BBC and the Royal Air Force

I was interviewed by BBC Radio yesterday, which was fun and exciting. The topic was Military Appreciation Week and they were interested in comparing UK activities to US activities. 

Let me quickly review how this came about... When I had my "UK new starter induction" at work, I went out of my way to meet all the other new people in the room. One person was joining the communications group. We talked about our jobs and it turns out that an Organisational Network Analysis (ONA) might really help her in her role. We kept in touch via email after our induction. Since then, I've seen her at lunch (aka canteen) a couple times and just said hi. Being in comms, she was responsible for Military Appreciation Week and when I walked over for lunch, she was the one that connected me to the BBC interviewer. I'm not even sure of all the KM examples in that story, but I know there are several. And I have a feeling the story isn't over yet, the BBC interview could open doors, or the ONA might lead to future work too.

Yesterday the Royal Air Force (RAF) "presentation team" was here. They travel around to tell the story of the RAF and inspire/motivate people to join. They bring 3 presenters and many short videos. I thought it was a nice presentation and I'm sure it's effective in raising awareness and membership.

I've been thinking about "inflection points" recently. Looking back, I think there have been certain time frames (aka time scales) where my level of comfort has noticeably shifted. I think it takes 3-5 days before you're comfortable living in a new time zone. I think it takes a week to memorise and be comfortable with a commute to work. I think it takes 21-28 days to "feel" like you're living in a new place (as opposed to some kind of vacation/holiday feel). I think it's right about that point, maybe a couple weeks later when you feel like you know what's normal and out-of-the-norm. I'm 10 weeks into the rotation and I think I'm just now getting to a point where people are comfortable to call on me for specific help. I'm looking forward to the upcoming inflection points, I honestly can't predict what they might be. Maybe understanding org dynamics, or neighborhood dynamics? I wonder if these points are just my experience or fairly common?

One last thought, I still haven't figured out phone numbers in Europe :) Some phone numbers are 8 digits, many are 11 digits, I've seen some strange ones with one less or extra digit. I'm sure I could google it, but it's more fun to try and decipher it through experience. I think it might have to do with leading zeros, and certainly proximity of physical areas, let alone country codes and extra digits for "dialing out" if at work. I'm pretty sure it's 7 digits all over the US, plus maybe a 3 digit zip code in big cities, so it seems a lot different here. Enjoy talking to people on thre phone when you make it happen! :)