Vision and Happiness

 

There I was, having a nice talk with my previous manager about life in general. At one point the conversation hit on back when the branch first opened and our culture and how happy I was when I moved into the branch. I cannot remember why the next comment came out, but here it is: “I already knew your vision.”

What is that? And why is that tied to Happiness?

Uhm… Vision, as in Mission & Vision Statement 101? Yes, that’s the one. As in “describe your future state in five years. Where will you be doing what you do?” That sort of vision. You have some personal version of that, everyone does; or at least I hope they do. How close you come to that vision is pretty much how happy you are.

On top of that, there is also a persona that is presented in your workplace. In fact, I am pretty sure that there are some people with personas that are tailored to the social or work occasion. Woot! Not me, thanks, I am trying to have only one vision.

Moving forward, I think I see where having personal and professional visions that match pretty closely could be an important factor in “how happy am I?” answers. Don’t you like it better when things line up neatly? On a business angle, your general happiness in terms of workplace/profession satisfaction will therefore occur when the company vision and execution of that vision come closest to your personal vision.

How well does your personal vision line up with your work? How does that equate to happy for you? It might be that your vision and your execution of that vision serve as a change agent for the good in your culture. Is your vision causing parts of your life to be unhappy? Could it be that the mismatch between personal and work is too large?

There is a solid connection between employee satisfaction/happiness and ability to deliver to their customer. And create happy customers. Who comment to other people they know. Which generates the highest ROI of any sales/marketing plan ever. I will wait right here for you to finish reading.

Well, that’s nice, but what about your vision?

So, great question – and here it is – both personal and professional. I think the professional vision is an outshoot of the personal.

“I want my customer so happy they talk about us on the golf course”

And I will close with this L.P. Jacks quotation that I like:

“A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his labor and his leisure; his mind and his body; his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself, he always appears to be doing both.”

YMMV

Is your Brain Engaged?

 

Have you ever been in a meeting when someone spouted out some ridiculous drivel that was just stupid? Or worse, it was wrong technically. Even worse, it was you! And the customer knows it.

If you are lucky, you can just say “oopsie, that was just wrong of me, how stupid I am, ha ha.” And you get away with it. Unfortunately, “get away with it” is a total gamble, and is successful about 1 time in 9 or 10 thousand.

So, what can you do?

Plan ahead. Practice. Plan what? Practice what? Easy.

First choice: keep your mouth shut! And then, your second choice in responses should be to rephrase the question or inquiry and ask if you understand correctly. You do remember classes on active listening, right?

Your second planned response needs to be phrased in such a manner as to elicit a business or technical response from the customer. Depending on the type of meeting, maybe both.

But, hopefully a lengthy one so that you can get your brain fired up. Your response to the customer question needs to be something like “I am not sure that I understand your question – can you help me understand how you got to that point of view?”

You need to have practiced these two items so that you are comfortable with them. You need to sound smooth. Practice with your spouse. Practice with your cat. Practice on yourself while brushing your teeth. You will look a tad strange talking to yourself, but you need to practice! If you are like me, then keeping your trap shut will take more work. I am sure that my SO appreciates me practicing that particular skill.

Whatever you do, do not ask the customer a question that is phrased in Boolean logic. We will wait while you go Google that one.

Here is the point – you need to be prepared with questions that demonstrate a knowledge of your technical area and concern for satisfying the business requirements. Yes/No questions don’t get you there. Getting the customer to pour out their soul does. And gives you an opportunity to get your brain into gear before engaging your mouth.

Remember two things: Luck is preparation meeting opportunity. Make sure you are technically prepared and be able to demonstrate some business awareness.

And open what you have two of, and close what you have one of.

YMMV

Problem Solving

 

Einstein is quoted as saying, “If I had an hour to solve a problem I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.”

According to Vishal Kataria (www.aryatra.com), problem solving has a synonym in the corporate world…firefighting. The issue here is that staff time at our customers is usually fairly tight. They don’t have time or resources to address small things – small things that often turn out bad and cause the fire alarm. Somebody did something not quite “right” – but it did not cause any problems then…what about now?

