Work, in Plain English

There is a monster we face at key points in our lives. Sometimes it wears a set of dripping fangs, sometimes it wears a suit, sometimes it’s invisible (but you can feel it breathing down your neck—or your eyeballs).

The more projects you complete, the better you know this monster. Having completed a project, you’ve faced it down and prevailed.

In my experience, it is not exactly Joseph Cambell’s archetypal Threshold Guardian, but I have been calling it that, or the Guardian at the Gate, almost as long as I’ve known it.

I first became aware of it when I was working on an art performance piece with a group of artists and poets many years ago. At one point, the whole thing just crumbled. People were angry, disheartened, or otherwise disenchanted, and it seemed the project was doomed. Fortunately, one of our wiser players managed to amuse and annoy us enough to bring our mountainous issues back down to molehill size. To our amazement, the show went on.

Shortly after that, I noticed the same “bump” in a personal project. Suddenly, seemingly-brilliant ideas went dim, my abilities were questionable, and I was tempted to throw in the towel. But it had the familiar aroma of that nearly-doomed art performance, so I dug in my heels and pushed on. At some point, the project revived itself, and I was able to complete it.

Since then, I’ve noticed the pattern repeating itself in both large and small endeavors; I’ve begun to look upon it as a Good Sign, and an opportunity.

Frankly, I’m not always sure what it’s a sign of, but it’s always an opportunity.

This Pressing Through time is often when we discover new tools for productivity, or new strengths in ourselves and our teammates. Any lurking doubts have risen to the surface, demanding to be addressed, now.

The key, however, is to recognize it for what it is—not an impassable barrier, but a bump in the road, a patch of fog, a Guardian at the Gate… and maybe even a Good Sign.

Part of the value of teams is that everyone thinks differently.

That may not seem like a good thing at times, especially when a large portion of your workday has been spent completely rephrasing a proposal so the designer gets it, and then rephrasing it again so the client gets it.

Another time it’s important to remember this truth is when the fog rolls in.

Remember those times? You may be a little more than halfway through a project, or quite well along, and all that well-edited copy starts to look like wet cement… or that meticulously planned online sign-up process collapses like a tangle of cooked spaghetti.

That’s the point, in the arts, when projects tend to stop dead, and fade, never to be completed. In business, it’s when clients seem most likely to get cold feet, or exhibit other signs of internal (or external) panic.

I have a name for those times, and that’s a good topic for another post. This time, I want to share some thoughts about the power—the calming, recharging power—of listening.

In a project management or liaison role, it’s easy to believe you’re supposed to already know and understand all aspects of a project. Thank goodness that’s not true! The real talent is the openness to understanding, and the willingness to ask questions until you do.

Here’s an example conversation between a [highly right-brained] Graphic Designer and a Project Manager:

GD: I haven’t worked on that layout yet. And speaking of that, it doesn’t really make sense to me to do it that way.

PM: Oh! I thought we had that worked out!

GD: But it’s changed now. It doesn’t make sense.

PM: Which part doesn’t make sense?

GD: The whole thing. It’s all wrong.

[PM's hands go clammy]

PM: It’s all wrong?

GD: Well, yeah. I’m not sure how to explain it.

PM: How about roughing up a quick sketch of how you think it should work?

GD: OK. Check with me in a half hour.

[after half an hour]

PM: So, tell me what this is.

GD: See? When we changed the online purchase process, the old image didn’t fit anymore. This image works better.

See how “It’s all wrong” became changing a single image? The highly talented designer just needed someone to bounce his concerns off of. Clarifying conversations like that can take longer. It’s tempting to succumb to the clock and insist that the designer should just complete the task and quit being a prima donna. But for a truly successful project, the conversation needs to be allowed to go on until both parties understand their part in the project, as well as their next steps.

Little concerns can become huge obstacles if they aren’t clarified. And little concerns can combine with the individual concerns of other team members to create a seemingly-impassable barrier. Little concerns can be task related, socially related, or personally related, but they all have the capacity to interfere with productivity if they aren’t managed.

Incidentally, you’re not off the hook if you are working on your own. Just try to recognize that seemingly-impassable barrier for what it probably is: A bottleneck of unanswered questions… and incidentally, also a sign that you are stretching yourself—becoming a better artist, manager, programmer, parent, whatever.

Ask questions, of yourself and others. And keep asking questions—press through—until the fog lifts, and the way forward is clear.

For all our complaints about wasted government money, I’d rather “waste” it on this:

(Thanks to rinux and flickr for this image, only one of rinux’ many glittering views of the Cheonggyecheon)

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa visited the Cheonggyecheon (pronounced Chong-ee-chon) Stream in Seoul, South Korea this week, as part of a 16-day trade mission through East Asia. If you’ve seen the LA River, and even if you haven’t, please visualize with me! Something like this, with uneven banks that churn and purify the water, with bridges and fords that attract play and reflection. Something that by its very vibrance becomes a source of actual* security.

Here’s the link to the LA Times article about Villaraigosa’s visit.

 
 
 
*… being one of those who thinks we Americans have become overly obsessed with safety.

Um…

They have meetings…

They… um…

manage projects. You know?

Here’s what A Girl’s Guide to Project Management has to say about it.

And she’s included some nice links for further thought (with caveats).

Everything is going to be OK. I haven’t heard back on my latest round of rental applications, but I know where to go for distraction-free work, a good cuppa and even to get some laundry done.

EZ New Web Laundromat & Café
(in Culver City, on Washington and McManus)

I’ve heard complaints about the internet access, but I have had trouble only with instant messaging. Everything else has been solid. Well, I suppose a few more outlets wouldn’t hurt: Whoever gets the one table that is near an outlet tends to commandeer it for the rest of the morning (but two poofy chairs are near wall plugs, too).