From 1st May (2023) I will be stepping down from being a member/owner of Outlandish and become self-employed to be a collaborator in Outlandish and to do separate freelance work. An exciting and scary new chapter in my life. WHY? I hear you ask… as always, its complicated but here is a stab!
I’ve been here nearly 12 years, its time to let go of the reins
I’ve been here pretty much from the beginning, and wow, its been a ride. I came to Outlandish to try and add some project management to the way things were working, and I did that, and lots more. Since then we have grown and shrunk and grown again and evolved and taken risks. I wouldn’t be who I am today without the challenges and the achievements we have experienced as a co-operative and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. And, the whole point of creating a co-operative for me, was that it shouldn’t be reliant on the founders, but shared as equally as possible amongst all the members at any one time. It is time for me to let go of those reins and take on some new adventures.
I have real awareness and clarity of how and on what I want to focus my time
What I’m trying to achieve in life has changed quite a lot since I started in Outlandish at 29. I’m now 41 and got two kids, a house, built a successful business with people whom I love and respect. So what’s my next challenge? How can I push myself next?
Through lots of supportive coaching from Pete Burden on working out what the point of me is (!) These are the goals that make me feel excited, and get me up in the morning, and the ones I want to spend my time on:
- Working on complex tech and culture challenges in organisations that want to create genuine and systemic change in the world (deliver tangible stuff that makes a bloomin’ difference)
- Working with peers that equally support each other, consciously developing our own ways of working together to build deep, trusting and meaningful relationships that go beyond the barriers of the organisation you work in (the connection with humans I work with are more important than the structure I’m in)
- Working with a wide range of organisations and people, and seeing the impact we have on each other even after we have stopped working together (have lasting impact with people I work with)
To be able to focus on these goals, I need to make time for them, and let go of some stuff that I am currently doing that doesn’t directly meet them. An obvious way to do that is to stop ‘running’ Outlandish as a business and allowing space for others to take that on rather than me.
Putting my money where my mouth is
Integrity for me is one of the most important principles I try and live by. Modelling the behaviours and values I hold dear for me is the only true way I want to be. Being able to genuinely live and breathe what I support my clients to try in terms of ways of working is essential for me to be an authentic and valuable coach & facilitator. I need to do what I say to others to try (because I believe and see that it works when everyone opts in), always and in every team I work in.
I have struggled in letting go of the role of ‘Mum’ in Outlandish, despite desperately wanting to, and that is not a solo challenge – it is also incredibly difficult to change those kinds of dynamics within any group. By me stepping down, I am modelling the need to not be at the centre of all things Outlandish, because despite trying with all our might, it is so easy to step into the safe role of looking after things when its not going so well or a challenge comes up for us. I don’t think that serves my goals, nor Outlandish’s. I think the best way we can achieve Outlandish being even more co-operative than it already is, is by me stepping back. That’s a scary thing to do for us all, but I’m going to take the risk and be excited about what might happen, for all of us.
I’ll be writing another blog on my highlights (and maybe some lows, because, you know that’s where the learning is at!) before I leave.
If you are curious or want to understand more, just drop me or any of the members a line.
