Hello all,
I’ll add my voice to the PUSU mix!
As I mentioned in my post back in December 2009 I want to focus on 3 things- (1) more creative output, which I described in the above mentioned post as “broken teeth,” (2) collaborating/networking, which I stated were “handshake deals,” and (3) self-education, where I used the metaphor of “swollen brains.”
Here’s where I stand now:
- As far as creative output, I’m proud to say that I have one major accomplishment, well, accomplished-my 1st e-book! It’s a compilation of the ‘HR101’ series and the best part is that its creation was requested by the readers. Some have even expressed an interest in using it in their class curriculum! In addition to the e-book, I’m also looking to create a podcast series and, most importantly, I’m going to move away from Blogger. Point blank-it sucks and I need a better platform to support my goals. I’m looking forward to working with a great web designer in terms of its format and functionality. Wish me luck 🙂
- Collaborating/networking: guest posts will continue. I’m continuing to work on the “pop-up” blog idea. And of course, if you have an idea you want to work on with me just let me know! To engage HR pros offline, I’ve been making a conscious effort to speak with newly connected colleagues by phone or in person on a weekly basis. I’ve also been actively working to get out of the office more and meet people for coffee, lunch, etc. I’m extending my network beyond HR so that I don’t become one-dimensional. Lastly, I’ve been sharing more online resources (blogs, e-books, white papers, etc.) with my offline network. Small steps but worthwhile. Consistent and sustained offline contact is deepening the connections that have been created, which has helped me remain motivated at work and online.
- Self-education has centered around ‘HR101’ mainly finance and statistics. I’m doing a lot of self-study regarding accounting principles, and with the help of Teresa Morris (@controllergirl) I’ve been able to better understand the “stories” behind the numbers. I’ll continue with these 2 subjects until the end of February and then move into PR/Marketing and Internal Communication. Aside from ‘HR101’ I’ve been reading business books like they’ve been going out of style. Some titles include-‘How To Lie With Statistics’ by Darrell Huff, ‘The Support Economy’ by Shoshana Zuboff/James Maxmin, ‘Embracing Chaos’ by Jeremy Gutsche, ‘No More Teams!’ by Michael Schrage, and ‘The Long Tail’ by Chris Brogan/Julien Smith. Actively reading and writing notes on these works has deepened my thoughts in ways that focusing primarily on social media can’t do. It also allows me to step outside my normal circle of influences (co-workers, bloggers I communicate with on a regular basis, etc.) and helps to either challenge or reinforce my opinions on the subject at hand. I’ll probably write a post or two discussing this concept.
So that’s a little bit of what’s going on with my PUSU challenge. If you want to support the efforts of the others or myself, drop me a line or give me a call. Thanks!
