it's the end of week two on the new job. i'm closing down the day and getting ready to head first to see a potential new domicile for me. after that, my boss has invited me over to visit with her and some of her family and friends, which will be a nice social activity. i'm also reflecting on the events of the past week, and while i am still over the moon to be here, it does seem like i'm trodding on some familiar territory. in this instance, i'm referring to some elements of the work environment. i'm not sure if it's the profession or the industry or a combination of the two, but everywhere i've worked, there seems to be some struggle with providing good service in an effective and efficient manner.
over the past weeks, i've encountered various glitches and out and out problems with the quality of service rendered by our area to the organization. now, part of my role will be to assist my boss with figuring out how we can improve in how we function (and as i've stated in a previous entry, it just demonstrates the need for my role that such issues exist). the issues actually are occurring in an area that does not report directly to me, but certainly, by virtue of my role, i will have some degree of influence on how that area operates.
the biggest challenge for me is being patient with people. i seem to quickly go to, "if the people were able to perform at the level they need to be then these problems wouldn't be happening." now, i realize that many things can impact performance, and the competency level of the individuals involved is only one of those factors. that fact still doesn't prevent me from going pretty quickly to questioning if changes in personnel might be in order if the situation is going to get better.
i'm reading this great book titled, "change your questions, change your life" by marilee adams, phd, that stresses the importance of moving from "judger" mode to "learner" mode. the key to doing this is to change the questions we ask. the goal is to move to the perspective of inquiry rather than judgement. by doing so, we are more like to come up with the right solutions that will have a positive impact on the situation in question. we all experience judger, but we don't have to stay there. i've a feeling that i'm going to get plenty of opportunities to practice how to make that transition from one mode to the other in the weeks and months ahead.
well, as the saying goes, "if we don't grow, we die," and i have a whole lot more living i want to do. let's hope i do it in the right frame of mind.
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