Beyond Here There Be Dragons

Eric reviewed the presentation for Leah, and he thinks it would make a good project. Cross your fingers now that Leah will be interested in pursuing it.

Part of what I proposed involves videotaping AI interviews and producing a DVD deliverable. Since I don't know how to do any of that, and I don't have the equipment on hand to produce it, I'm afraid I'm biting off more than I can chew.

I asked Ed if he would be willing to produce the video, or if he would let me use iMovie on his Apple, and 'that isn't going to happen.' So I have some big-time research and purchases and production ahead of me if this goes forward.

Friday

I spoke with the executive director of Global Gallery just now. She gave me some deep background about the organization and is sending me more information. I'm not sure how I would step into this project.

Yesterday Eric wrote to me asking about my progress report. I've written him back with some details about what I've been pursuing by way of a project, providing him with a link to this blog. I'm hoping he will share some thoughts with me about how to progress.

Next.

I sent a draft proposal to Leah.

Hard of Thinking

I spent a good amount of time (5-6 hours?) writing up a proposal for Leah yesterday. The process started to feel like it belonged to me after about 4 hours of sweat equity . . .

Why is this so difficult? Why am I so difficult? "Other people" seem to be able to do things without questioning every step of the process. Why am I so obstinate?

Cultural Exchange

Leah returned my call this morning. She struck me as being very knowledgeable about this kind of work, and I think she would be easy to work with from that point of view. In fact, she seemed like she would be a wonderful collaborator - she had some good insights into pre-merger/post-merger states of the organization(s), as well as a long view of how the focus of the organization(s) has changed over time.

She asked for some more specific information including:

"Introduction to program at CWRU
Your previous similar research result
Your expectation as of time and scope
Purpose/Process/PayOff"

Why do I feel as though my credibility is being questioned? I explained that I am a student . . .

Light Bulb, and I Don't Mean Philips or GE

I created a team blog for the AMOC, CIGO, and MPOD groups this morning. As I was telling my friend John about it, he asked me why I didn't use the blog as the basis for my paper.

Why not, indeed? On to Eric.

And More Scouting . . .

Sue wrote back that she has already collected volunteer stories, but that maybe we could do something else with the CML volunteers. I'm not sure what to suggest! I seem to be a one-trick pony. Or maybe the blood has stopped flowing to my brain.

The consulting company branch manager wrote me back. Text of the email: "Sounds interesting. Tell me more. When, What, Where, Time commitment as well. Thanks." This is an interesting response. Where do I go with this? I can't prescribe something in an email. I guess the next thing to do is to call her and do some appreciative listening.

On the Edge of Chaos

Sue dashed off a note last night to see what had become of the GG project. Since no progress on that front, I offered another option: what if we inquired into what "gives life" to the CML volunteer program?

I await her response with bated breath.

Happy Holidays

I left a vm for Leah. She is out of the office until Jan 3.

Another Lead

I got up the guts to call a VP in Diversity (Ray F) today to ask if there might be a project around the Employee Networking Groups (ENGs). Although he thought the scope of including all ENGs might be too broad, he suggested I contact Leah M, the coordinator of the Columbus networking groups. Those groups are under the banner, "The Cultural Exchange." I will contact her next.

Contact

I made contact with the executive director. We plan to meet next week.

What Comes Around . . .

Kate referred me to Sue, someone I already knew! Sue has referred me to the Executive Director of the GG. Onward.

Tuesday

I plan to call Kate this morning about a potential sustainability project at Global Gallery. She seems to think it is a sure bet.

I wrote a paragraph of "the story" for Eric last night.

Enticing Emails

I can see that my scouting emails have garnered some responses, but I cannot read the responses here at work!

I'm going to leave for lunch and check my gmail on a computer at the library. I hope I got a few nibbles!

Chapter 7

I chose to spend the remainder of the hour today re-reading the "Scouting, Entry, and Contracting" chapter in Eric's book, Becoming an OD Practitioner.

I found I had forgotten what activities entailed "entry," so it was a good review. It also gave me a chance to see that I do have a lengthy scouting story to write.

In the Beginning . . .

I have vowed to spend the hours between 7:00 - 8:00 a.m. working on the IFP this week. So here I am back at the blog trying to figure out how to proceed. I'm waiting for some of the energy I sent out into the world yesterday to boomerang back to me, but I cannot only wait. I must press forward.

I wrote to my family yesterday and asked for new ideas, too. Mika wrote me back and suggested that I "think fresh again." That's what I'm attempting to do now. She also suggested a brainstorming conference call, which I may take her up on.

Meanwhile, my employer has re-org'd at the higher levels again as of last Friday. I'm not sure where I "live" in this new design, so I've lost my footing (again). In theory, it shouldn't matter where I live, because I still need to coordinate IST and UAT for the enterprise release. But the power structure has changed, and that will most certainly affect others around me on whom I am dependent. So there truly is a "real" affect on process and productivity.

But I digress. Why did I bring the reorg up here in this post? Ah, it is because I would like to do my project here at work, and each time I think I get a handle on something I could do here, we reorganize and I lose my nerve.

I *should* be more flexible - I'm a "change agent" for crying out loud! But I'm also human, with my own foibles and insecurities, so I need to be mindful of those and work through them.

So what concrete actions can I take during this morning time to make progress on the IFP? First, I can brainstorm, as I'm doing here. But that doesn't feel much like concrete progress. Second, I can start writing "the story" that Eric wants to read (by January 1). That would at least get something down on paper that I could stew about and react to. Yes, that's the ticket - I need to start writing the story.

Once upon a time, there was a crazy woman named Tina . . .

Scouting, scouting, scouting

I wrote some scouting emails this afternoon. One to my entrepreneur friend mentioned in an earlier post. One to my former employer, an international consulting company with a local office here in my town. And one to an after-school program coordinator at the kids' school.

Howl and Rant

The weeks have flown by, and still no project to be seen. It's my own fault - I have little to no ability to multitask the papers and the projects, and so I follow them linearly into a pit of lateness and despair.

I would rather do a paper than try to do this project. This project will be the death of me. I'm not a bad person, am I? I'm not a bad student. I really try! I don't try to get out of things. But this is killing me.

What can I do next to make this happen? I wrote to a local entrepreneur about an hour ago. I asked him if he needed assistance with his own organization or if he had some ideas for volunteer orgs that might need some development help. Maybe something will come of that. But I can't stop there . . . I have to come up with something solid, and I have to come up with something solid NOW.

I need to just sit here with paper and pen and write down every damn idea I can think of and approach five of those groups and take the first one that says yes. I wanted to start writing the Progress Paper for Eric, but I can't even answer the questions, because I DON'T HAVE A PROJECT TO REPORT PROGRESS AGAINST!

ARGGGGGGGGGGH

I just lost a huge post.