Doing it Right the Second Time Around

Let Me Introduce Myself

I am a 38, give or take a few days at least, year old male living in the south east of Ireland, pretty big Pearl Jam fan, 8 concerts so far, which I am proud of, and yes I know to the initiated that 8 shows puts me at a level only just above infant in terms of exposure to this band, but it is one of those things in life I expect to work on.

I love where I am from, however not in an overly militaristic way, think more appreciated of the view I have from a car window, parked above some cliffs on a windy day as waves crash below, windows just down so as to capture to roar of the sea as it carries home a fishing boat, assisted in by the light from one of the oldest working lighthouses in the world, having only driven 20 minutes from home.

I joined Steemit back in October as I really liked the idea and what it stood for. In the beginning I really was not sure what I wanted to get out of it, truth be told I still don't. In a way I like the anonymity of it all, something that other platforms may not afford a user. Now yes I do know that there are huge drawbacks to such shadowy channels of communication, however I do not get my kicks off from belittling or otherwise shitting on other people or opinions they may hold.

Anonymity is what affords me the chance to be forthright and honest without fear of professional judgement or consequence, which makes what I do seem altogether more interesting than reality.

Career wise I get called a Learning & Development manager, which is really just fancy speak for bullshit artist. I have been making a living from it for over 10 years now, so I do not take the privilege lightly. I love what I do and there is honest to ____(insert reference to which ever deity suits so as not to cause any undue or needless offence) not a day that goes by why I wonder how I get paid to do what I do. Don't get me wrong, I work damn hard, I get a lot of satisfaction from what I do, maybe its the impostor syndrome, or perhaps lack of confidence that has followed me these last 3, nearly 4 decades, but I attach my self worth to the feedback from others, a dangerous strategy in this game. But enough about that, this I intend to revisit at another time, for now merely the pleasantries of an introduction.

What I Hope to Gain From All of This

Honestly?? I'm hoping that I get a chance to speak to others like me, or more to the point others that do what I do, with the intention of perhaps sharing ideas and best practice. Yes I know, before you say it, there are plenty of places out there that offer such sustenance, but can I remind you of the anonymity factor I cherish?

You see, my industry is full of say all do nothing charlatans that present the rest of us in a pretty dark picture. I want to get to the crux of what is real and working out there, no the usual tripe. You see, I want to get to the real crux of it all, what my years of experience has taught me about L&D and how it is used in organisations. Really get in to the perceived requirements that a business requests vs. the reality of what they may need, & why the latter is rarely challenged in this industry. At this moment perhaps I am not best articulating.

Interesting people and interesting conversations, let's just start there.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, let me know what you think and we can start this thing.