Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Bo

A couple of months ago, I was frustrated when it appeared as if things at work were not going as I had planned. Fast forward to now and I find myself quite overwhelmed with all of the changes.

A new job, a new team to manage, new processes, new stakeholders, new colleagues, new projects, a new office… new everything! You must know that I am not the best when it comes to change so this implosion of my life has been incredibly stressful.

I must confess that some moments of my day are spent trying to stop myself from panicking. The other time is spent trying to clear out my mailbox!

Don’t get me wrong – I am loving it. I get home exhausted. I am learning something new each and every day and it feels as if at the end of each day, my brain is fried banana.

There are three things that keep me going:

It’s comforting to know that the team I left behind are friends and a safe place to go visit. They take my mind off things, they ground me in a way and remind me of who I am.
My new team are awesome. They have made it very easy for me to openly admit that I don’t quite understand what CTR or wireframe is.
My bosses (a few of them) make me believe that I can do this. That taking on this challenge is a piece of cake. They have all been so supportive and encouraging. I will not let them down.

But for the moment, I need to practice my breathing. I noticed today that when I stress, I stop breathing and hold my breath in. It’s as if I will be able to stop time… just for a second while I try to catch up.

Declaring your goals in running, at work, in life

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Bo

KK has decided to run the full Two Oceans next year. He’s run six half Oceans before and has been ‘thinking’ about doing the full one for ages now. But it’s as if all of a sudden, it’s become a reality and he has set his sights firmly on the goal. There’s something quite powerful about declaring your goals and telling others of your intention.

I know this because it’s something I’ve been doing at work for the last 10 months.

I decided last year to move my career into a different direction. I chatted to mentors, friends and decision-makers about my thoughts and finally decided to make it happen. Things don’t happen overnight in a corporate, I’m afraid and so for a few months now, I’ve needed to be patient and wait for things to fall in to place.

It did not stop me from telling people of my intentions. I started reading up, researching and engulfing myself in conversation with colleagues in this field. I set my eyes on the goal and did not look away, even when there were bumps along the road and it looked as if it might never happen.

Having a vision, a dream, a destination that you set your mind to is important. Putting the steps in place requires patience and planning. Being surrounded by those that believe in your goals and want you to reach your dreams is perhaps the most important part.

The months leading up to next year’s Two Oceans will be exciting and I’ll be there for KK every step of the way! Thanks to all those who have walked this journey with me too…

Appraisal by app

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Bo

It’s mid-term appraisal time in my office and I’m pleased to say that my discussion with my boss went well.

Nowadays you get an app for almost anything so a part of me wishes that appraisals could rather be done via an app in a similar way in which runners track their running performance via Strava.

What Strava does is take all the info recorded on my Garmin running watch and presents it in fancy graphs with an analysis of all runs, times, distances etc. You can’t fool the analysis. My Garmin knows when I have struggled up the nasty uphills. My Garmin knows when I have hit those down hills and managed to speed up. It is also able to track my distances accurately to the last meter and display it on a map.

There’s no bullshitting involved. What you see is what you get; measurable and exact.

On Strava I can’t get away with boasting inaccurate pace times or falsifying PBs (personal bests) because it’s all documented and open for all to see. It’s also a very clear indication of when I slack off and don’t run.

An app would assist my boss to track team performance every month – the highs and the lows; projects completed, times when staff members have gone the extra mile and the impact of stress in the office on attitude and morale.

By far the greatest benefit of the app would be during appraisal times when majority of staff feel that scores and ratings are largely based on people’s perceptions instead of real measurement. It would be a far more accurate and fair comparison of everyone’s performance.

It’s just a thought running through my head…

Falling…

Posted on July 4, 2013 by Bo

Being a huge fan of documentaries, I recently watched “The Falling Man”. It’s the story of the search for the identify of a man who jumped from the burning World Trade Centre Towers during 9/11. (Confession: I’m a little obsessed with doccies on 9/11).

What struck me is the connection I felt with no one knowing who this man was. The guesses and the media interference amid all the confusion was quite familiar to me.

A problem that I have struggled with for too long now is the fact that my role has not been clearly defined or even understood by my team at work. I get asked the oddest questions. I get pulled in to meetings which have nothing to do with me. But worst of all is that I get left out of projects where I could add the most value.

Gate crashing of meetings, emails and ‘profiling’ of myself has made very little impact. So whilst watching the documentary and seeing this man falling, I acknowledged that I have been feeling the same way for far too long now. I’ve been falling. Faster and faster. I’ve been walking around the office appearing calm and peaceful yet inside, filled with anxiety and frustration.

It’s inevitable. Unless you are adding real value where you work and unless you are fulfilled with having found your purpose, you will always be falling to a most certain death.

I’m so relieved that a couple of months ago I admitted to myself that I needed to do something about it and took action. It has taken a while to get off the ground, but I am moving my career in a different direction – something I’m super excited about! <watch this blog!>

By the way. They found the man’s identity in the end. It was a sign to me that I’m making a good move forward.