an opportunity for help

I'm on the hunt for a client. Is there a project you've held off on because of a lack of resources?

I am finishing up my master's in organization development at Johns Hopkins this fall. For my final project, I must perform field work that consists of diagnosing an individual, group or organizational problem, recommending an intervention, assisting a client in implementing the intervention, and evaluating the results - an estimated 120 hours of work.

I would like to work with an association in the Washington, DC area on this project. I am particularly interested in the areas of knowledge management, employee wellness and engagement, social networks, communities of practice, leadership development/emerging leaders and large scale organizational change.

The benefit to you and your association? This work would be performed gratis, by a CAE, under the supervision of OD experts, with the backing of Johns Hopkins. You can't beat that!

The tentative timeline for this would be:

• November 2007: agreement on project scope
• January 2008: complete plan for intervention/begin work
• April 2008: project completed

Post a comment if you are interested in exploring further. Even if you're not sure if your idea is a fit - I can help figure that out. In addition, there are a few other students in my class who are also looking for clients - so even if your need doesn't fit me perfectly, I may know someone who can help!

the anxiety is beginning

I'm just a little bit torn. I'm heading out to our Annual Meeting next week, so I'm excited. In fact, I have a tendency to hum "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" around the office around this time of the year. I think some people find it annoying - if for no other reason than that I have no business singing anything. I'm eager to see this event come to fruition. I get a lot out of seeing the results of my work. In this business, though, you have to work on something for year(s). That's a really long time when you have a short attention span.

On the other hand, I hate that I have to leave my daughter behind. We've never been separated for more than one night - and this will be a week. This is going to be tough - probably moreso on me than on her, I'm sure. But I hate, hate, hate it. The logical part of me knows that she won't forget me, but the sentimental side of me is certain she will. Oh, this is hard.

I probably thought of a dozen ways to make it work - by bringing my husband, or my mom, or my MIL. Or by hiring a local babysitter. The thing is, the reality of the hours I keep at the meeting mean it just won't work. I'll be working from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. most days. I wouldn't even see her awake.

So, like many things I've learned, I've got to look at the upside of this. There's going to be plenty of daddy-daughter bonding. Dad may even learn a few new parenting skills. Hopefully, dad will get to see the other side - what life is like when he is out of town for multiple days at a time. A learning experience for him - and for me. What it's like to be away for so long...

be the example

One of the reasons I make an effort to volunteer is because I ask the same of my members. When I had the opportunity to blog for a conference, I took it because I knew I was about to ask my members to do the same. I agreed to help start a community because I had asked my members to do the same. I have attended networking events as a host, because I ask my members to do the same.

That's not to say that is the only reason I volunteer. I do it because I believe in the organization. I enjoy meeting others in my profession. I learn a lot.

Here's what I haven't been able to figure out... where are the groups for working moms? I know I could learn a lot. I probably have something to share, though I'm new at it. Aside from connecting with the moms in the office, I have to believe there is something out there, some resource or network or community, that can help. I've found a few grassroots efforts out there - some locally based (DC Urban Moms), some entrenched in the politics of parenthood (I mean politics in the literal sense) (Moms Rising). I've even found a Yahoo! group for DC working moms. But there's virtually no community that solely addresses the daily challenges and opportunities that face working moms. What are they thinking about? How are they making choices? How do they deal with time constraints?

I wonder why. Is it a lack of time? Is it because no one out there has started it? Who will be the example? Can we formalize what appears to be an informal network among moms, made up of friends, neighbors and family?

I'd like to meet other moms in the same position. I bet I'd learn a lot.

i have been discovered.

Now I have motivation. It seems as though I have been discovered by my friends at We Have Always Done It That Way...

I commented on David's post and promised that I would update folks here. At 4 weeks out from our conference, we are still up 18% in registration. That's the great news. But, I've learned a lesson. All those early-bird registrants saved $125 bucks on their registration... which means our revenue hasn't really increased much at all. I won't have data on that until much later.

Still - 18% beats my personal goal for growth in attendance. Not too shabby.

1 down, 17 to go

That's my husband's latest catchphrase. We made it one year! The big shindig happened yesterday - lots of family and friends came by to wish my beloved daughter a happy birthday.

I was catching up with a dear friend this weekend whom I haven't spoken to since I was six months pregnant. In terms of learning and development, I really think that becoming a parent is the most significant, life-changing thing you can do. The learning curve is, as one of my friends would say, "ginormous." The personal growth that results is tremendous. And the catch is, you simply can't procrastinate on it - when baby calls, you must answer. I really do feel like a different person. Life has new meaning, new depth.

It all sounds a bit cliche, I suppose. I just wonder if we approached other parts of our lives with the same passion and enthusiasm, what would be possible? What would it take? And if we can't find that passion and enthusiasm for those other aspects of life, what should we change?

click!

My friend Betsy wrote a blog post today about being a full-time work-outside-the-home mom. In her post, she discusses the blurring of the line between work and home - i.e., checking the Blackberry while cooking dinner, changing diapers (impossible, I agree), talking with DH, etc. The one thing I have discovered since becoming a mom - I find it nearly impossible to even think about work while I'm home nowadays. Pre-baby, I easily could have obsessed over a coming meeting or deadline for the entire evening, up until I arrived at work the next day. Now, it's like a switch. I get in the car at the end of the day, and click, I'm in mom-mode. Some of that is because I have so much to manage at home. Some of it is because I'm so in love with my daughter.

This is new territory for me, a classic type A personality, perfectionist, over-achiever. It makes me feel like I'm not doing all that I should as an employee. A seasoned executive I used to work with said something very interesting to me a few months ago... she said she put a lot of emphasis on hiring working moms - she said they were the most efficient employees she knew. A working mom can get the job done. Ever since that lunch, I wonder if I'm living up to that expectation.

back to school

I went back to school last night for the first time in nearly 18 months, with the goal of finally finishing my master's degree. What a scary experience. I felt so out of it. And I was simply terrified after reading the assignments in the syllabus. I am so close to dropping out. But if I want to graduate, I have to take this course - and the next one. But then, I'd be done. I read the first case study this afternoon and nearly had a heart attack. I can't even figure out how to begin to answer the questions. Of course, I'm waiting for my textbook to arrive from Amazon. Perhaps once I've done the reading, I'll be able to analyze the case.

9 more classes to go. I have an entirely new level of respect for parents who go back to school. This is going to be a real struggle for me. Another mom in the class said to me last night, "One step at a time." She's right. I have to do this one assignment now. I'll worry about the rest when the time comes.

One step at a time.