![\"Personal](\"https:\/\/images.coachingforleaders.com\/cb:ztCJ~31fd5\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/teachinginhighered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/19b-pkmastery-posts-index.png\")
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As part of participating in\u00a0Harold Jarche's Personal Knowledge Mastery workshop<\/a>, we were given lessons and activities three times a week for six weeks. I had been blogging perhaps once or twice a year for a while now, never feeling like I had found my voice with those posts. Doing that much sharing via the written form seemed daunting, yet I had a strong suspicion that the discipline would pay off. I was not wrong at all on that front.<\/p>\n Here are the various posts I wrote, along with an overview of the concepts explored in each one.<\/p>\n Great insight lies in visualizing and analyzing the relationships that surround our work and learning. Networks are fundamental lenses for how we connect, influence, and grow.<\/p>\n Key themes:<\/strong><\/p>\n Quote:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cMost intuitive notions of the \u201cstrength\u201d of an interpersonal tie should be satisfied by the following definition: the strength of a tie is a (probably linear) combination of the amount of time, the emotional intensity, the intimacy (mutual confiding), and the reciprocal services which characterize the tie.\u201d \u2014 Mark S. Granovetter (1973<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Both strong and weak ties are vital to our learning.<\/p>\n Allowing ourselves to wonder opens up our capacity to learn, connect, and co-create more deeply.<\/p>\n Key themes:<\/strong><\/p>\n Quote:<\/p>\n \u201cThe skills required to live in a world dominated by complex and non-routine work requires \u2014 creativity, imagination, empathy, and curiosity.\u201d \u2014 Harold Jarche<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Stay curious, widen our lenses, and lean into the discomfort of not-knowing as the gateway to meaningful growth.<\/p>\n Grief, networks, and belonging are deeply intertwined in shaping the places where we learn, grow, and support one another.<\/p>\n Key themes:<\/strong><\/p>\n Quote:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIf we put our metaphorical eggs in one basket and something happens to that basket, there\u2019s no putting Humpty Dumpty back together again.\u201d \u2014 Bonni Stachowiak<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Invest in communities that embrace complexity, invite connection across networks, and hold space for both loss and belonging.<\/p>\n As I reflected on intentionality this week, I realized that showing up with purpose\u2014not just going through the motions\u2014significantly shapes what I notice, how I respond, and who I become in the process.<\/p>\n Key themes:<\/strong><\/p>\n Quote:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cShow up for the work.\u201d \u2014 Bonni Stachowiak<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Jarche also gave some examples of the practices on which PKM is built upon, such as narrating our work and sharing half-baked ideas.<\/p>\n Moving through life\u2019s messy, liminal spaces requires curiosity, humility, and movement.<\/p>\n Key themes:<\/strong><\/p>\n Quote:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIn a crisis it is important to act but even more important to learn as we take action.\u201d \u2014 Harold Jarche<\/p><\/blockquote>\n This Learning in the Complex Domain post<\/a> by Jarche is likely the most important one for me to revisit from all that I read throughout these six weeks, as I'm still struggling to understand the Cynefin framework.<\/p>\n It's still wild to me that RSS isn't as common as navigating websites.<\/p>\n Key themes:<\/strong><\/p>\n Quote:<\/strong><\/p>\n However, I'm picky about my reading experience and have gotten particular about being able to read via Unread<\/a> on my iPad and navigate everything with just one thumb. \u2014 Bonni Stachowiak<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I was also glad to learn from Jarche about subscribing to Mastodon feeds and hashtags via RSS, though I haven't experimented with that much, yet, since the Tapestry<\/a> app does a lot of that for me.<\/p>\n Understanding the frameworks behind our media tools unlocks far deeper insights than simply reacting to what comes our way.<\/p>\n Key themes:<\/strong><\/p>\n Quote:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe reversals are already evident \u2014 corporate surveillance, online orthodoxy, life as reality TV, constant outrage to sell advertising. The tetrads give us a common framework to start addressing the effects of social media pushed to their limits. Once you see these effects, you cannot un-see them.\u201d \u2014 Harold Jarche<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Analyzing these media tools heps us choose how to engage with them, rather than passively being shaped by them.