Welcome to International Working Out Loud week which will run from 7-13 November 2016. The Theme of this Wolweek is “Working and Sharing Purposefully”. 

Each day this week this blog will share a discussion of the 7 Days of Working Out Loud post. Thoughout the week and in the coming weeks we will also be sharing blogposts, interviews, and other content to help practitioners of working out loud to lean and to spread the movement.

Day 3: Make a Contribution

Generosity is a core element of Working Out Loud. With our purpose and communities in mind the best way to begin a relationship is by making a contribution to others.

Three days into the week and its hump day of the work week. Things are getting busy and working out loud is starting to getting hard. Time to reinforce the rewards that come from the give and take of relationships. Time to make a contribution.

You might be thinking “I thought working out loud would help my work. Why do I have to give to others? These gifts don’t always connect to my work. I am busy. Can’t we get on with the good bit.” The answer is simple: reciprocity is the good bit. Reciprocity is the grease in the wheel of relationships. Give first so that you earn attention, connection and effort

Making contributions to others is easy. You can use John Stepper’s contribution checklist to quickly identify a way to give. Give of yourself and your work to someone connected to your purpose.

Remember some times the greatest & simplest contribution of all is to acknowledge another person in all their complexity, to acknowledge another so that they are seen & heard fully and, to acknowledge another as messy as we know ourselves to be.  After all, they say the best gifts come from giving from the heart.

Spend 5 minutes. Make a contribution today.

International Working Out Loud Week Partners

International Working Out Loud week is proudly supported by its principal partner Change Agents Worldwide, a network of professionals specialising in future of work technologies and practice. Members of Change Agents Worldwide actively practice, consult on and advocate working out loud.