The concept of problem solving in most companies today is flawed. “If it isn't urgent, worry about it later,” is the mantra. Eventually, the ignored problem becomes so massive that it calls for – you guessed it – firefighting. This behavior is so deeply entrenched in most organizations that it has become a culture.

There you are on site and a fire breaks out. You might even be involved in it because your project caused it. Typically, in the MS UC world, something that was not an issue before becomes an issue when the project needs to start leveraging the network, load balancers, firewalls, security, remote site, VPN, you name it. When this occurs, what do you do about it? Hopefully, the answer is not “run in circles, scream and shout.”

You need to have a few tools in your head ready to trot out and apply to the situation. The first tool is to start asking WHY. The Six Sigma guidance is to ask WHY five times. Sometimes the root cause will show up before that, sometimes it might take more; but five WHY questions is a good rule.

The second tool is a troubleshooting process. Basically, there are three methods: Start to finish, finish to start, or pick a spot in the middle and work one way or the other. Method #3 is also two subsets – middle to end, and middle to start. Your job, of course, is to figure out which of the actions to take. Deciding which method to use brings up another Einstein paraphrase: “The problem is figuring out what the problem is.” The point is, have those tools. If you don’t like mine, find or develop your own.

Sit and think on that. Use your product and network knowledge. What is broken and where? WHY? What can you do figure out where or what is borked? Break out a fishbone. Break out a decision-making matrix. But resist the urge to take immediate actions without understanding the problem and root cause. Sometimes you can go right to the real issue because you have seen it before. Most times, in the end, you are looking at a new sales opportunity. Are you prepared for that?

Your last tool is to realize that you are supposed to be the adult in the room. Patience and understanding go a long way in our world. Have you kept your axe sharp? A tree is in front of you at this moment. Seneca the Younger (Roman – read up!) is paraphrased “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Your opportunity is right in front of you when the fire bell starts ringing.

Make sure your brain is prepared, your tools are ready, and that you are wearing your adult clothes.

YMMV

Communication 300

 

Project delivery has many challenges. Outside of the technical aspect of whatever the project entails, there are meetings. During the sales process, there are scoping meetings. As the project commences there are kickoff meetings. When the project continues forward, there are technical meetings. As the project hits a snag, there are more meetings. Coordination of disparate task teams generates even more meetings. These meetings might be large, or they might be only a few technical types. What is important to recognize out of all this is that there is, in each meeting, an audience for whatever it is you are trying to communicate.

1. For a meeting with tin-foil-hat types, you need to be prepared to go into the minutiae of the project. Whatever you do in this situation, don’t say anything if you are not 100% sure of your response. I have been in meetings where the question asker already knows an answer and is looking to trip you up. In this case, you need to have a zippy answer ready.

Gosh Billy, what a great question! Did you memorize that from the vendor documentation stack? I am not 100% positive of the correct answer, so I will write this question down and get the proper answer and get it back to you. Will next Monday work for that?” Other than that scenario, you can dive into the 300-400 level answers at will.

2. If you have a technical manager running the meeting, you will need to keep the answers to the 200 (maybe 250) level. If there is a tin-foil type looking to impress their boss with their question depth; fall back to scenario 1 for that question. Otherwise, keep the answers to the technical solution high level details that the project needs. You may wish to include the ties to the business requirement – but stay away from IP addresses, ports, protocols, URL’s, et cetera. Unless, of course, the manager asks for some of that information. If you have a business manager meeting, but still technically focused, you might need to raise the level of acceptable answer (unless details are requested) to the 150-250 bracket.

3. For the final meeting discussed herein, we are talking about a pre-sales or scoping type call, where the primary meeting driver is a business person. This person does not wish to hear details past the 100 level of “yes, this technical solution in this format answers your specific, outlined business need” or “the proposed solution can be accomplished with minimal or no downtime for the end-user” or something of that ilk. I remember a meeting where the business leader asked a question where the answer needed to be couched in risk management terms. The engineer gave a long-winded technical answer, which did not address what was asked. Oopsie! Minus 5 points.

