Cath Barton

What is important to me

My family, Gary, Ellen and Zachary, having tea together, holidays, walking and fresh air
Our eight year old beagle, Buddy
Big family time with brothers, sisters-in-laws, nieces and nephews
Swimming twice a week in the pool and going open water swimming every week
My role with Community Circles, being part of making a difference and seeing great outcomes for people, families and communities
Seeing the bigger picture and knowing my role within this, being clear about what is expected from me and those around me, clarifying actions
Embedding the learning from my Masters in Social Pedagogy Leadership into how we work
That we seek solutions rather than focus on problems and develop actions to move forwards
Connecting with people and developing great relationships
Having a good work/home balance, being flexible including working from home, working evenings and weekends when necessary
Hearing from others and being part of a wider community through Slack, Facebook and Twitter
Having honest feedback that helps me improve what I do and develops my skills
Learning new skills and feeling stretched but not overwhelmed
Reading every day, always keen to hear book recommendations from others

Make sure I write things down, to do lists, appointments, agreed actions…
I like to know the big picture and equally the detail; keep me up to date so I’m clear on my role within this
Give me a deadline for when things need doing by, calendar reminders in advance work well
Staying in touch by email and Slack works best. I prefer to use Zoom rather than phone calls
I really appreciate honest conversations and detailed feedback about my role and the support I give. Let me know what’s working and not working and how we can best work together
Have time together with colleagues each month to reflect and share ideas