Let's Get Back to Business

For the last 18 months I've been spending my workdays as bits, sucked up by a straining Wi-Fi unit, sent in thousands of small packets into the network to be pieced together into a facsimile?Avatar?of myself telling someone that: 'You're on mute, can't hear you!’

Still, I've done relatively okay job wise, despite the restrictions. Not, because of my own incredible skills and knowledge (I lead with that on my last appraisal however, obviously). But truth to be told, my relative success is all due to the fact that I happen to share a hefty piece of history with those I?depend?on to succeed. These?forget-you-nots?being my long time?colleagues?and?clients.

Colleagues

I have great colleagues with whom I've faced challenges we've either overcome or failed in achieving but, always?together?regardless of outcome. Some I even went on kick-offs with while in the?Marvellous Business-Universe?of the past. Formative events they were, learning by day and forgetting ourselves by night. Miraculously and by sheer luck making it back to our off-season-vacant-hotel, on foot through seriously dangerous neighborhoods swinging our conference passes protectively from their neck straps ('Go, Go, Go, I'll cover you!')

By now we're open office hardened colleagues-with-laptops who’s always got each other’s backs. So much so that when the?Bat Beacon?lights up the chatline?you don't come with lame excuses or deflections. Be it then for a crucial presentation tomorrow morning or how to get through a process-labyrint while avoiding getting?zapped?by the hooded priests of bureaucracy's laser pointers.

You make the time, go out of your way, dig into hard drives' and cloud storages' treasure troves. Identify the best experts, sponsors and obstacle bashers needed and make sure that help reaches your colleague under pressure?on time. Because, when you've survived long enough in the business, you remember that it certainly wasn't purely because of?me, myself and I. You had some serious help and it’s a question of honor to reciprocate.

Clients

Now, I?don't have?hundreds of purposefully pre-baked and nurtured, prospective client contacts to activate (like sleeping assets in spy movies) when the quarter after next starts looking a bit thin. As I?haven't been?an active and conscientious enough of a network builder.

Should have, sure, no arguments. I?could have?done better, at the latest when networking got technology-leveraged.?If I’d only had?put my mind to it I would have?shined. Instead I was a total dinosaur and not even of the cool and?dangerous?type. More like one of those that either: a) only graced a particular type of grass and starved to death when that ran out or b) got eaten by a?truly cool?big jawed one.

Fortunately,?again, I've been around since the age of dumb terminals so I've blessed with a decent number of clients together with whom I've created something?together?at some point. And, it does help to have a shared history in order to even?get the opportunity?to compete.

Epiphany

Skills, experiences, insightful and new thinking, offerings well chosen for the tasks and transformation at hand. Still,?secondary. Alone there is only so much you can accomplish because:

1. without colleagues you'll have?nothing?to offer and,
2. without clients?no one?to offer to.

During these 18 months at my make shift dinner table office I've learned to cherish this obvious truth, thanking higher beings that I've had enough of?both?kinds to weather this storm out.

On with the Show

My younger colleagues are overall?absolutely?brilliant, clever and driven. I’m in total awe of them and forced to exert myself to,?my, maximum when in their midst so as not to seem all?too?thick and slow. I criticise the education system. They must have turbo boosted it since my cruise through it. And, I also blame?society. Pretty sure it’s the increased competitiveness that has instilled in these over-performers the work ethics they display. They just?keep on going, like some?ultimate endurance afficionados.

Unfortunately this younger breed has been short changed during the?Pandemic Ages. For while they're honed to perfection and gifted as heaven, their wings have been clipped, unable to soar as they should have. No experienced colleague has been around?to notice?and experience their brilliance in person as, we’d?undoubtedly?would have done when teaming up in the office, project and war-rooms – pulling those inevitable long hours to make the deadlines of go-lives, bids and contracts.

No chances?either provided for them to impress client representatives in the flesh with their can-do attitude and quantum leap-like speed of?original?thought and insights. A?damn shame! For them, obviously,?as well as?for us older colleagues-in-office and clients. Because, as much as we experienced ones can keep the wheels turning on our lonesome we will more or less be turning them the?same?way as always.

Sure, we'll deny any lack of freshness, convincing ourselves that we're so?far out?in our thinking that we can't even see the?box?anymore. While pulling on turtle necks and making small talk about the commercialisation of space and desperately trying to be with it. But. but,?but. Yes, we’re not seeing the box but that's because our?20-20?vision is long gone. Whatever we come up with will?really not?be that new, as it's being born from a cauldron into which?only?we’ve been pouring in ingredients. A hitherto new?House Blend, possibly but, groundbreaking? No.

The thing is. I need the young guns. Sure, I've got some kind of style, quite solid experience. But, darn it, I need the new angle, the totally unexpected (for me), the disruption I?do know?to appreciate?when?I see it and which we can then?together?leverage to something?truly?fabric shattering. I crave them, the whole old guard does.

And, the new ones?need us?to help them find their ground, to understand and appreciate the industry as we do, who built it. No matter that they won’t appreciate us that much. Truth to be told that’s how it’s?always?been. But, popularity is overrated anyhow compared to what?really?matters which is, leveraging society through adaptions of tech. Always improving, in our small and big ways, the world to the best of our?joint?abilities.

For 18 months these special circumstances have been separating us two parties. Fortunately it looks like that’s?finally?coming to and end (slightly shaky but I have faith). Time for us all, new and experienced, to become the absolute best versions of ourselves: The A-Team?to?Rock the industries with IT!

See you at the office!

Oh yes, almost forgot. We're hiring: Click?here?for your future at?IBM.

Tomas