<\/p>\n It is critical to engage in ways to increase the likelihood of us being able to identify fake news. .<\/p>\n Key themes:<\/strong><\/p>\n Quote:<\/strong><\/p>\n Misinformation implies that the problem is one of facts, and it\u2019s never been a problem of facts. It\u2019s a problem of people wanting to receive information that makes them feel comfortable and happy.\u00a0– Ren\u00e9e DiResta, as quoted in El Pa\u00eds<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Our identities get so wrapped up in what we believe, it can be so challenging to consider how we might be part of combating fake news in our various contexts.<\/p>\n It can be so generative to share thoughts before<\/em> they\u2019re polished and this openness fuels learning, creativity, and connection.<\/p>\n Key themes:<\/strong><\/p>\n Quote:<\/strong><\/p>\n If you don\u2019t make sense of the world for yourself, then you\u2019re stuck with someone else\u2019s world view. \u2014 Harold Jarche<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Let ideas be emergent rather than complete so that learning can unfold collaboratively.<\/p>\n Jarche introduces us to various PKM roles<\/a> for this topic.<\/p>\n Key themes:<\/strong><\/p>\n Quote:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWriting every day is less about becoming someone who writes, and more about becoming someone who thinks.\u201d \u2014 JA Westenberg<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The value of PKM is in curating many voices, cultivating a \u201cneighborhood\u201d of experts to follow, listen, question, and to build a rich, networked sensemaking practice rather than rely on single voices alone.<\/p>\n Turning toward connection can be one of our strongest antidotes to imposter syndrome.<\/p>\n Key themes:<\/strong><\/p>\n Quote:<\/strong><\/p>\n A triangle exists between three people in a social network. An \u201copen triangle\u201d exists where one person knows two other people who are not yet connected to each other \u2014 X knows Y and X knows Z, but Y and Z do not know each other. A network weaver (X) may see an opportunity or possibility from making a connection between two currently unconnected people (Y and Z). A \u201cclosed triangle\u201d exists when all three people know each other: X-Y, X-Z, Y-Z. – Valdis Krebs<\/p><\/blockquote>\n This reminder feels like fuel for the next leg of my PKMastery journey \u2014 leaning into weaving networks as practice not just for growth, but for belonging and shared strength.<\/p>\n Growth often comes not from jumping to answers but from staying curious, experimenting, and traveling alongside fellow learners.<\/p>\n Key themes:<\/strong><\/p>\n Quote:<\/strong><\/p>\n Your fellow seekers can help you on a journey to become a Knowledge Catalyst, which takes parts of the Expert and the Connector and combines them to be a highly contributing node in a knowledge network. We can become knowledge catalysts \u2014 filtering, curating, thinking, and doing \u2014 in conjunction with others. Only in collaboration with others will we understand complex issues and create new ways of addressing them. As expertise is getting eroded in many fields, innovation across disciplines is increasing. We need to reach across these disciplines. \u2014 Harold Jarche<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Seeking is not a sign of weakness, but as a source of collective curiosity, connection, and growth.<\/p>\n There is strength in making invisible processes and decisions visible.<\/p>\n Key themes:<\/strong><\/p>\n Quote:<\/strong><\/p>\n The key is to narrate your work so it is shareable, but to use discernment in sharing with others. Also, to be good at narrating your work, you have to practice. \u2014 Harold Jarche<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Narrating our work offers a window into our process of learning.<\/p>\n As I reflected on systems thinking, I found myself returning to how challenging (and how necessary) it is to see beyond events and into the structures that shape them. Revisiting Senge\u2019s The Fifth Discipline<\/em> reminded me just how often we can slip into reacting instead of zooming out to notice patterns.<\/p>\n Key themes:<\/strong><\/p>\n Quote:<\/strong><\/p>\n You can only understand the system of a rainstorm by contemplating the whole, not any individual part of the pattern. – Peter Senge<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Sitting with this reminded me that lest we fall victim to skilled incompetence, we need to continually nurture the humility and curiosity to keep looking wider, deeper, and more generously at the forces shaping our organizations and our work.<\/p>\n The potential for adding value through PKM helps make our contributions much richer when paired with curiosity, generosity, and intentional sharing.<\/p>\n Key themes:<\/strong><\/p>\n Quotes:<\/strong><\/p>\n01 – Getting Curious About Network Mapping<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n
