Turn and face the strange
This is post 💯! Woo!
For reaching this lovely, round milestone, I've been reflecting on the changes in me over the past 7 years.
The early posts on this blog contain the comments that I had found hard to believe. They are all true, no matter how outrageous they seem. I had collected them to highlight the absurdity of many everyday activities. There are lots more, but the world has become much less civilized and the need for those has decreased.
Then I tried online journaling as my blog. Let's just say that I am not Samuel Pepys. The discipline needed escaped me. Plus, I thought people would be bored reading about my meals 😀 The current incarnation is a series of thoughts about various topics. These change depending on my mood or what enters my mind at random times. And here's what I was thinking today.
A few weeks ago, I attended a project management seminar. I used to do these regularly, but have slipped off lately. One friend who I had met during our PMP preparation seminar says that I'm the person who would have questions for the presenter, and often they would be challenging ones! I definitely remember the days when I was a strong task driver, and (like many project managers) I was more interested in delivering a task than whether the team was content. I was a definite bulldozer in my style.
In the past 7 or 8 years, I worked on my approach, and learned to soften it. I learned to pay genuine attention to my teams, their needs and to ensure that they felt supported and encouraged. The change, although deliberate, was not easy. I still slip. But my teams are happier, more productive and far stronger. I'm also happier, as I'm better able to get the performance that I need.
It's not perfect, nor am I. But attending that seminar reminded me of my old driver self. The people at my table were all task driven, were not concerned with their team's wellbeing and were confused at the idea that building collaboration was profitable. I was horrified.
Coming out of that, I asked myself whether I had trampled on people the way it seemed we did in simulation. If, in my drive and ambition, I had destroyed someone else's dreams. I hope not. But if I did, I'm using this to apologize for my acts, and I ask anyone who was hurt to reach out to me so I can apologize in person.
For reaching this lovely, round milestone, I've been reflecting on the changes in me over the past 7 years.
The early posts on this blog contain the comments that I had found hard to believe. They are all true, no matter how outrageous they seem. I had collected them to highlight the absurdity of many everyday activities. There are lots more, but the world has become much less civilized and the need for those has decreased.
Then I tried online journaling as my blog. Let's just say that I am not Samuel Pepys. The discipline needed escaped me. Plus, I thought people would be bored reading about my meals 😀 The current incarnation is a series of thoughts about various topics. These change depending on my mood or what enters my mind at random times. And here's what I was thinking today.
A few weeks ago, I attended a project management seminar. I used to do these regularly, but have slipped off lately. One friend who I had met during our PMP preparation seminar says that I'm the person who would have questions for the presenter, and often they would be challenging ones! I definitely remember the days when I was a strong task driver, and (like many project managers) I was more interested in delivering a task than whether the team was content. I was a definite bulldozer in my style.
In the past 7 or 8 years, I worked on my approach, and learned to soften it. I learned to pay genuine attention to my teams, their needs and to ensure that they felt supported and encouraged. The change, although deliberate, was not easy. I still slip. But my teams are happier, more productive and far stronger. I'm also happier, as I'm better able to get the performance that I need.
It's not perfect, nor am I. But attending that seminar reminded me of my old driver self. The people at my table were all task driven, were not concerned with their team's wellbeing and were confused at the idea that building collaboration was profitable. I was horrified.
Coming out of that, I asked myself whether I had trampled on people the way it seemed we did in simulation. If, in my drive and ambition, I had destroyed someone else's dreams. I hope not. But if I did, I'm using this to apologize for my acts, and I ask anyone who was hurt to reach out to me so I can apologize in person.
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