.

    Last year I wrote a post called Don’t think you are brilliant? Think again… and in it I shared my insights from being an assessor for CMALT, ALT’s peer-based accreditation scheme and how I observed that reflecting on practice can help you realise your own strengths and gain a sense of achievement.

    Since then, I have assessed a lot more portfolios and also explored those shared by other Certified Members (thanks for sharing!) and I have come across a few more thoughts on this, which I’d like to share with you now – mainly because I think most of us could do with a bit more confidence, recognition and a sense of a job well done before we hurry on to the next deadline or deliverable.

    It’s hard to feel that you are doing well when things are tough and often it takes a long time before you can look back and see how much progress you made at the time. When people in my network, mostly open practitioners, write brave posts sharing stories about their ups and downs I am always reminded that for everyone things can be difficult even if as an observer I can only see the what it looks like from the outside: I see the video, or hear the talk or read the paper, I pick up all the indicators of success, achievement, new thinking and so forth, but so often those only tell a small part of the story. But if you are chairing a meeting, on a stage or behind a lectern, people generally assume that you have it figured out. I salute those who let us peek behind the scenes, who share the more human side of their work. I hear people often advocate that we embrace sharing failures more, and I, too, support this notion strongly – but it is harder to do than it looks, I think. If failures are shared, it is mostly on the practical aspect of what we work on, on technology and tools, based on survey results or case studies. Very useful, but not personal like reflection can be.

    Some common factors in successful reflection:

    Making time: the most effective reflection is often born out of a habit to set aside time for it. Regularly. So that both good and bad weeks are considered, and over time a balanced perspective created. Some people write or have conversations, others think inside their own heads. Most come to record their ideas, thoughts or feelings in some ways. Some of the most insightful accounts I have read as an assessor demonstrate a clear sense of progression, i.e. someone having taking stock at different points in time and building a narrative around that.

    Sitting with it: reflection doesn’t always lead to expected or pleasant places. Sometimes a train of thought ends in an uncomfortable place. Or in a realisation that things aren’t going well. Failure looms large. One of the techniques I most admire is the ability to be present with that kind of realisation, to develop a more mature relationship to thinking about topics that are difficult to reflect on. It takes a lot of confidence to do that.

    Confidence in yourself: one of the ways in which reflection can go wrong is to rely only on external measures of success or failure. For example, you might reflect on a project as a failure if it didn’t meet its objectives fully even if you learnt a lot from it or it was a useful stepping stone to something new. Developing a sense of confidence and trusting one’s own judgement is a common component of effective reflection.

    So, make time to reflect and discover the brilliant or shiny part of your practice alongside all the grey bits, or the darker ones, too. Space to think comes in all colours.

  • Weekend post: leadership lesson from my favourite starship captain

    Weekend post: leadership lesson from my favourite starship captain

    As you may have gathered, I like Star Trek and Captain Picard is my favourite captain in that particular universe. I don’t agree with every aspect of his approach to leadership, but I like to think that we share a lot of values and every now and then I come across something he says or does that really resonates with me.

    I was watching an old episode of The Next Generation recently (fellow nerds: this is the one in which android Data loses his confidence after someone beats him in a futuristic strategy game), in which Picard says to Data that it is possible not to commit any mistakes and still loose. I like the episode in general, but that particular bit of dialogue stuck in my head, because it’s related to things I have been thinking about recently.  Here’s why it resonates with me:

    Much of the time following all the right steps and doing all the right things does result in the desired outcome. At least when things are reasonably within your sphere of influence. So, when something goes wrong or something bad happens in response to what we do, we seek to establish what we did wrong, where we made a mistake – same as Data does in the Star Trek episode. He thinks he must have made a mistake because he lost the game. It’s logical, and it’s comforting to have a sense of control, to believe that doing the correct thing will result in the correct outcome.

    But, in many instances, that’s not the case. That’s not the case in the well-ordered universe of the Starship Enterprise and certainly not the case in the chaotic reality we call home.

    The advice from Captain Picard cheered me. I thought it was a useful lesson to revisit because it reminded me that not everything that goes wrong is my responsibility or within my power to change. It made me reflect on the fact that even when things go wrong, often you can still get to your overall aim in other ways. And it made me think about how valuable it is to make mistakes, to learn how to cope with making them, learn from them and move on with your confidence still intact. 

    In a high-performing environment, like Starfleet in this instance, it’s doubly important to be considerate about that part of your working culture. To be able to share when things go wrong, to make the best of them and to move on. And that a little kindness, a moment of listening or recognition can go a long way to helping oneself and others weather difficult moments like that. 

    Back in the Star Trek story, a cheered Data returns to duty with the Captain’s advice fresh on his mind, but he also returns to face his opponent at the game table. This time, Data plays not to win, but for a stalemate, and he succeeds in not losing. He changes his winning conditions, what he wants to achieve to succeed. It’s a great ending to the episode and a good example to follow.

  • Being grounded in itinerant professional practice

    Being grounded in itinerant professional practice

    Recently, I have started writing a series of blog posts with my colleague Martin Hawksey. It’s an interesting undertaking in which we take an open approach to leadership, to sharing our perspective on leading the organisation we work for through a period of change towards adopting a virtual mode of operating. And it’s got me thinking on parallel lines about my own professional practice and how it’s developed over the last 20 years, from being a practising artist making stuff, to being an anthropologist studying cemeteries, to being an academic and learning technologist and now to working in a leadership role.

    My work has been on the move constantly. I have changed countries, cities, institutions, offices, roles and colleagues. I like change, and having new challenges, but I also take things with me. Some things remain constant, part of my routine no matter where or how I work.