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02 – Let\u2019s Get Curious<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n
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03 – Connecting Birds, Grief, and Communities<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n
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04 – Engaging with Intentionality and Curiosity<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n
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05 – Scooping Up Adulting and the Benefits of Being Curious<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n
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06 – Why Isn\u2019t RSS More Popular By Now?<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n
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07 – Can You Keep a Secret?<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n
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08 – Fake News Brings Me to an Unusual Topic for this Blog<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n
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09 – From Half-Baked to Well-Done: Building a Sensemaking Practice<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n
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10 – The Experts in My Neighborhood<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n
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11 – Network Weaving as an Antidote to Imposter Syndrome<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n
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12 – I Can See Clearly Now The Frogs Are Here<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n
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13 – What Happens When We Start Making the Work Visible<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n
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14 – No Frogs Were Actually Harmed in Describing Systems Thinking<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n
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15 – Asking as a Way of Knowing: PKM Embodied By Bryan Alexander<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n
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![various PKM roles<\/a> for this topic.<\/p>\nKey themes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\nOur learning ecosystems benefits from curating a diverse set of experts to help navigate complexity<\/strong>.<\/li>\nThrough my PKMastery practices<\/strong> (bookmarking, sense-making, sharing), I can engage with expert ideas over time.<\/li>\nThe real value comes not from one \u201cexpert,\u201d but from a network of thinkers<\/strong> whose disagreements and different perspectives stretch our own thinking.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nQuote:<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cWriting every day is less about becoming someone who writes, and more about becoming someone who thinks.\u201d \u2014 JA Westenberg<\/p><\/blockquote>\nThe value of PKM is in curating many voices, cultivating a \u201cneighborhood\u201d of experts to follow, listen, question, and to build a rich, networked sensemaking practice rather than rely on single voices alone.<\/p>\n11 – Network Weaving as an Antidote to Imposter Syndrome<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\nTurning toward connection can be one of our strongest antidotes to imposter syndrome.<\/p>\nKey themes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\nNetwork weaving<\/strong> reframes \u201cDo I belong here?\u201d to \u201cWho can I bring together?\u201d \u2014 shifting the energy from proving my worth to creating belonging.<\/li>\nConnecting people, ideas, and stories becomes my purpose: not to be the smartest person in the room, but to serve as a bridge<\/strong>, curator<\/strong>, and connector<\/strong>.<\/li>\nVulnerability matters: acknowledging I don\u2019t have all the answers, but inviting others to learn out loud anyway<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nQuote:<\/strong><\/p>\nA triangle exists between three people in a social network. An \u201copen triangle\u201d exists where one person knows two other people who are not yet connected to each other \u2014 X knows Y and X knows Z, but Y and Z do not know each other. A network weaver (X) may see an opportunity or possibility from making a connection between two currently unconnected people (Y and Z). A \u201cclosed triangle\u201d exists when all three people know each other: X-Y, X-Z, Y-Z. – Valdis Krebs<\/p><\/blockquote>\nThis reminder feels like fuel for the next leg of my PKMastery journey \u2014 leaning into weaving networks as practice not just for growth, but for belonging and shared strength.<\/p>\n12 – I Can See Clearly Now The Frogs Are Here<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\nGrowth often comes not from jumping to answers but from staying curious, experimenting, and traveling alongside fellow learners.