All in People
Frequently the folks who get the most praise are the ones who solve problems after they happen. It is, after all, quite easy to see their impact. To me, what’s more impressive are the folks who prevent problems before they even occur… the challenge here, is how do we recognize and encourage that?
Moving forward towards a threat is counterintuitive, but offers a number of advantages over other options. Being closer lets you see what’s really happening, makes response easier, and reduces long-term risk. Uncomfortable? Yes. Something we all need to practice? Definitely.
Turning on your focus and controlling your energy isn’t something that takes time to “power up”. Instead, it’s more like flipping a switch… when you need it, it’s there.
Martial arts training is all about building strong foundations. These can take the form of strong basic concepts, like focus, or physical alignment. Regardless of which application, a strong foundation, or stance, is absolutely necessary for success both in the martial arts and in the rest of life. Not having a strong stance means falling over, weaker strikes, and more.
Some of the biggest headaches I’ve had to deal with were the result of really good intentions. As challenging as it is, remembering to treat these as learning opportunities (and not taking someone’s head off) helps not only fix the problem faster, but build better partners.
Getting laid off is tough… many stressful questions can come up and a lot of uncertainty is introduced. It also presents an opportunity though… an opportunity to work on your Self and really figure out how you want to shape your life.
Tech changes can have vast impacts on peoples jobs. In this case, it resulted in a look of sheer terror when a supply manager had to stop using paper and use a computer. Empathy was critical in helping him make the jump to the New World.
Giving and accepting feedback can be challenging. Remember though, at the end of the day it is about becoming better and helping you improve.
Leading and managing are both skills we pickup along the way. Neither one is inherently better than the other, but both are very useful to have.
We all make mistakes. It can get dangerous when you begin “tilting” - allowing those mistakes to distract you into causing more mistakes. It’s very important to both recognize, and recover from, tilting.
Keeping track of your accomplishments is important. Not only can it help during performance evaluations, but more importantly having a stock of positive messages can help pick you up when you’re down
It can be REALLY hard to remember that there’s another live human behind the ticket you’re working on. Take the time to connect with them on a human level, not only will the ticket go more easily, but you’ll forge a great connection.
Data needs tending. This is becoming more true as the amount of data we have only increases. Given its importance, it’s critical that partner teams trust their tech teams to manage and use that underlying data correctly.
We’ve all had to put a ticket into something SOMEWHERE. Despite our collective practice, many tickets do not provide enough info for folks to get the help they need. Here are some tips.
HRIS tends to be the forgotten cousin of IT - it’s frequently brought in at the last minute (if at all). Building better partnerships with HRIS helps both sides, as the business gets better results, and the tech team gets less grey hair.
Being in “tech” has a certain allure to many folks. If you’re interested in getting into “tech”, take time to first understand WHY you want to, then get out there and do your homework.
Being asked to join a big project can be a bit scary. Not panicking (having faith in your team) and doing your homework (having faith in yourself) goes a long way to growing and staying successful.
Tech teams need to be brought problems to solve, not solutions to implement. Frequently business partners only present their ideas for solutions, which, at best, will steal time from actual problem solving, and at worst cause problems down the road.
Just like that first workout can turn someone off to the gym, accepting those tough, uncomfortable, assignments can be hard. Instead of seeing it as a painful thing to endure, I’ve begun to see it as a positive reflection of growth
I always appreciate when my partners think through challenges before coming to my team. It does get a bit dicey when they bring us solutions they think will be best…
