From Humble Beginning Come Great Things (Revised December 2021)

While out walking in the glorious April sunshine, I was reflecting on my past, my present and my future - not at all in keeping with the spirit of mindfulness which usually accompanies me on my walks. 

My past - from humble beginnings...

Who knew, when this picture was taken, what lay ahead for me?  Who knew, as a child in the 60's, what my life story would hold. Looking back over the years I am grateful for this life I've led, for the people I've met along the way and for the world of learning that has helped me shape my future.

In August, 2015 Julie Beck wrote an article called, "Life Stories".  She wrote:

"A person’s life story is not a Wikipedia biography of the facts and events of a life, but rather the way a person integrates those facts and events internally—picks them apart and weaves them back together to make meaning. This narrative becomes a form of identity, in which the things someone chooses to include in the story, and the way she tells it, can both reflect and shape who she is."

My Present:

When I consider who I am today and how I live my life, I think that Beck hit the nail on the head. My humble beginnings gave me an appreciation for people.  People, communities, families, friends were all important back then and still are.  The way I tell my story reflects who I am and how I have become me. The me who loves people and especially loves hearing other people's stories...it is what makes my work magical.

I started off my professional career as a Community Education Worker then retrained as a Coach and have spent the last 16 years coaching and training people as coaches. Every single one of them has a story to tell and I have been so privileged, through my work, to support hundreds of individuals on their journey.

Some time ago, I completed a year long learning journey with a group of individuals as part of an Action Learning Set*).  As part of the starting process, we had shared our life stories so far, from our childhood influences to our current reality.  This, according to Reg Revans (1937) helps the bonding process for the group and generates powerful connections.  He was not wrong; on the final day of the Set, we reflected on how having each other for support through the tough times as well as to share in the celebrations, the successes and the high points, only served to deepen those connections that we'd made. Not to mention the benefits the relationships within the Set have brought into our professional contexts.

* "Action Learning solves problems and develops leaders simultaneously", (World Institute for Action Learning, 2016).

My Future:

In my current role(s) I continue to love life and gain nourishment from other people's life stories. I am so grateful that as a Coach I get the chance to share in the journeys of my clients as we walk along their paths together; as a Trainer, I thrive on opportunities to facilitate the sharing that goes on in every Coach Training or Inspiring Partnership programme.  I am proud to be able to contribute to the growth in the organisations I work with when I partner with them to create the conditions for growth in their people.

I am also cultivating an appreciation for the times when I am not working, valuing the simple things like time with family, with my wee dogs and pottering in the garden - and looking forward to more of this in my future.

A report published by the Australian Business Foundation - the Hidden Human Dimensions of Innovation - highlighted the social nature of innovation, again celebrating that people are at the heart of business. Their Chief Exec: Narelle Kennedy, made the following comments at a conference in 2009 that really sums up the place of people in organisations and innovation:

“People are innovation’s active ingredient, the catalyst that turns novelty into real benefits for economies and communities. Benefits like jobs, wealth, productivity and life-changing progress...It is tacit knowledge, accumulated experience and learning by doing result in a highly valuable intangible asset that boosts the innovation odds".

I love it! And I appreciate every single individual that I have had the pleasure of working with over the years.  Life is a rich tapestry, no matter how humble our beginnings are.  From little acorns, great oaks will grow.

Michele.