Luckily, people at that level totally understand the answer methodology from scenario 1. Give an active listening (you do know what that is, right?) response, write down the question on the spot, right in front of them, and then follow-up before when you say you will.

If you are a bit confused as to what the difference between a 100, 200, 300, or 400 level answer is, think a bit on this:

100 = Organizational, business requirement. A business issue/problem that needs resolution. Time, effort level, risk, measurable outcomes. The big picture seen from resources, calendar, CAPEX, OPEX, etc. Risk Management, gap analysis, scope, impact.

200 = How is the solution going to work in broad terms? High-level Visio diagrams.

300 = Architecture/design. Think detailed Visio depictions.

400 = The weeds. My standard as-built document is 31 sheets in an Excel workbook replete with FQDN’s, IP’s firewall rules, et cetera. The server install sheet runs about 85 lines down the page.

If you have a meeting where the C’x’O (or equivalent) is present, then make sure your answers to overall questions remains aimed at the business unless you are specifically asked for details. If the meeting is above the technical delivery team, then stay in the 100-200-250 zone. The communication process for each of the outlined levels is the same. Identify the players in the room and tailor your communication.

YMMV

What do I do with my slack time?

"If I only had an hour to chop down a tree, I would spend the first 45 minutes sharpening my axe.”

– Abraham Lincoln.

 

You have free time on your hands. Project delays, slow sales, “it’s that time of year” and other factors mean that we have odd blocks of free time on our hands.

When this occurs, do you sit on your hands or do you turn to your wish list of skills and accomplish something? Are you tied into your branch sales team so that you can offer your free time to help them?

Barring some uber-exciting sales call, you should have a prioritized list of learning tasks, lab experiments, or technical/business reading queued up for just these occasions. Learn something new. Hit up the MVA, read some tech blogs, review Dale Carnegie and Steven Covey.

The bottom line is that you, and you alone, are responsible for keeping your axe sharp. No one else is going to do it. You need to have a plan of action, in advance, for filling in the slack time in your schedule with something productive that will move YOUR career along.

Don’t just sit there watching the paint dry, get ready for the next tree.

Communication, Preferences, and You and Your Career

What makes you tick? What communication method seems to work best with you? An in-depth Myers-Briggs will help you understand what makes you tick, while a DISC workup will help you understand your communication/personality preferences. Without trying to become PhD candidates, and without analyzing the Myers-Briggs (along with Jung) model, we will focus the remainder of this diatribe on communication preferences and general personality profiles that the DISC method provides.

DISC testing reveals general personality and communication needs. And communication runs in two directions per person – in and out. https://www.discprofile.com/what-is-disc/overview/ has a great outline of what each type prefers. Look at the descriptions and the behaviors. And then consider the following DISC scenarios:

· Low D in a role that needs decision making

· High D in a role that has no input to decisions

· Low C in a role that needs detail oriented work

· High C in a role where no details are needed

· Low I with a project that has you a high amount of leadership attention

· High I in a role with little recognition

· Low S stuck in a group action project

· High S in a role with little or no group action

At this point, keep in mind that how I learned the DISC is a smidge different from what this particular website offers in the way of explanations. While my terminology might be different, the overall flavor is the same.

· D https://www.discprofile.com/what-is-disc/overview/dominance/

· I https://www.discprofile.com/what-is-disc/overview/influence/

· S https://www.discprofile.com/what-is-disc/overview/steadiness/

· C https://www.discprofile.com/what-is-disc/overview/conscientiousness/

Are you in one of these scenarios? Something that resembles one of these? Has this highlighted something that you need to work on? For me, as a DCSI, my D component combined with my C component means that I need to organize myself when doing projects. I like decisions and schedule and moving forward, and I am not as strong on organization. So, I force myself to slow down and ask the customer what THEY want, and tailor my presentation to that. On the organizational skills side, I have proceduralized (is that a word?) doing documentation so that I can do the same thing each time, with the only variation being customizations per project – but I use the same project methodology each time. And documentation per project follows a set path. I think over the years my C has increased, my D has decreased, both of which make me better – more balanced. Where I am lacking in general is the S and I. I tend to shy away from groups and I do not look for attention (believe it or not).

