PITA 011
TOPIC 1:
Best activities and topics for teams who are zoomed out and need to bring themselves out of the weeds
Failure Swap Shop, courtesy of Adrian Howard
Skills development, on something that’s more of a long-term focus, or bringing hobbies into work
Reset how people work together
Rework your diary - kill any meetings that don’t add value; change the format
Go round the room, thanking the next person for something and asking them to stop something as well
Fake “walking between meeting rooms time’.
Do zoom meetings by phone instead, from outside
I want to try ‘party in a spreadsheet’ at some point to see if it’s fun at work.
Shave time off your meetings! Do not stretch to the end time and instead aim to finish 10 mins early
TOPIC 2:
How do you estimate a time of delivery on a consulting project when the details are unknown and you’re doing it remotely?
You can’t - so sell a discovery package, first (Phase 1: 3 days, 2 workshops, then an estimated plan with details, then add 20 - 50% to your estimate)
Pitch on value of outcome, not on time - tangible outcome, what are they willing to pay for that? If you are confident that you can achieve that with them, then the time dimension is less important. That works better when pitching to a sales-oriented person.
Same number of billable working hours may take longer due to scheduling difficulties
Investigate calendar deadlines early
TOPIC 3:
Do you set regular professional development goals for yourselves, and if so what are they?
Try to boil it down to 2 words - both about career and life. How can my career support that? Which jobs will allow that?
Annual process to look at the bigger picture. Write your ideal role description - match that to an actual job.
Take a solo trip for a few days (a week ideal) to reflect
Get a good cross-section of mentoring/coaching. Pay for it if needed.
Get your anti-goals straight. Notice what you DON’T like doing. Try to prioritise your career for the things you do like doing.
Use someone else - coach or friend - who is going to make you really reflect, go deep, and be brutal
Go to new events/places - learn new things to open up yourself to new perspectives and approaches
Ask people you trust their honest opinion - listen when they say I SEE YOU DOING THIS, or WHY ARE YOU STILL DOING THAT?
TOPIC 4:
Career Development Plans for your team
Focus on their strengths, get them to go further on that
Focus on the person, not on the company’s needs - it often ends up aligned, but not always
Radical Candor - not everyone needs to develop, just stay where you are and being excellent at that is absolutely fine as well
Help people to assess themselves
Have a good, documented guide to roles at each level, to help people understand what’s expected for development
Help somebody whose goals do not align with what the org needs now or later, in order to help them move out before you have to manage their angry frustration or utter disengagement - basically sponsor their departure to avoid going down the disciplinary > firing path
TOPIC 5:
When do you know it’s time to move on to a new role?
Take a pulse check every day - is this making me happy?
Assess: Are you able to make an impact?
If you find yourself saying: I would rather be doing anything else, it’s time
Always keep an eye out, regardless - there may be something that makes you happier
I’ve never left a job too early, I’ve left plenty way too late.
Take a holiday, reassess how you feel
Flip a coin if you can’t make decision - it’ll evoke a reaction/emotion
Set a date: if it doesn’t change by then, then take the next step
If you’re bored, that’s a sign that you’re not challenged enough
Is the problem intrinsic or extrinsic?