Welcome to the first (of many I’m hoping!) UK HR Blog Carnival! Pull up a chair, grab yourself a good cuppa and settle back.
Last week, I made a call to action for UK HR Bloggers to take part in a carnival, and to say that I’m joyed at the response from all corners is an understatement. I threw out the theme of the carnival as ‘When potential comes to fruition’, and what the bloggers have come back with is just simply inspiring stuff. The best piece about this carnival is that I haven’t heard of most of these bloggers until the call was made.
Word of advice, if you’re unfamiliar with blog carnivals, it’s not a quick read…
So let’s get on with this shindig.
The first post comes from Linda Fisher Thornton from over the seas in the States. Hey look, the point of a carnival is for everyone to be included and for all bloggers to be supported. Linda writes a really thoughtful piece on the importance of ethics and leadership entitled Developing the Ethical Leader of the Future.
Kate Usher helps us to think about that in order to achieve your potential, maybe you’re not taking the right kind of personal risks. It’s an interesting piece, and Kate provides some useful pointers on what we should be considering. Potential: you’re instrumental.
It often strikes me as interesting how much time we give new employees before we start burdening them with pressures at work that are about developing them because suddenly they’re not good enough. Bev Holden tackles this head on in I love you. You’re perfect. Now change.
How many of us take the time to use our senses to inform us of what’s about to come? This piece from David Goddin really helps us to see what we might be missing when we think about our potential coming to fruition by not being mindful of what is ever present around us. Follow your senses, or in this case, follow the link.
Some bloggers chose to take the theme and make it the title of their post too. When potential comes to fruition from Kate Griffiths-Lambeth is a joy to read. I enjoy Kate’s writings, not least because she’s a very smart lady, but because in reading her posts, she gives so much to think about you can’t help but be inspired to think better.
I think too that freedom comes from embracing our potency; if we don’t think about what we are not, but think about what we could be, impossible really is just an opinion. Nice isn’t it? Meg Peppin makes that rather brilliant observation. Have a think about what that means to you, and then go read Impossible is an opinion.
Can we ever be good enough at work to achieve those scores of 10/10 or whatever scale you might use? What about if you are really good and perceive yourself to be about 8/10, and even after seeking feedback you’re still unsure of what to do next? I’m an 8 out of 10, now what? is Kate Hargreaves‘ piece about this, and gives some good advice on realising your potential in other ways.
Susan Popoola addresses the HR function directly in her point of view on When potential comes to fruition. “…my starting point is always that each and every individual has value” – I like that, and it’s where I start from too.
Purposeful play at work is something I believe in. It can create a strong way of connecting with others, helping to break down barriers and is a very good way of moving the mind to a positive place. Let’s try a little unselfconsciousness, from Catherine Wilks, is a good piece to help think about this better.
I also wrote something about potential I called What the potential?. In that post I talk about how to start having the conversation to understand what your potential could be.
I’m quite interested in how technological developments and improvements are changing the world around us. Dan Roddy thinks so too and in his post on When potential comes to fruition, we see how we might be missing the full potential of the very computer and device you’re using now because we haven’t invested the time to fully understand it.
If Potentials are to come to fruition and prosper in an organisation; networking and negotiating for individual’s support are vital HR elements. This insight comes from Nicole Le Maire (based in Kuwait no less!) in her Halloween themed post on Enter at Your Own Risk… Potential. She also addresses the HR function directly on how we support and help those identified as ‘potentials’ in organisations.
Do you know of Patrick Mullarkey and his writings? He has a very playful style of writing and often mixes pop culture with points of view about learning and development. His latest on Potentially a very different type of Godfather gives us a really good perspective about what actors go through and how their potential comes out sometimes by chance and sometimes by grabbing the opportunities presented to us.
I really like this post from Ian Pettigrew on When potential comes to fruition as it resonates with me. In Sikhi we are taught that our actions make us who we are. This and Ian’s post are how I believe we should be. If you want things to happen in your life, you have to make them happen. We are all responsible for our own actions, and I believe self-awareness and reflection gives us that impetus to act.
Alison Chisnell joins in the carnival with a lovely story about her insight from her daughters. In order for their to be potential, we have to have imagination, dreams and desires. If we listen to these we can create loyalty in the people working with us and that is only a good thing for businesses. The imagination of potential is a good read.
Next, Phil Willcox talks about It’s all about the naches. It’s a post about pride in a person that Phil helped to develop and how he is glad that this person realised their potential and it came to fruition in a meaningful way for them both.
Another person interested in how technology helps improve daily life is Martin Couzins. From his experience at a conference last week he’s shared a story about Steve Sasson. I don’t know who he is either, but Who’s your Steve Sasson? helps explain perfectly.
And finally, Jon Bartlett provides a great insight into what happens when organisations take a chance and so something extraordinary. His post on Can you see the potential? helps us to see that even people with obvious differences can show their potential when given the right environment to thrive.
*Checks over all ways I’ve been contacted for people wanting to take part.*
*Satisfied I’ve not missed anyone.*
Wow! Check out all you bloggers out there and what you’ve helped to start off here. Thanks so much to everyone for their contributions and for being willing and showing your support. I’ve loved helping to bring this together and am very energised by the prospect of what this could become – I’m sure there’s a tie in to potential and fruition in the purpose of the original post…
Look out for the conversation about the carnival on Twitter with the hashtag #hrcarnivaluk.
So, who’s hosting the next one next month?
Thinking About Learning 
Nicely kicked off Sukh, you’ve had a great response.
The response has been really brilliant and encouraging. So glad it’s had such a strong start.