50 Facts About Me

The “So much to offer” exercise in the Week 5 Working Out Loud Circle Guide asks you to list 50 facts about yourself with a view to using them to “form the basis of a shared experience with someone, especially if it’s framed as a contribution”.
I did this exercise in my 1st circle in Q1 2017 ( * don’t tell John, I only got to 35! * ) and I am here again in Week 5 in my 2nd circle.
This time I decided to do the full 50 using the 35 as a starter set to build on but I raised the bar higher by setting myself the task to give each fact:-

• a short title
• a short para
• and a video from the web to add background to the fact about me.

This took a while but a great exercise to do. I recommend you doing the same ….
and on to my list … sequence is not order of importance etc …

1. Disciple of Jesus
   Always brought up going to church. Made my own personal decision to follow Jesus in my first year at university in 1980.
   
   
   
2. Business/IT Professional
   During my 33-year career to date, I have mainly performed roles straddling the relationship between business and IT technical staff.
   
   
   
3. Project Manager
   One of the first people in the 1990s to gain Prince 2 project management certification and go through programme management material that latter became “Managing Successful Programmes”.
   
   
   
4. Husband
   Married to Rachael in 1992. We met at Spring Harvest 1989 (see later)
   
   
   
5. U2 fan (since 1980)
   First heard them on John Peel on Radio 1, Saw them for £1 in January 1981 at Loughborough University. My fave band ever since and this is my fave all-time song.
   
   
   
6. Film Club/Culture Club leader
   Been leading a monthly film club since 2005 at church. We watch the film then chat about it. Wide range of people, wide range of films. This is the film we watched last.
   
   
   
   
7. Thai food lover
   Love food! Fave is defo Thai, especially when eating out. Love the whole Thai food experience.
   
   
   
8. Cook (not that good!)
   An enthusiastic amateur is the best description. I do need to read a fat Thai book and I was also given a Scandinavian fat cookbook recently too. This recipe is so easy and so tasty.
   
   
   
9. Learner
   I am a Distributed Individual per Harvard’s Leaders of Learning MOOC assessment.
   
   
   
10. Dad
    Dad to 3 kids, daughters are 14 and 16, son 19. All going well.
    
    
    
11. Reader
    Whilst I am consuming a lot more content via video and audio (podcasts) over the past 5 years, I have returned to reading more this year. I need to read more and spend more concentrated time reading.
    
    
    
12. Occasional stammerer/stutterer
    This was much worse when I was at school and university. I had speech therapy through my secondary school years. It has improved significantly over the years and I am amazed how I am now. I do lapse occasionally when I am especially stressed or tired. The video clip of Mushy brought lots of memories back but I was not as bad as this.
    
    
    
13. Music junkie
    I started being a music fan in the last year of primary school. Those were years of Slade, Sweet, T-Rex etc. I have always studied while playing music. Fan of most genres.
    
    
    
    
14. Loyal friend
    Big fan of Donkey in Shrek. Many resonances with me … “never hesitate, hyper, sense of humour, loyal friend, truthteller, chatterbox, fear of physical risk, can be annoying” (from a Tweet re what cartoon character am I).
    
    
    
15. Business Change-er
    Every IT project I have ever been involved in over my 33 year to date career has involved some form of business change so I have done and led this throughout those years. Likewise outside of work, at church and in personal development projects. Big fan of John Kotter’s 8 step change model.
    
    
    
16. #WOL-er
    First introduced to WOL by Michelle Ockers in mid 2016. Did my 1st WOL Circle in Q1 2017 now doing my 2nd in Q4 2017. A raging (calmly!) convert …
    
    
    
17. #PKM-er
First introduced to PKM by Michelle Ockers in mid 2016. This needs to be my core skill for all that I do, I am getting there …




18. Pray-er
    I am significantly better at praying with others in a small group than I am on my own. I am amazed at the intensity of my praying when I get going. Love praying for people in person whether proactively or reactively.
    
    
    
19. IT service deliverer
    This is a key part of what i am about in my day job. It is amazing that we just need to follow the basics. This is a fave ever video of what can go wrong and how it gets sorted.
    
    
    
20. Coach
    I do this informally and not on a formal basis. Love helping people think through their current position and how they can get to their target. I have become a better listener as I get older. This video came to mind as a pep talk – think “team coach”:
    
    
    
21. Facilitator
    It has become second nature for me to facilitate groups even with no warning, love structuring periods of time to achieve a goal.
    
    
    
22. Book club member (IRL/ virtual)
    Been part of physical book clubs for many years now and virtual book clubs more recently and now leading some book groups. Reading fiction and non-fiction and discussing with others is a great way to learn.
    
