Flipping from Winter to Spring

I chose to leave a job and have been taking a planned break. I was fortunate enough to have support and resources to enable me to prepare for a Winter break from full-time work and then revel in it.  

I journaled in the spirit of reflection and improvement. I’ve been looking through my notes from early Winter and am struck by the difference to my approaching Spring.

(Spoiler 1: I flipped. If that's typical for you too then skip to the questions at the end).

I also read, walked, listened, sat, painted (including the hall - never again), talked, danced,  shared, learnt, unlearnt, wrote, played (yes I do include AI), created and potted. Discovered the Northumberland coast is glorious in November and Berlin is literally freezing in December.

I journaled about how I had or had not supported the culture and practices around me in different workplaces. I stepped through thoughts about how I responded in various contexts. I proudly remembered all the good changes and products I’d delivered in the last few years - sometimes critical during the pandemic. I smiled about times with my last team and how they humoured me and my love for Kermit.  (Anyone else had ‘what Muppet are you today’? as part of a team final check-in?).

I often journaled about my choices and actions and frequently on mine alone.  I thought about what I had learnt - what would I do differently?

That’s not a bad thing - right?  I know the cliches. I can only control what I can control. Actions and behaviours from others should only impact me in ways I allow them to. In my reading back later, I can see I remembered to flip those starting points.

I remembered other people also make decisions about their behaviour. I knew that but it had gotten overgrown. I’d lost giving myself the compassion and warmth which I’d wanted to extend to others and, during Winter, I flipped it back.

People can choose warmth and compassion or stoniness and disinterest. Yes, just like me they are impacted by the workplaces and culture and just like me they can choose whether or not to share and live by similar values to me. That’s not on me.

In my early Winter days I’d forgotten people can choose to be the devil’s advocate, to sustain systems to build their ego or reinforce institutional betrayal, be closed to ideas they don’t yet understand or try to hide from issues or (un?)intended consequences of their actions. That's also not on me. Organisations are messy and tangled, the actions of people create ripples, cultures and systems which are larger than I will ever be able to grab hold of.  I can do what's right by me - within the time, knowledge, energy or headspace, influence and control I have.  

I’d over-given courtesy and curiosity to others and not sufficiently to myself.  

I’m not sharing this to call out people’s behaviour or mine. It's not about one time, place or person. I’m sharing this as a reminder to me and you - when life, work and the world gets busy, so busy - pause, check your starting points, your intentions and maybe flip them.

Why is this relevant to your organisation?
Are you, like in my early Winter journals, busy looking in one direction that you're forgetting the rest?

Here's a few example questions with reflections on how to start to flip them:

Is your organisation focusing on improvements to products, services and systems or work flows?  

Remember though, delivering the work and changing the work - that’s a lot. Supporting only the former will be unsustainable.  Start to flip the question: Is your organisation focused on supporting the people who are pushing to change the work especially related systems or governance?

Are you supporting the good work to review what your team is doing?

Even better - also ask your team and peers to consider the work you're doing. Flip the question: How can I or the system around the team be less in their way?

How does your organisation frame its change or improvement activity, its vision?  

Flip that too - that question is couched in removing from what already exists.  Is it about making user journeys simpler, reducing technical debt, reducing inefficiencies, minimising costs? Try these questions instead:

Rather than remove, what could you create?

What would happen if you were able to start again - where and with who?

What really matters?

(Spoiler 2: I’m just warming up.  Wait until it’s Summer)