This week I finished up a contract doing network development for a community of practice. It started off as 3 months and thanks to funding being confirmed, it was extended to six months. They\u2019re an association I used to be part of in a previous role, so how was it being on the contracted side of the fence?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was incredibly lucky to secure this contract early on in my freelancing \u2013 it came at the perfect time when I had more availability and felt like a great fit because I knew the network so well. It brought home the importance of your network when I realised I wouldn\u2019t have come across the opportunity if I hadn’t known the Chair. It just goes to show how you never know what your connection with someone is going to lead to later on and it\u2019s really given me a push to make connections with everyone I work with on LinkedIn for instance, to maximise my exposure as well as keep my ear to the ground about news and new opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s probably a rule written somewhere, and I didn’t necessarily realise the risk I was taking. Having a colleague\/friend as a client is dangerous ground, and one that could have gone really wrong. I took on the contract with a Chair I hadn\u2019t had much contact with, so it was a great friendly and professional relationship. However the Chair role changed halfway through the contract to someone I knew much better. Thankfully we laid good foundations in terms of agreeing the work outputs, communication preferences and our ways of working together. While there were some unexpected curveballs in the work (through no fault of anyone\u2019s), we were lucky there was never a moment when we needed to have a difficult conversation and test whether the personal relationship interferred with the professional. On the flipside there’s a brilliant foundation of trust that you start from and carry through in the delivery of work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like many communities of practice, this one is led by a committee of volunteers, a group of phenomenal people who run it alongside their (often full time) demanding jobs. They are professional superheroes, balancing so many demands on their time, but it does mean that occasionally it\u2019s hard to make an ask of their time, or that decisions take that little bit longer to reach. It brought home the importance of an agreed set of outputs for the contract, which everyone was signed up to, and the need to keep it under constant review as things flexed and changed. Regular updates were paramount to keep priorities established, including to the wider committees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Formalised communities of practice like this one need investment to fund the necessary infrastructure. There\u2019s the immediate logistics of a website, meeting facilities (virtual or in real life), file storage, branding, accounting etc. But there\u2019s also the need for coordination, resource building and development, which is incredibly hard to do for a committee of people doing it voluntarily around busy lives. Having paid support for the first time enabled them to achieve a significant amount more and this trial has been a great experiment and fired up them to investigate what sustainable funding options might be available to them in the future, and I’ll be rooting for them all the way!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because I worked in their world for 4 years (including being on the committee myself for a slice of that time) I knew the work inside out. But it wasn\u2019t just feeling confident in doing the work that helped this to be such a great contract, or that the people I worked with were so lovely. The real drive came from the fact that I felt really passionately about supporting this community of practice to be the best it can possibly be \u2013 I\u2019ve been in that role, I know the value of the support they provide, the importance of having an independent person to listen, to have a list of contacts who\u2019ll generously share their experience, expertise and insights. I\u2019d never experienced it before and I feel like it might have a significant impact on where my career goes in the future. But for right now, it\u2019s interesting to reflect on how motivated I was to do the work, how easily it flowed and how comfortable it felt, in contrast to some of the more stretching work I\u2019ve had which pushed me\/developed me into new areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Absolutely. They\u2019re a group I\u2019ll always feel connected to, and always wish the best for. So much so it was hard to say goodbye, still wanting to be part of what comes next and I found myself putting feelers out for some pro-bono work with them in the future. While I have to careful about over-committing, it’s incredibly powerful to see what can be achieved and it will always be an area I love working within – and I can’t wait to watch their progression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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