One of the first big IT projects I ever worked on was updating and replacing an ERP system called IFS. At the start of the project I was just an IT help desk tech (the guy who replaces your monitor or installs a printer). I was asked if I wanted to become the IFS Project Management Module expert, to which I readily said “sure, that sounds fun” (not to mention more interesting than installing printers).
Problem was I didn’t know anything about IFS…. or about Project Management….
I’m the expert?…
I have a two-pronged approach to solving challenges like this. The first is to have faith in others. In this case my job would involve traveling to multiple sites and standing in front of a room of professional Project Managers as the IFS Project Management expert, despite knowing basically nothing about either. The enormity of this (and the rather large knowledge gaps!) required me to have faith in my manager (who clearly thought I could handle things), my team (who supported me immensely) and myself (who learned to step up)… and this helped me not panic.
The second prong I use is to have faith in my myself. We’re all aware of our own capabilities, as well as our own limitations (be honest with yourself on these!). Once I really understand the challenge, I can map out possible gaps and determine solutions to those… generally this requires learning more about various topics (in this case IFS fundamentals and project management concepts) and boils down to doing my homework.
Don’t Panic - aka Have Faith in Others
Trusting those around you is hard. It requires giving up some amount of control and allowing others to dictate some aspects of your life. In most situations, I have enough faith and trust in the people I work with to make the best possible decisions for me in situations like these. This is doubly so once I have a working relationship with them and understand more about how they work.
When asked to take on incredible challenging , generally unknown, requests, I always remind myself that I wouldn’t be asked to do it if someone didn’t think I was capable. In most cases the person asking has more experience in the area than I do, further giving me confidence that I can do the thing (otherwise why would they ask?).
Do Your Homework - aka Have Faith in Yourself
Having faith in others is great, but it’s not enough. In order to succeed at this big asks, you also have to have faith in yourself. This includes faith in your abilities, but also in your potential. Over the years I’ve come to enjoy trusting in that potential since it has allowed me to flex and grow in ways I would not have without that opportunity.
For me, this frequently takes the form of (literal) homework. I’ve found myself enrolled in community college courses, teaching data analytics courses (teaching is a great way to help reinforce and learn new skills), reading stacks of books, and getting lost in the guts of a new system (one of the best ways to learn them, but always be sure you have a sandbox!). Since I also had a job, all of that had to be done on my “free” time.
I am the expert
It takes time, but eventually you’ll begin to accept these opportunities as pathways to growth instead of something to fear. For me the cycle of insane ask, not freaking out, working the problem and growing has become somewhat of an addiction. Not only have I built technical skills, I’ve had the pleasure of working with some very smart people (and made some great friends).
If we’re not being pushed by ourselves or others, we’re not growing, so grab every opportunity you can and enjoy the ride.