Creating a balanced diet
Tonight I shall meet three former colleagues, now good friends. We’ve known each other for nearly 30 years. I met each of them when I joined the company as a graduate in 1991 and we formed an ‘Executive Club’ for adhoc dinners which has just kept going.
Liz was my first team leader, Judith was the most senior project analyst and Susanne was half of the brains behind all future product roadmaps for our multi million user ground-breaking mobile phone billing system. They were all great role models in different ways.
As a technical team leader, Liz removed barriers so the whole team could deliver but did it with humanity and empathy and a good sense of humour. She led by example. I admired that she was always trying new things … like learning brick laying in her spare time!
From Judith, I learnt the art of listening to customers, researching the domain and then pulling out the oyster from the muddy sea bed of random information that equals real-life business landscapes. Judith doesn’t say much, but when she does, you can bet it will be a blockbuster question or observation, some aspect no-one else has even considered, a gap that could end the project in one hit. Judith has a brilliant analytical brain and an economic but precise use of language, with a sharp dry humour once again.
Susanne was and still is, a constant source of inspiration. Nowadays, she’d be Director of Innovation or an even loftier title, but that was before LinkedIn and the rise of digitally deceiving profiles. Susanne was equally sharp at analytical problem solving, as well as holistic mapping of complex challenges. She would probe and dig and comment, be curious and broad in her thinking and then usually inspire with some dashing insight.. oh and of course, deliver the conclusions with her charming charisma.
I’m a thinker. Generally. Sometimes it wears my brain out having thoughts, sparking seemingly random ideas, suddenly seeing new connections. And so while thinking about these 3 role models and the most successful teams I’ve been part of, I came to the conclusion you need to be able to Think, Do and Share in equal measure to really get stuff done. Well.
I work very well with do-ers. My favourite technical architect always says, “Claire, if you can specify it, we can build it”. They think the hard bit is doing the thinking, traditionally the analysis of what is there now and the design of what is needed next. Plus all that people stuff with customers. Sifting out what is relevant to specifying the right solution for them. Equally, I think building the code to bring the design to life is the hard bit. The truth is, both things are essential for a successful project. And then there’s the third magic ingredient. If you want sustainable success, you also need to spend time and have the right attitude towards sharing what’s going on. Sharing the outcome may be marketing and PR and if I’m cynical, can be a bit of nice spin (depending on the company culture). I know people with ‘Storyteller’ in their job title. But during the project, having people around you who are open and honest and sharing the real state of play throughout is vital to a healthy outcome. Having people who can ask the right questions and be patient enough to listen to the answer and then ask an even more important question is also vital. Having technical geeks who can explain stuff to non-technical people is vital.
So I’m sharing this wisdom from years of software design and delivery simply as a reflection:
- Making sure you balance the effort on stuff which equates to Thinking, Doing and Sharing. Good insight, from doing the right research, shared in a way which moves the project forward is gold.
- Know what you are good at (your preferred behaviours, skills) and if it’s only one of the magic 3, then work with other people so collectively you are thinking, doing and sharing for maximum benefit.
- Sharing is both an attitude and a skill. Get over the ‘not-ready-yet-syndrome’ and be open to feedback early. It will reduce wasted work and helps others develop their part of the picture sooner.
Right, I’m off to meet my 3 inspirations for dinner! [post edit — no restaurants were harmed in this as we now meet on Zoom!]
