THE END OR IS IT?
Well, all good things come to an end and so will this digital business study unit. It’s time to look back and reflect on the things we’ve learned and discussed during this autumn. An old cliché “one picture says more than a thousand worlds” fits well here, so here is my digi course in a frame.
In my previous blog I already wrote about how the small pieces in this course are starting to form a big picture. And that's what I'm trying to describe in the picture as well. I think the further we got on this course the more obvious it became that this was not just about the digital business tools and theory. To me the word that put's it all together is FUTURE. Not just digitalised future of business but mine too. It's all changing; business, customer behaviour, the way companies are structured and lead. Old fashioned hierarchic organisation structure is gone and leaders are valued much higher than directors. Values, interaction skills and the ability to bring out the best in people matter more than ever.
Credits
Hats off to you Ilkka and Anna, I think you have managed to create a great package that includes theory, inspiration, encouragement and values which will be useful for us in the future. Now it's just up to us to use all this information. I'm really happy that positivity and the way you treat other people played such a big role in this course. I've seen too many times how talented and technically highly skilled people don't get promoted due to the lack of personal skills. It is such a waste of talent!
Anna and Ilkka with an amazing Independence Day cake by Fatima Habeb.
I wrote in my first blog that my expectations for this course were sky high. Well, I'm glad to say my expectations were met. This was by far my favourite study modul at school and well worth the wait. It challenged me, it made me think in a new way, it encouraged me and most importantly it will affect my future!
Personal stuff
One of my personal goals on this course was to get excited about digital business and digital business tools. And did I? Hell yes! J I think the best way of saying it, is that I got a really good start. There are still quite a few cases where I need to put the theory into action but now at least I know about the tools. Personally, the most important thing is, that now I want to learn more. So I can definitely tick this box.
One of my worries was that getting deeper into the digital world would affect my presence at home. I was and still am a strong believer in face to face communication and focusing on each other instead communicating digitally. Well, I'm sad to say my worries came through. This course did not go unnoticed at home. I found myself checking the mobile and answering the messages a lot more than earlier. It killed me when my 2,5-year-old daughter once said : "Mum, put the phone away!"
To turn all this into positive shouldn't be a problem though. I just need to be better prepared and schedule school work . Since school is kind of my job at the moment I need to stick to my rules of separating work and private life. I don't think working at home is a problem but it should be done the way children understand it as well. Messaging on the phone and talking to the kids at the same is giving 50% to both. The way I want to do it, is to focus on one thing at the time and give it my all.
My notebook
In the beginning of this course I started this notebook. The idea was to write down notes and small phrases that were meaningfull to me. It has turned out to be a great guide which I know I will use in the future. The theory is great but I think the small life lessons I got from all of our speakers are even better. I know I will cherish these and they will support me in making the right choices in my life.
Our team
It's hard to find words to describe how happy and proud I am of our team. Our team was a mix of two groups of 3 that hadn't worked together before. It didn't take long before we were a tight group. I learned so much from everybody and I think all of us really enjoyed the team work. For me the biggest thing was our groups work ethic. We didn't choose the easy way out and always put a lot energy on brainstorming and making sure we had a clear point or a catch in our work. I think we should start branding "Touhutunti" since it was such a blast!
Thank you Kalle, Tuomas, Lotta, Jesse and Anna. You guys rock! I hope I get the change to be your colleague or team mate some day in the future again.
The end
Well, the end is here, but not really. Like I said earlier I got a good start and this course got me interested. So now I will continue my digijourney as a digital coach in January. I am really sad to hear Ilkka is not part of it anymore since his attitude has made a huge impact on me. At the same time I know this new job a step closer to his goals and I respect his courage to act on it.
So bye for now. I'm taking a well deserved Christmas break with my family. After that I will start taking small steps towards my own professional goals. As usual I've already made a "Todo-list" on actions that will help me make it happen. In the end I want to thank everybody in our digital course for theirs efforts. I hope all of you dream big and reach your goals!