The SI components are clearly where I need to focus development and constant attention for improvement. That means finding some means of including others, and creating recognition for others – because my preferences don’t lean that way, which by extension means that I don’t offer that to others – because I am not wired that way. Hence, I need to recognize that in myself or others that are wired that way will think that I am Mr. Jerk (and who knows, they might well think that anyway no matter what I do). But I can only change myself, there is no changing others.

Do you feel unsatisfied at work? If your projects always have you involved at a level where your preferences are not being met, then you will not be happy – or you could be happier. Have you pondered this at some level? I just had a great discussion with a team member who (very brightly) has clearly looked at some of these aspects and his analyses were spot on with mine – happiness at work has many facets. This team member can clearly identify personal needs, position in the team, what is wanted in life, what the employer is offering, and goals and how they match up with life in general. Mo’ perfect!

Are you not achieving whatever it is that trips your trigger? Can you say that you are that team member previously outlined? If not, then perhaps some time spent watching the paint dry on the nearest wall can give you some insight as to where you are, where you are headed, and how you might be achieving that which you desire in life. I know from personal experience that the happier I am with my lot in life, the better I can serve my customers. Which makes me a better consultant because I am not constantly fighting nature, I am working with it and within it.

What personal development emphasis do you need to foster to move your needs closer to what you get from the workplace? We did DISC tests when the team formed. You all know where you are. How does that match up with the DISC scenarios outlined above? Can you see where your preferences might cause issues or where they might be a strength upon which to build?

What changes would move your employment closer to your native preferences? Knowing that you can only change yourself, you could still be examining what types of project scenarios to which you are better suited. And then ask for assistance in getting those projects. Everyone can and does adjust but getting what you want or need makes the adjustment smaller and makes you happier. But you must figure it out and then ask.

If you need a refresher, take the test again. If you want some help understanding, let me know. In a previous lifetime, I was a certified (yes, I know I am certifiable, but that is different topic) trainer for the DISC process and I could possibly have some insight for you. At the very least we can identify your strong and less strong areas and suggest development avenues for your exploration and exploitation.

YMMV

Are you a flashlight or a laser beam?

I was discussing life with a friend the other day. At one point, he made a very poignant comment, and I paraphrase, “I used to be a laser beam, now I am a flashlight.” Apparently his SO had made that observation when he was re-tooling his professional life to move into a more cloud-focused, Azure-centric posture. What he meant was that his professional goals in life at one point had been very focused, and now they were not.

This lack of focus was causing him untold amounts of angst, job-hopping, and general dissatisfaction with any position offered. He was flailing in every aspect of his professional life.

What can we learn from this real-life episode? You must have a plan. Your plan needs to be specific. Plans must be in writing – what my friend had done at one point was to veer off his written plan, and he never re-worked the plan – which resulted in his having a scattered approach. The scattered approach resulted in his having no clear path to success.

So, the lesson is to have a specific written plan for your life – and part of that plan is periodically reviewing the plan, along with adjustments to the plan. Sounds just like you are running a project, yes? And you are, it’s just that in this case, the project is you! What could be more important than that? And the skills you bring to your customer projects are the same skills you can exercise on yourself.

As a reminder, "SMART" objectives are:

• Specific

• Measurable

• Agreed/Achievable/Attainable

• Realistic/Responsible/Receivable

• Time-bound

If you need some help in getting your life and professional goals written, take a look at this: SMART GOALS. If you are looking for some light reading about goal setting, refer to Stephen Covey, Stephen Covey again, Brian Tracy’s SMART goal worksheet, and then look at the big picture from Peter Drucker, which should also get you thinking about another concept known as Management by Objective (MBO) or Management by Results (MBR). You can read about MBO here, and MBR here. The aphorism "what gets measured gets done," is aligned with the MBO philosophy.

