Outdoor Education in Singapore they said! Let’s go exploring! Let’s see how Singapore includes Outdoor Education in such an urbanised country! This is how my journey to Singapore began. During the planning stage of our trip I did not know what to expect of Singapore or how Outdoor Education was going to be included. I was basically blind about Singapore until I was able to see for myself how Outdoor Education was included in schools and in everyday life.

Continue reading A ship in a harbour is safe, but this is not what a ship is built for →

Looking back on my experience in Singapore I realise I have not only grown as a person but have learnt so much more about facilitation and my leadership skills. Dowd (2005) talks about how he had a bad experience during one of his adventures and how he learnt from his mistakes. From my journey in Singapore I can relate to Dowd because I didn’t have a very good first half day; I felt unorganised and didn’t know what was happening. However, as my next facilitation day was a week later I had time to ensure all the planning was organised and that I knew how the day was going to run. I felt in control with the day and therefore my confidence was higher. I now can compare the difference, and feel the difference within myself, when a day is completely organised and runs smoothly as to when it is unorganised and plans are changing constantly.

Continue reading I might be small now, but I still have many years to grow. →

Compare the pair. On one hand we have Singapore celebrating 50 years and on the other Australia 114 years, 7.692 million square kilometres Vs. 718.3 square kilometres, GDP of 68k per capita Vs. 55k per capita. Same, same but different?

Singapore is a place of great culture and patriotism. This love for their country enables them as a whole to move forward at a rate you would have not thought possible in any other country. The people drive the country; the dream for their country is definitive. Grow and prosper, develop the younger generation to have big ideas and be resilient to all outside pressures. Australia is similar in its multicultural nature however there are many differing views. We don’t have this overwhelming sense of patriotism for our country like the Singaporeans do.

Continue reading Industry Superfunds. Compare The Pair. →

In my original post-facilitation reflective piece ‘Processing the Process‘ I discussed the idea of effective planning allowing flexibility, which was my take away from my own facilitation experience.  Planning had been an up-hill battle with our group, and there was a pivotal moment where we had to adapt from meeting at a certain bus stop after lunch to just making our way back to the green corridor. Combine that scenario with being in a foreign space. It meant that we each had to navigate our own group and as a facilitator rely on the planning, hoping we had done enough to know how to get to the correct destinations despite the change in circumstances. If we didn’t have a detailed plan could we have still adapted to change in the same manner? My thought at the time was no. However is there any evidence to back up my claim? Before getting to that I want to clarify why flexibility in leadership is important as it is after all the central focus of my reflection.

Continue reading Planning For Flexibility…Really? →

Hello again, it’s me, the task driven woman, here to update you on some thoughts that I’ve had about being a facilitator and about working with other people of the same and/or different leadership styles. Upon reflection of my own facilitation and that of others as well as a little reading I have devised a handy two step guide to working cohesively.

STEP 1 – PUT ENERGY INTO SYNERGY

Synergy comes from the Greek word, Synergia, which means ‘working together’ (Diamond, 1987). Seems pretty simple right? So simple that we tend to completely overlook it when we come to working with other people.

Continue reading My plan for synergy →

What is leadership? Does it have varying definitions? Do conditions affect leadership?

Leadership. What is it? How do I define it? Bass (1990) outlines the issue around the definition of leadership “there are almost as many definitions of leadership as there are persons who have attempted to define the concept” (p. 11). If there are so many definitions of leadership how do I know how to lead? From my experience in Singapore I have come to the conclusion that ‘leadership is guiding a group of people through an activity or activities in order to achieve set objectives’. This conclusion is some what open but enables me as a leader to change styles depending on the group, the environment and the set objectives.

Continue reading Lead From The Front →