What is in store for you today?
Coffee shop working and getting the final nuts and bolts in place for our Catalyst programme. I spent the morning catching up with a friend from an organisation that we work with closely, who too are focusing on addressing the skills gap in the digital industry. Later, I’m going to be recording a podcast with a local co-working space to talk about Liverpool’s thriving digital community, then I’m heading to a graduation of a programme that looks to connect young people in with social action projects…
Fulfilling day. Love it!
What does a typical working day look like?
I’ve realised that I work best with a little bit of structure – nothing too rigid though. No day ends up being the same and I wouldn’t want it any other way! I’ll usually try to dedicate my mornings to clearing emails and getting all the admin tasks out the way, then around about lunch-time till late afternoon I’ll have blocked out time for meetings and catching up with our community. I’ll usually head to an event in the evening at least one day a week – there’s so much going on in Liverpool so it can sometimes be hard to get over to everything!
Are there any sort of personal rituals or routines that you have to undertake before you start work?
My morning routine helps to set me up for a good day and it took me a while to see find out what works for me…
I wake up around 6.30am, practise yoga and do 10 minutes of meditation, then get partially ready, make breakfast (my FAVOURITE meal of the day… It’s usually made up of a bowl of oats, banana and berries with a freshly made juice) and read a book. After that, I finish getting ready then I’m good to go! I’ll usually listen to a podcast on my way to the office or wherever I plank myself for the morning.
When your team come together, is it in a digital sense, or is there still a physical meeting up?
We’re still a very small team – a team of two in fact – so when we get together it’s a physical meeting which usually involves a whiteboard, post-its and brainstorming new ideas.
What projects have you currently got on, and what upcoming projects are exciting you?
We’re working on some super exciting things at the moment. Our biggest project we’re working on is Catalyst which is our 10 day creative and digital skills programme designed to help people get into the industry. Our pilot programme, that took place earlier this year, was a great success so we’ll be running it again mid-September!
Another initiative we’re working on is a community-built platform… We’ve found that Liverpool needs a central place for people to find out about industry news, opportunities, events and networks so we’re going to be working with creatives, developers, data analysts and marketers from across the city on developing the platform. Massive project, with its obvious challenges, but there’s nothing that can’t be done if we work together!
A big part of what we do is around community – so we’re constantly speaking with the businesses and education institutions in our community to understand what needs to exist in the city to help address the skills gap in the industry.
How do you measure impact and successes, and how do you celebrate them?
Success can look so different can’t it. It’s important we celebrate the small wins, and this can be anything… I get butterflies when I see a shift in behaviour and mindset. Seeing businesses and people wanting to come together to tackle an issue collectively, and being open to doing things differently rather than doing things in ways that ‘we’ve only ever known’ – that’s rewarding.
We’re chuffed when we hear stories from our students who tell us that they’ve applied for job or they felt like they’ve just nailed an interview. We’ve had people share with us some incredible stories, and a lot of it is through their own doing – sometimes it just takes a little bit of inspiration and someone to tell you that you can do anything to push you into doing something incredible.
We celebrate as a community. They teach us a lot and have so much input in what we do as an organisation, so we’ll regularly organise gatherings to bring everyone together to share updates and good news!
What gets you through the day? (Any podcasts, activities, thoughts etc?)
A lot of what I do is built on emotion and mindset, so I’ll look for inspiration in a load of different ways depending on how I feel…
Podcasts definitely help to unlock things in me. I love listening to people’s stories and what they’re up to – podcasts do a good job at giving you a much broader perspective outside of your own. Speaking with people and being in an inspiring environment is key for me too. I don’t do very well at working at home all day, so I’ll try to mix up where I am and where I work out of.
I’ll also try to wrap my day up with a couple of hours in the gym. One of my favourite ways to give myself space to think and process what’s happened throughout the day.
What are you currently reading?
I’ve just finished The Road Less Travelled by M. Scott Peck, a life changing book. I’m now onto Great Thinkers by The School of Life, which I’m absolutely loving.
What’s your Ethos?
Do things differently. You’ll move mountains that way.
And finally, suggest a better title for this feature.
A Day in the Life: Out with the old, in with the new.
Find out more about Innovators Hub and the Catalyst programme here: http://innovatorshub.co/
