This week was very challenging for me and my team with a lot of competing high-priority tasks. I am incredibly fortunate to have such a great team that rose to the occasion. I am very proud of the way they handled it. As you are aware, I have always written this article by sharing my personal experiences first and then relating them to our professional work. This week I thought of flipping it around. Are you ready for the reverse gear?
This is how I see most of us, if not all of us, approach our projects at work.?
- For projects for which we have no clue where to begin, we start with researching and gathering knowledge about it. We don’t hesitate to ask for help. We seek out talent with skills and experience. We don’t jump headfirst but rather execute proof of concepts first. We invest time, energy, and money to mature our processes until it becomes routine. Cloud migration, AI enablement, new technology implementation, etc. fall into this category. – (Overcome)?Anxiety.
- For projects that we have done many times over, there is a well-defined process, methodical approach, logical planning, and systemic execution. In other words, “Lather, Rinse, and Repeat”. Onboarding a new associate, Our PI planning, Code development, Automation testing, Code deployments, etc. fall into this category. – (Strive)?Consistency.
- Notwithstanding the project type, it’s never a solo effort. Companies like us have teams that not only just span time zones but span countries and continents. While it’s a great asset to have so much diversity on a given team, it also presents its own challenges with bias, individual interests, and conflict. We have learned to become comfortable with the uncomfortable – having unpleasant but crucial conversations where needed. –?(Drive)?Excellence.
With years of corporate work experience, we have ACE’ed these traits. I think it’s time we brought those skills into our personal projects and lives as well.?
- How many of you (those in the US) have already filed your annual income tax returns for this year? I will admit, I am procrastinating and plan to do it this weekend. If you are like me, don’t worry, psychologists have explained why. Apparently, one of the reasons for procrastination is “Simply, an inability to motivate oneself to complete unpleasant tasks.”. There is nothing more unpleasant than taxes but let’s do it – (Overcome)?Anxiety.
- A few of the things that are always on top of our to-do lists: eating right, exercising, cutting down screen time, and the list goes on. We all have done it and done it well for some time, and then at some point given up. We often approach these as short-term goals such as loose x lbs., and once we have attained it, we stopped. It’s time we approached these as lifestyle changes. – (Strive)?Consistency.
- Over the years, I have learned to switch my focus from the result to the process. There is almost always an inertia within us when we choose to do something new. Even if we have mustered enough strength to overcome the anxiety and begin, we either get demotivated or give up when don’t see quick results. However, focusing on the process and being consistent with it will eventually bring the outcomes. – (Drive)?Excellence.
I know what you are thinking, “Procrastination is totally a good thing. You always have something to do tomorrow, plus you have nothing to do today.”????But, is it really?!
Stay safe, Stay healthy, and Stay blessed. Thank you and have a great weekend.
