July 17th, 2024 - The Winds of Change and Gold Mine Memories

From Toxic Workplaces to Transformative Moments: A Journey in Progress

The Daily Huddle:

Now we’re getting some real action, folks! I went from sitting on the bench to feverish activity. Decisions are finally being made, and I can feel the wind of change. We’re still ridiculously under-resourced, but they want to blitz my initiative. This means work until the end of the year, international travel, and a chance to turn this toxic place around. Challenge accepted!

Had a surprising win today. The playground-bully sent an email admitting their solution wasn’t good for us but pitched something else. And this came right after the Dragon, our resident toxic empire builder, was pushing hard for that exact solution. Sometimes, you just get lucky.

Another day of silence from The Mother—no word at all. I miss the kids and will fly back tonight. Tomorrow should be interesting; she wants to talk.

Sifting Through the Scraps:

Working with this dysfunctional client brings back memories of other challenging gigs. Like the time I was the transformation lead at a gold mine—crazy, right? I never saw any gold, but I saw plenty of dingoes and brown snakes. The GM was a tough nut, great engineer, but not social at all. He’d spend his evenings in his cabin, eating canned tuna and emailing tasks. His people hated it.

So, I took a deep breath, walked into his office, and asked if he’d be open to feedback. Surprisingly, he was. I suggested he spend more off-work time with his team. He went ballistic on me. I was intimidated, but I left him to think about it.

Three weeks after I left, a leader on-site texted me: “He came into the canteen today, sat with us, and we chatted about sailing. It was a nice evening.” I was proud. Proud that I had the courage to speak up and that it made a difference.

Lessons from the Trenches:

Today’s lesson from Wooden’s Pyramid of Success is planning. Without a plan, hard work can lead to success by accident, which is rare. Good planning increases the odds of success. Reflecting on past experiences, I realize how often I’ve jumped into things without a plan. Today, I’m more experienced and trained. As a consultant, planning is essential, and I’m good at it (there’s my arrogant side talking, but hey, know your strengths!).

Proper planning helps you be more intentional and avoid wasting time on irrelevant tasks. This applies universally—in business, volunteering, partnerships, and with your kids. Remember Hofstadter’s Law: It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take Hofstadter’s Law into account. So, when things take longer than planned, don’t beat yourself up. With planning, a few iterations will get you to your destination.

So long, the more you plan, the more you replace luck with error.

I’m a good planner and can live with errors. I’m proud to speak up regardless of the consequences, and I’m a happy feller when I have purpose at work.

Walter

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Current Books in Parallel Reading:

• Atomic Habits by James Clear

• Pyramid of Success by Coach Wooden

Habits I’m Working On:

• Fitness & Health: More sports, healthy eating, no junk food, lots of veggies, and less sugar. Aim: Sports 4 times a week (weights and running).
Mindset: I’m a runner and I’m healthy.
Status: No joy worked later, worked early and fly back home

• Dental Health: Flossing daily to avoid crowns and root canals.
Mindset: I have healthy teeth and I don’t hear the drill sound anymore
Status: utter fail… missed to by floss … 2nd day in a row

• Writing: Practice, practice, practice—daily diary entries, no excuses.
Mindset: I’m a good writer and people enjoy reading my work
Status: on track

Consecutive Post on Walter’s Diary:

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