Today was a good day, but a tough day…as we plan projects that are hard to execute and have very tight timelines. The teams are working hard, and they know how much is on the line, and they are skilled and talented enough to meet the challenges ahead.
But between today when they know what needs to be done – and many months from now when they accomplish this – I need to motivate them, make great decisions, remain calm, ensure we execute, and listen to all the worries. And the worries in a technology team are difficult to manage … they are valid, and yet they can be destructive if we give them too much attention. If we don’t give attention enough, we can take on risk without plans to address them. And technology these days is foundational to organizational success.
So…every day I go to work…I try to balance getting people to focus on the actions in meetings, and the worries over coffee. Let them out, find actions to address them, and don’t let them overcome people to the point of paralysis.
Most days, I get positive feedback – thanks for helping me move to decision, for giving me perspective, for giving me a contact person who can help me address the worry I came here with.
Some days, the difference of opinion in how we should deal with the very valid worry causes stress on relationships.
I had that moment with a colleague this week. A colleague I trust, and work well with, and value his opinion and expertise. I think my style and his style can be very complementary if we talk and understand each other. I believe we’ll get through it. I hope he does too.
