Once upon a time, in a land close to home, a professional was working in her dream job, managing a large project that hit all the “marks” — the project was within her area of expertise, and it (mostly) aligned with her values, she was responsible for delivering big results that mattered to her community and mattered to her. It was exactly what she thought her perfect job would be.
Through this work, she was able to bring teams together and leverage each individual's strengths, hear their ideas, and try to approach the work in a new way. Some of the folks on her team hadn’t worked this way before. For some, it was exciting and for others it was hard. Change can be hard.
As the project advanced, her stress level increased, and she became more agitated. She had to develop systems to capture and monitor the progress of tasks and budgets, but it was still a lot. She could keep it all together, but when she got home, sometimes she would provide a snappy response to her child’s questions. She wasn’t able to share the workload on the home front with her partner as much as she normally did. And really, she just wasn’t showing up as the mother, partner, daughter and friend she wanted to be.
And selfcare? The walks, yoga, friend time, hobbies — all the things that filled up her cup had been abandoned ages ago. She started reaching for the salty crunchy food more often. She skipped her lunch time walks. More and more frequently, she would wake up in the middle of the night fretting about one thing or another — sometimes it was about meeting deadlines, sometimes it was about communication (like friction with another team member and how she could have handled that better), sometimes it was irrational thoughts her 3 am brain made up. But most frequently it was about all the things she needed to remember to do.
It was around this time that she shared her concerns and frustrations and how this project was impacting her whole life with someone she respected, a wise elder in her life. They asked her to think about a time in the past when she was running a different large project that went well and didn’t upheave her home life…What were some of the things that made managing that project and that team successful?
- Her team was clear about what the project goal was and what success looked like.
- They had a schedule and a budget that was adequate to complete a scope of work that was clearly defined.
- They had taken time at the start of the project to develop a clear work plan that outlined the process for completing the work and all the tasks required to get the job done.
- The company she worked for had the systems and processes in place to undertake big projects. She didn’t have to create them as she went.
- She mapped out the organizational chart of that successful team and realized that there were five people doing the work that she alone was doing on this project. They weren’t all full-time on the project, but they had skill sets that complimented her own, which produced better results.
- Her team was clear on what each of their roles were and how their role contributed to the overall goal.
- The team leveraged each other's skills and strengths – they worked together to support each other and get things done. Even though they were working their tails off, they were focused, kept it within their workday and made it fun.
- They were able to design a rhythm into their day that allowed them to complete the work and meet with the team. They had large chunks of time each day to focus on advancing the work, what is known as deep work blocks. And they were allowed to shut down email, Teams — all the pings and notifications. The company even established “no meeting times” — 3 hours in the morning when there were no meetings allowed. This gave them permission to have uninterrupted time each day to really dig into a task and get into the flow state, and to be able to focus on their priority.
- Communication was streamlined — the team agreed to reduce email and increase the frequency of short but very effective check-ins. This saved HOURS of email back and forth every day.
- They were able to work together to overcome obstacles and challenges that they encountered along the way.
- They were tracking their progress and had the ability to adjust when needed.
- Because this project was so important, the team had permission to establish and maintain boundaries. In fact, they were encouraged to communicate what they needed to get the work done. These boundaries were respected by everyone.
So, she reflected — what were the characteristics of that last big project that made it so successful? They weren’t all full-time on the project, but they had skill sets that complimented her own, which produced better results.
She also spent a little time exploring what success looked like for her — both professionally and personally. Was she living and working her version of success?
When she started out in her profession, success looked something like establishing your career in the area of your degree, spending time in the field, leading big teams, having a nice house, finding a partner, going on amazing adventures, travelling, having kids…the American (or Canadian) Dream.
But now, 20 years later, success to her looked very different and included things like:
- Doing good, meaningful work that contributes to the greater good and she is proud of but it doesn’t deplete her of energy.
- Showing up for her team in a way that empowers them to work together and celebrate each other's strengths.
- Having her work align with her values and life priorities.
- Being the calm in the storm.
- Having enough energy at the end of the day to laugh, do fun things and enjoy time with her husband and kids.
- Ensuring that she eats well, moves her body and gets enough sleep each night.
- Living in alignment with her greater purpose.
- Having joy and laughter be part of her every day.
Her definition of success shifted from what she had to who she wanted to be.
If you are interested in aligning your days with your priorities, considering joining our next cohort for Align Mastermind, a group coaching program designed to help you align your days with your priorities
