What a day. It was exhausting and long, but I'm still kind of jazzed. There have been a number of stressful things going on at work that have been taking their toll on everyone. I've noticed that often there are a number of people at work who tend to go into panic rather than try to simply tackle a situation. They try to, but they often choose to resolve stress by passing it on to as many other people as possible.
The end result has been that not a lot of practical work gets done, and more mistakes pile up as stressed out staff members try to rush through it to get the problem out of the way.
The upshot of all this is that today I ended up being put in a position where I was meant to initially train one of the staff members in an area that was the source of a lot of stress over the last week. Then there was a quick change of plans and I was lumped with all the work - which I didn't mind one bit as I was having a bit of a hard time trying to explain to Sam what needed to be done. :)
I decided then and there to make it my goal for the day to unravel as much of the mess as possible and get things back on track. And I was going to do it without screaming or yelling at anyone.
Interestingly enough this ended up utilising that big picture thinking I was talking about the other day. I was ordered to do one job as top priority, and I sat back for a moment and looked at how all the trouble areas were currently being dealt with.
After identifying what points they were at and where the hold ups were in the overall operation of the business, I went and starting moving all the distracting items that were simply making the situation look worse than it was. Then I made certain to communicate to the right people what I needed done to proceed without seeming to order anyone around. (After all, the key thing here was that for me to succeed in my goal I would need the help of the right people.) So I then pretty much disappeared into the storeroom for the day, having set in motion the necessary events that I needed and was able to focus on the jobs that I could finish on my own.
Once all that was done, I went back to each other person and got the bits I needed from them to finish off the problem jobs, and in the process of this a number of new problems were revealed - which I was then (due to having my big picture image of things) able to pass on to the appropriate people without undue hassle or concern.
Now it sounds like I was the centre of everything, but this wasn't the case. Basically, without the unnecessary hassle and concern everyone else was able to do what they needed to do. And, wow. We had a relatively green staff (including myself) today and together as an entire group so much got done. The shop was looking FANTASTIC by the end of the day, customers were dealt with effectively and it was a very good feeling to leave feeling that we had all worked hard.
All of the shop brilliance was not due to me. Just to put things in perspective.
Back to my personal mission, by the end of the day I had managed to resolve all the big issues that had been in front of me that morning. I was able to help out the office staff sort out the new problems that arose and a couple of old problems that had been overlooked (one that I had unintentionally been the cause of...) and managed to achieve all my goals for the day and more.
The point of it all was that I chose not to just be at work. I chose to own my job as it it was mine to do. Which is an odd way of saying it, but it kind of means that I took on a responsibility and refused to be depressed or down about it. I was stressed, especially when more problems showed up. At a couple of points I got discouraged. But then I'd think of the big picture and dealt with the issue.
Oddly enough, by the end of the day I realised... it had been fun.
I was smiling and joking all day long. I did complain briefly to Joe, but in a relaxed "I'm frustrated, but it's okay - I'm working it out now" kind of way. (Which I didn't even think was possible!) :)
So yeah. Life can be fun. You just need to take ownership of it and say "it's fun because I can meet my goals. I can do what I set out to do, all I need is to be willing to ask for help and have the humility to know that it isn't all me."
Because it wasn't. If nobody else had been doing their part, I would never have been able to complete all my goals today. What helped me personally to deal with the pressure was the knowledge that as long as I was communicating to other people and keeping aware of what they were doing, then everything would work out. It was about being able to step up and help when I was needed to get them to their goals, and to know when to ask for help when I needed help in response.
Wow - I'm so mister obvious today. :D
Anyway - it's all about keeping the big picture in mind. Because in the big picture... there's room for everybody.
Love and Huggles
Conan
Currently Reading: Nothing
Currently Playing: Unknown Armies - To Go; Mage: The Awakening - Threshold
Mood: Taking on the stress with a smile on my face and determination in my heart.
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