    That isn’t too say that my environment, technology or company doesn’t have a big impact. They do. But they don’t define my practice. What really matters, what makes me work well, what helps me achieve, that I take with me. A bit like the suitcases I used to create as a sculptor or draw in my sketchbooks, I think I have a carry-on of essentials that I don’t leave behind. They help ground me and my work when things change or I do. In my experience everyone has an equivalent of those types of things, but here are my top 5:

    Reflective writing
    Whether it’s in a journal, on loose paper, on my private blog or digital doc, at least once a week and often more frequently I sit down, reflect and write. It doesn’t matter where I am or how busy things get, reflective writing forms an essential part of my practice. It helps me gain perspective, empty my head and make time to enjoy what’s gone well or give myself a break for things that have gone awry. I write around 80,000 words a year, so cloud storage is a good thing. 

    Long term list
    No matter what shape my daily to list may take, I always keep a list of ideas, links and actions to consider in the long term. It’s a dump for anything important, but not urgent, as well as more creative ideas or plans. I review it periodically, maybe once a month or so, to mark things as completed, delete and re-order. Some items take years to complete… .

    Pictures
    A visual record of what I am working on, where I go or whom I meet is really important to me. It’s useful to be able to look back, revisit particular conferences or trips or lunch. That also includes images or artwork I (help) create – in particular if I have been working on something for a while.

    Making time to listen
    Harder to make the suitcase metaphor work with this kind of thing, but still an essential. It sounds very obvious that listening is important, but so few people actually do. Most of the time, it’s all about talking, transmitting, being heard. The busier things get the more difficult it becomes to find time to listen and make space for others to find their voice, share their thoughts. So from train journeys to coffee breaks, I make a point of putting my laptop or phone to one side and really focus on the people I am with.

    Complete something fun
    As often as I can, I dedicate some time to doing something fun. For example, I enjoy making a web page and publishing it. Or making an image for something. Or reading/writing something. It doesn’t really matter what it is, it’s about completing it and getting a sense of achievement from it. A quick win. A lot of what I work on is a) long term, b) invisible or c) collaborative and so in order to balance these with feeling that I have accomplished something I often do ‘something fun’ and see it completed. It reminds me of how good I am at making things happen and often helps me see bigger, more complex things through to completion with a greater sense of confidence.

  • 6 years a CEO… the soundtrack

    6 years a CEO… the soundtrack

    This morning my least favourite social media platform reminded me of a post from 6 years ago, and it linked back to this announcement from 2012, written by Martin Oliver, then Chair of ALT, about my appointment as CEO of the Association.

    Since then, I have written many times to Members to report on progress and together with others shared the work we do, which I am very proud of. But this post is more personal, not about me representing ALT as an organisation. Because as I found out in the last six years, being a CEO is all about who you are and the people you work with.

    To celebrate making it to 6 years as a CEO, I am going am going to share the top tracks from the soundtrack of the last 6 years and the reasons for why I love these songs:

    Harder Than You Think by Public Enemy
    Good for running, good for getting out of bed and a potent reminder that the example I set, the work I do, does make a difference (even if it often is…. harder than you think).

    Manic Monday by The Bangles
    Needs no explanation really, not many weeks manage to start with anything else. This is a proper 80s reminder to have fun, work hard and hum along of things get really tough.

    Theme tune from Star Trek – The Next Generation
    With Captain Picard being my all-time hero and the crew of the Enterprise and their adventures shaping most of the metaphors in my young mind, there is not a lot that I don’t imagine in terms of what’s happening on the Enterprise.

    Picture of You by The Cure
    I used to follow the band along on tour when I was a teenager and I have every one of their albums. They are my favourite band and this song I like to listen to when I stand on a new stage, looking around a big, empty auditorium for the first time. Also works great on train journeys… a song to make me feel at home no matter where I am.

    Lost in the Supermarket by The Clash
    Living in London for over ten years, I came to identify with this song a lot. Also, it’s The Clash.

    15 Step by Radiohead
    I never knew that Radiohead was Oxford’s ‘local’ band before I lived there and as I am terrible at recognising people’s names and faces, I never spotted any of them in town. Of all their music, I love this song in particular.

    I went to see Midnight Oil play live in London last year and when the floor and the roof and the walls and every body was vibrating with the beat of the drums I was reminded that as human beings we are made to experience the world with all our senses. This is part of what you don’t see.

  • Open leadership: self assessment and self care

    Open leadership: self assessment and self care

    One of the things I did this week was to help test a diagnostic tool, which is part of the work Mozilla is doing on open leadership. The questionnaire had lots of questions helping me reflect on my approach to open leadership, how I support and empower others, but one question in particular made me pause:

    The question asked me to indicate (I am paraphrasing here) how often or to what extent I practice self care to enable myself to be creative, compassionate, enthusiastic and so forth as an open leader. It was phrased in a way that didn’t feel familiar to me, so I had to sit back and think a bit longer on what answer I could give.

    I’ve learnt a lot about how important it is to find the right balance between being busy and resting, thinking and getting things done and yet it’s something that, like many other people, I can struggle with at times.

    This week is a good example because it’s been so busy, and had so many big deadlines in it, that it takes quite a lot of effort not to loose sight of that balance. So as part of my week I have been having a daily play in the visual thinkery sandbox that Bryan Mathers has set up and that I blogged about recently, making a stamp a day as a mini creative project. Making something, even if it only takes five or ten minutes, and stretching my creative muscles, thinking about something in a different manner, is a good way of resetting my brain and taking a break from a hectic schedule.

    It’s a small step in the right direction and a bit of creative, making fun. It is also an important part of finding the right approach to open leadership for myself. It’s given me a new idea to try and capture a more holistic approach to professional and personal development for my upcoming appraisal, to reflect the different aspects of what it takes to be a leader.