Turning Towards Change: 4 Behaviors That Help

I talk about this a lot at work. As a manager of brilliant software engineers, we readily understand that genius is not enough by itself to get work done. Especially if it seems insurmountable or impossible.

For example, you need to change the culture around how software is tested, or you want to pioneer a desperately-needed tool, pattern, process, etc. These are not trivial efforts.

But nothing changes unless you face it. Turn towards it and figure it out. You can definitely do it!

Four Behaviors

I find these are the most helpful:

Courage, commitment, patience, and persistence.

Courage because it takes guts to go after a big one. And you know it might be draining, yet you walk into it anyway. If it makes you nervous, you're probably on the right path.

Commitment because this is what gets you to the end. The discipline and tenacity needed to cross the finish line.

Patience because there will be slow moments. There will be frustrating ones too, maybe difficult people, red tape, getting the run-around… I'm having flashbacks. But because of your guts and commitment, you know you'll still move forward. Patience also requires energy, which comes in part from commitment.

Persistence, or what I call “gentle persistence.” For me, it borders on stubbornness, but I'll be darned if I'm giving up. I pursue what help I need gently from others, but I don't let up. There is actually a number of ways to move forward without nagging someone to death or looking over their shoulder every 5 minutes.

More on this to come, but it has been my recipe that has worked thus far.

I hope you discover ways to stir these things in you to get after those hulking sore spots at work/home/etc.