P.S. Be careful about buying the MBO philosophy wholesale – there are some leadership factors that make MBO work or not work.

YMMV

Consulting 102

Marvin Bower (1903-2003) outlined the criteria for an outstanding consultant: “Mental equipment -- the successful consultant has outstanding analytical skill and the ability to synthesize his thoughts readily in reaching conclusions, He is a quick and effective learner -- imaginative and creative.”

Why does a company hire a consultant?

Your next project resulted from a company making a decision about a few things. A decision to implement a given technology starts the process. Then the company looks at their staff and asks a few questions.

Does our internal staff have the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) to accomplish the project successfully? If the staff has the KSA, do they have the time? If the KSA and time exists, do we want our staff to make the effort to tack on yet another skill set in a specific area – a skill set that might not ever be used again? Perhaps the time element is viewed another way – the project is a high-burner – it must be done and now!

Maybe management doesn’t trust their staff. Or maybe that same management just wants some outside perspective. Sometimes the answers are clear cut; other times the decision path is not so clear. And then, you can always compare my thoughts to some famous thoughts on business consulting – while we might be tech-oriented, make no mistake, we are in business first.

At any rate, here you are going into an unknown environment to accomplish a set of tasks and you may or may not have the support of the internal staff. In some cases, you might be facing classic passive-aggressive staff behavior. This is especially evident when someone’s favorite application or system is being replaced. Oftentimes this threatens a job. Or the perception of losing a job. At this point you may wish to educate yourself on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs – and then apply that concept to what you might see as a consultant on day one walking into a new project.

What is the point here?

If, like my current project, the internal staff is bending over backwards to help and be successful, then you should have no issues provided you don’t start lying to them. You can just do the Honest Abe thing and work your process. A couple of things you should always do:

Make it clear to the client staff that you cannot be successful without their participation – after all, they know their environment, not you.

For email, create a local DL in your email and use it for EVERY email that is project related – then EVERYONE knows – and no one person is singled out.

But what if you run into the opposite scenario?

The Bad News

There is no silver bullet for the bad scenario. But, some preparation can help you overcome the obstacles this scenario will place in your way. At the delivery level, you must make every effort to quickly become part of the internal team, and a leader of that team. But there might be times when a customer is simply dysfunctional at echelons above the project team level. You can be a great part of the project team and still have a miserable experience.

What to Do?

Never argue. State your case in technical terms. Make sure that your communication process is not “personal” – the use of pronouns needs to be replaced by the company entity. The “team” is accomplishing, not you, and decidedly not a single individual in the client company.

Obviously, having your technical and project process firmed up will assist because you won’t have to think about those aspects. Know your DISC and Myers-Briggs. Work on your skills there to identify the different behaviors and personality types. Perhaps a simple change in communication style will smooth things out. My boss in Korea was a HUGE C (as in DISC). It took me a few head-butts, but I eventually figured out how to communicate with him, and after that, no problems.

Focus on the technical, let the PM handle the other parts. Communicate with your PM. If you are having “issues” then the PM is the first person who should know about it/them. Have you run into the aforementioned dysfunctional management? Let the PM handle it. Or turn to your manager and beg/ask for help and guidance. After all, that is why they exist.

Issues that arise can almost always be blamed on bad hardware, the vendor documentation stinks, or some other lame excuse, but NEVER blame a customer staff member- even if they are to blame. However, another NEVER is to accept blame for something that you did not do. Rolling over does not make things better – it just causes whatever it was to occur again.

A twist on that is to deliberately give credit to the individual(s) who are resisting the project whenever you can. That way they start looking like a project hero, which makes everyone feel better about themselves; and because it came from the Object of Hatred, they are more likely to back off.

What’s the Bottom Line?

Evaluation of personality styles, and how to communicate with those various types. Personal integrity counts very high. Knowing why you are there, and what it is you are doing as part of the project team. Back in a previous lifetime, this was known to me as “be tactically and technically proficient.”