If you were asked what skill you’d use to survive the zombie apocalypse – what would you use? Would you negotiate? District them with jokes? Would you knit your way out? It was the exercise that caused the most laughter at the latest away day I ran. Exploring what left-field ways teams would…
Tag: Self-employment
When Your Holiday Isn’t a Break
I’ve just had two weeks off work, and it’s the longest stretch I’ve managed since I went freelance. As I returned to my projects, everyone was quick to ask the standard “how was your break? question. But here’s the thing, I’m not sure a holiday with two small children qualifies as a break….
How to Work Together Well
Something you need to get used to as a freelancer is regularly starting new work. And it’s not just the work that’s new – it’s often a new organisation, new people/team and even a new industry to what you might have worked in before. New starts are always steep learning curves – a…
Embracing Chaos: Life as a Working Parent
Who was it who said “parent like you don’t have a job and work like you don’t have a child?” Would anyone own up to it now, in 2023? I wonder. The pandemic, for all its horrors, did some good in re-calibrating the work/life balance expectations of employers and staff. For those with…
For the Love of Lists
I remember deciding last year that I’d set half a day aside every week for business admin. It was really important, I decided, to safeguard that time and I’d be able run a business properly this way with all the right things in place. And honestly, I think I’ve managed that a handful…
Lessons in Mentoring
I’ve just wound up a year-long mentoring project. Last summer I started volunteering with The Cranfield Trust who provide consultancy and mentoring support to charities, free of charge. It’s an incredible service – and I wish I’d known about it when I started my first charity management role. I signed up as a…
Day in The Life
One of my favourite things about being freelance is the variety it provides. Wednesday felt like a particularly good example of that variety, as well as the brain-stretch you need to keep jumping between different work, so here’s another insight into a day in the life of a charity consultant: 6am ish: Wake…
International Mischief Making: Facilitation Training
“Serious results don’t require serious behaviour” is the motto of Mischief Makers – the international facilitation and training company. I’ve just completed an 8-week block of training with them on leading groups, with a particular focus on hybrid settings – where you have some delegates in person and some joining online. It’s been…
Generalists Unite
There’s a beauty and a complexity to being a generalist. How do you build and strengthen your professional identity when your range is broad? Awkward Introductions I feel one of the things I want to work on this year is being more comfortable owning the label of a generalist. When I started out,…
A Year of Business
I’m officially a year into self-employment – while I didn’t do a huge celebration, I did take my husband out for an amazing taster menu dinner and raised a glass then. So, where am I a year on – what’s the same and what’s changed? Name Changes Early doors I started using the…