<\/p>\nKey themes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\nFellow seekers<\/strong> offer empathy, solidarity, and space to wrestle with ideas, often more supportively than experts alone.<\/li>\nAs described by Harold Jarche, combining curiosity with connection<\/strong> can help transform seekers into knowledge catalysts, nodes in our networks who learn, curate, and contribute meaningfully.<\/li>\nInnovation and insight often emerge through playful experiments (half-baked ideas<\/strong>) from the beginner\u2019s mind held by seekers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nQuote:<\/strong><\/p>\nYour fellow seekers can help you on a journey to become a Knowledge Catalyst, which takes parts of the Expert and the Connector and combines them to be a highly contributing node in a knowledge network. We can become knowledge catalysts \u2014 filtering, curating, thinking, and doing \u2014 in conjunction with others. Only in collaboration with others will we understand complex issues and create new ways of addressing them. As expertise is getting eroded in many fields, innovation across disciplines is increasing. We need to reach across these disciplines. \u2014 Harold Jarche<\/p><\/blockquote>\nSeeking is not a sign of weakness, but as a source of collective curiosity, connection, and growth.<\/p>\n13 – What Happens When We Start Making the Work Visible<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\nThere is strength in making invisible processes and decisions visible.<\/p>\nKey themes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\nWhen we narrate our work<\/strong>, we open up pathways for real-time collaboration and shared learning rather than one-way transmission.<\/li>\nNarration allows for experimentation<\/strong>: sharing work in progress de-commodifies knowledge.<\/li>\nIt shifts the emphasis from polished deliverables to ongoing learning \u2014 not just focusing on the final product, but how we got there, and what we learned along the way<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nQuote:<\/strong><\/p>\nThe key is to narrate your work so it is shareable, but to use discernment in sharing with others. Also, to be good at narrating your work, you have to practice. \u2014 Harold Jarche<\/p><\/blockquote>\nNarrating our work offers a window into our process of learning.<\/p>\n14 – No Frogs Were Actually Harmed in Describing Systems Thinking<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\nAs I reflected on systems thinking, I found myself returning to how challenging (and how necessary) it is to see beyond events and into the structures that shape them. Revisiting Senge\u2019s The Fifth Discipline<\/em> reminded me just how often we can slip into reacting instead of zooming out to notice patterns.<\/p>\nKey themes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\nHow easy it is to fall into organizational \u201clearning disabilities<\/strong>,\u201d like assuming I am my position<\/em> rather than part of a larger whole.<\/li>\nChris Argyris describes the phenomenon of “skilled incompetence<\/a><\/strong>,” where groups of individuals who get super good at making sure to prevent themselves from actually learning.<\/li>\nThe invitation to practice systems thinking collectively<\/strong>, not just individually.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nQuote:<\/strong><\/p>\nYou can only understand the system of a rainstorm by contemplating the whole, not any individual part of the pattern. – Peter Senge<\/p><\/blockquote>\nSitting with this reminded me that lest we fall victim to skilled incompetence, we need to continually nurture the humility and curiosity to keep looking wider, deeper, and more generously at the forces shaping our organizations and our work.<\/p>\n15 – Asking as a Way of Knowing: PKM Embodied By Bryan Alexander<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\nThe potential for adding value through PKM helps make our contributions much richer when paired with curiosity, generosity, and intentional sharing.<\/p>\nKey themes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\nPKM isn\u2019t just about what I read or bookmark \u2014 it\u2019s about how I transform that input through asking questions<\/strong>, sense-making<\/strong>, and offering what I learn into shared spaces.<\/li>\nPublic sharing<\/strong> (through podcasting, writing, conversation) complements private learning \u2014 the two together deepen meaning and foster connection.<\/li>\n\u201cAdding value<\/strong>\u201d can look like holding space for others\u2019 learning \u2014 asking curious questions, offering resources, and modeling openness rather than trying to prove expertise.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nQuotes:<\/strong><\/p>\n](\"https:\/\/pkm.jarche.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/pkm-roles.png\"){kind=link}