Yesterday morning I was starting to feel a slight case of “head back to work tomorrow” glum. I’ve had the best part of two weeks off from work with the fam, doing fun stuff. Back to going away from home for the whole week, to the proverbial grind. Sad face.
The same morning a piece from Rands started doing the digital media rounds. Called Shields Down it’s worth a read.
Rands discusses when you decide to look around somewhere else, when you imagine yourself that somewhere else, when you decide you are going to resign from your current post, when your shields come down.
In Rands’ piece is a proposed mental checklist to “aggregate your opinions on”:
- Am I happy with my job?
- Do I like my manager? My team?
- Is this project I’m working on fulfilling?
- Am I learning?
- Am I respected?
- Am I growing?
- Do I feel fairly compensated?
- Is this company/team going anywhere?
- Do I believe in the vision?
- Do I trust the leaders?
Good list that. A couple of things arguably missing, but solid enough.
Anyway. This piece came out several days after I’d squirreled away in a post I had been for a look somewhere.
I am nosy as to what people are doing, how they do it, why they do it, who they do it and the places they do it. I have seen things you people would not believe. I want to work in the best places possible. But that does not mean I am looking to move.
If people are doing good work elsewhere, if you have the chance you’ll have a peek – and compare to your current gaff, no?
If you don’t ask it regularly already such a visit forces the question
How are we doing? Could we do better?
And then validate that:
Can we do better?
Because could and can are separated: Recognition of possibility needs to be enabled by ability/permission.
Can we do some of that stuff we could do into our current gaff? Y’know, improve where we are.
When you can’t is when having your shields down is the most dangerous.