    
    
23. Blogger
    Been blogging now for some 14 years with 8.469 posts and 980,858 page views. I have done nothing SEO-wise. My main reason for blogging is to post long-form content that I can access anywhere and to pass links to people.
    
     
    
24. Social Media junkie I am a junkie for social media especially for learning and connecting via posting, commenting etc on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Snapchat. This is an all-time fave vid on social media and online relationships with people for work and play.
    
    
    
25. Eat out-er
    We have always taken the kids out for meals even when they were very young. Fair to say they are discerning diners. I love eating out and chatting with friends and family.
    
    
    
26. Exotic beer drinker
    Always in moderation. Love variety.
    
    
    
27. Beer glass collector
    Not a massive collection but do love gift packs of beer with a snazzy glass.
    
    
    
28. All Age Worship event leader and co-creator
    A few of us at church have now led All Age Worship events at Holme United Reformed Church for a decade plus. We love planning the theme, picking the songs etc. Our current theme is “Campfire Stories” using a Rend Collective devotional guide.
    
    
    
29. Church leader
    My life was impacted deeply hearing Bill Hybels speak for the first time in a conference in Cardiff in 1994. Amazing hearing a church leader speak in a business way without losing the Christian church distinctives. I have been part of the church leadership team of Holme URC for 2 decades.
    
    
    
30. Scotsman (50/50 English, prouder of Scottish part!)
    Late Mum was from Aberdeen and late Dad was from Manchester. I spent 4 amazing years at the University of Stirling and later did an MBA by open learning at Strathclyde Graduate Business School in Glasgow.
    
    
    
31. Isle of Skye lover
    First went on some day trips when the family caravanned at Lochcarron on the mainland of Scotland in the 1970s. I have now been going off and on for over 40 years. A magical place that draws the whole family back.
    
    
    
32. Gaelic music lover
    There is something deeply moving about the gaelic language. I have never learned it but love the music.
    
    
    
33. Pipes and Drums lover
    Never known a time when I did not love the massed pipes and drums on parade. This clip is staggeringly powerful, stirring the blood and the emotions. “Giving it laldy as they say in Scotland
    
    
    
34. Bible Study Group leader
    Always loved discussing The Bible from a practical application point of view. Lost track of how many years I have been leading these groups in various contexts. We recently used this resource in the group that I am currently leading.
    
    
    
35. Spring Harvest attender
    This is an annual Christian teaching event for all ages for all cross-sections of the evangeical church in the UK. I first went in 1988. I met Rachael (Mrs Fogg) there in 1989. We have not missed a year since. I love the tagline which is core to who I am – “equipping the church for action”.
    
    Event video
    One for All video
    
36. Wine drinker
    Quite partial to a Shiraz, prefer sweeter than dryer when it comes to white. Happy for flat or sparkly ….
    
    
    
37. Creation lover
    One of my reasons for believing in a God in Heaven is His creation. This is an epic video with the mighty Sigur Ros’ music.
    
    
    
38. MS Office user
    All the companies I have ever worked for have used MS Office so that is my software of choice for office apps.
    
    
    
39. Evernote user
    My main tool for saving content for reviewing later.
    
    
    
40. Content consumer
    I consume so many sources of content in audio, video, web pages, ebooks, physical books etc. This video from a fave podcaster.
    
    Video
    
41. Content creator
    Learning to create more rather than simply reusing other people’s content. This guy is currently influencing me.
    
    
    
42. Content sharer
    I would label this as me being a “giver”. Happy to give with no expectation of getting anything back. I call myself “an inveterate sharer of links”.
    
    
    
    
43. Leader
    Leadership and leadership development has been a constant theme and presence throughout almost all of my life. John Maxwell has been hugely influential on me. I aspire to be a level 5 leader.
    
    
    
44. Leadership student
    Leadership is a fave subject to read, learn and apply. Love the way Jocko Willink does this on his podcast.
    
    
    
45. Twitter chatter
    Love taking part in Twitter chats, love answering the questions, love interacting, love learning from others and then Storifying the chat and passing the links out to those who took part.
    
    
    
46. Community builder
    I am part of or lead a number of communities in real life and virtually. Rachel Happe is a leading person on the subject of communities.
    
    Video
    
47. Life Designer
    Recently read and applied the Designing Your Life book in a virtual book group with weekly video calls.
    
    
    
48. Galvaniser
    Increasingly trying new things and seeking to get others doing that with me. Love the word “galvanise”: shock or excite (someone) into taking action.
    
    
    
49. Not living a compartmentalised life
    Increasingly working as “me” in every area of my life being the truly authentic “me” everywhere.
    
    
    
50. Hammy hamster
    I do love my duvet for sleeping – needs to be a warm one all the year round. I generate lots of heat!