Making Work Fun!
August 23rd, 2007 by Dave Cheong
Wow! I can’t believe it has been so long since I last posted on this blog. Rest assured, dear readers, I have not abandoned you. I’m as energetic as ever, but unfortunately the commitments of work has again gotten in the way of everything else.
Including this blog, but most notably fun and leisure!
A couple of months ago, I started at a new client side. Because the client is new, environment is different, technology and type of work unfamiliar, I’ve had to work extra hard to get things done with my usual tenacity and productivity. Although the road has been bumpy and steep, I’ve kept my head up and have persevered through the tough times.
That’s all good, but I miss the fun times!
So how do we make work fun? Well, you can do it like my friend, who at this very moment is running rampant about Sydney doing a massive treasure hunt! From what I read on this blog, the folks at Atlassian are having a great time on their ‘Cutlassian Pirate’ day - having dressed up as pirates, kicked out of the Google offices and generally causing mayham! All I have to say to him is go Team Yarrr!
Those guys at Atlassian sure know how to have fun.
Why aren’t other companies like this? In all seriousness, most of us spend at least 40 hours at the “office”. Given that this is a significant portion of our week, why can’t it be more fun? There shouldn’t be any reason whatsoever.
So, what can we do to make work a place in which we look forward to going? For the budding entrepreneurs out there, here are some initial thoughts.
- Employees need to know they are working on worthwhile things
- Employees need to know they are appreciated
- Employees need to receive compliments on their work
- Employees need to know their input and opinion is valued
- Employees need to know their work makes a difference
- Employees need to have work which is interesting and challenging
- Employees need to feel they are learning and growing
- Employees need to feel they are making progress in their career
- Employees need to be fairly remunerated for their work
- Employees need timeout - treasure hunt anyone?
In many ways, our employers dictate how happy we are at work. A fun workplace could instigate treasure hunts, morning teas, dinners to celebrate project milestones etc. While this may be true in some instances, it’s not a very nice way of living and thinking.
I subscribe to the belief that we make our own fun and happiness. Two people working at the same place, doing the same thing could have totally different viewpoints on how much they enjoy their work. In the end, we have the freedom to choose how we perceive things. Instead of looking at the negatives, try to look for the positives. Instead of looking for problems, try to look for opportunities. Instead of feeling sorry for ourselves, try to look for constructive solutions.
Ask yourself, Are you a happy employee? If not, what can you do about it?
I’m interested to hear about what your workplaces are like, especially if you have had problems and have found ways to overcome them. Leave a comment.
Oh, and good luck Team Yarrr.
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Embrace change, your life depends on it
May 25th, 2007 by Dave Cheong
Let me first start by warning you that this is a fairly long post. I suspect most people won’t make it to the end. However, if you are serious about being happy, I hope you can at least spend 5 mins reading what I have written.
It will change your life. I promise.
I have been an independent software contractor for several years, performing all sorts of IT development services for clients about town. The agency whom I have been representing at client sites is currently undergoing a major change - they have just been sold to a big consultancy.
Boom! Scary!
As a result of the merger, lots of change is happening. Some folks are questioning where things are headed, what management have planned, how their lives will change etc. Most certainly, there will be job losses as the two companies consolidate things, in particular administrative positions.
With the chaos that’s been unfolding, I’ve thought a bit about “change” in general. What is it? Why do people resist it? Is it always a good thing? What should I do?
With some reflection, I realised that with all inspiration, creation, thought and progress, some form of change must be a precursor. Things just don’t happen on their own. You know the old scientific principle of “energy cannot be created, only transformed”? Well, I think it applies here with change too. These things need to come from somewhere - they’re not born out of the ether. Synapses fired, decisions made and actions taken before change occurs.
In my case, someone must have decided that selling the company is something worth pursuing and that things shouldn’t keep ticking along they way they have been.
So from this respect, change is a good thing, without which there is no action or result.
In my readings, I came across the Satir Change Process model, named after Virginia Satir, an American author and psychotherapist. Her model is best represented in the diagram below which describe Performance fluctuations as a result of change.
The diagram depicts several stages of accepting change. The first stage is known as Status Quo (Gray Zone), a state where everyone is generally comfortable with the way things are. The second stage is a point in time a Foreign Element, trigger or change agent is introduced. What follows is a period of Resistance and Chaos (Red Zone), personified as a result of people being scared of the uncertainties the change has brought about and how their lives will be impacted.
The level of performance generally drops off and fluctuates more greatly between the Gray and Red Zones. There are various reasons for this - people may reject the change to protect the status quo; are confused with the change and are unsure of what to do; or simply become less competent with the new tools and processes introduced.
This describes why people by nature resist change. They don’t want to become less useful than they already are.
I see this every day. In my line of work as a software engineer, I work with tools and technology which change often. You may start on a project using a best-of-breed library, but by the time the project ends, chances are there’s a new version out or even a completely alternate way of doing things. Unless you keep abreast with changes, your skills can lose their edge, even become obsolete.
As a would-be entrepreneur, I too see this everywhere. Many new startups are created each day, but few survive. In order to survive, the entrepreneurs have to develop a business model that meets the market demands and deliver an economic return. To do so, they have to change and adapt as they learn and as opportunities arise.
Most people know this, yet change is often resisted. Why? The reason is simple really. Once someone has become comfortable with the way things work (Status Quo), they naturally find it hard to embrace something different (Foreign Element). Doing so, would mean they instantly become less competent, effective and efficient.
In today’s world and globalised marketplace, being less is scary. It’s drilled into us as children. We must be better than our peers. Faster. Higher. Stronger. Only by being more than the guy in the next cubicle can we get ahead in life.
This is why change is always scary. Yet, it is the Secret to Success.
Embrace change. Override your first instinctive reaction to run the other way. Adopt an open mind. Look at the change not as a threat to your current situation, but as an opportunity to learn and grow.
If the change is justified, well thought out and has the best of intentions, eventually your performance will improve. In the Satir Change Process model, this is classfied in two subsequent stages. The first being Integration and Practice (Yellow Zone), which occur once the chaos subsides. The second being the New Status Quo (Green Zone) in which the change is fully embraced, new processes become second nature and the benefits realised.
Writing a personal development blog has put me in touch with a lot of folks who ask for help in the form of emails and comments. I also strike up more interesting conversations with people I meet, either raised as a result of someone reading my articles or simply because I have this frame of mind.
Regardless, whenever someone asks me for advice on how to improve their present situation, invariably I always say to them the following:
If you want to be happy or your life to improve in one way or another, don’t expect things to radically change, unless you do something about it. If you keep doing things in the same way you have been doing, expect the same result. If you continue to cruise along the same highway, expect it to lead you exactly where it has always done.
To change your life for the better, you have to introduce a Foreign Element, trigger or change agent. Shake things up. Do things differently. Adopt an improved mindset. Be a different person.
Your life depends on it.
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13 Problem Solving Nuggets Everyone Should Know
September 1st, 2006 by Dave Cheong
I have been a software engineer for about 10 years now. Even after all these years, I still feel somewhat apprehensive whenever I start on a new project. I can’t exactly put my finger on it, and it doesn’t matter how many times I’ve done it before, there’s always some unknown element associated with every project.
Whenever I’m in a situation that seem daunting like starting a new project, I always apply a set of problem solving techniques. Some of you may think these are obvious, but personally, I’ve found them immensely useful especially when faced with complex problems and I’m stressed out.
I hope you can benefit from my listing them here. If nothing else, bookmark this article for future reference. Here are 13 problem solving nuggets I apply constantly:
1. Start with a positive outlook. The first thing you should do when faced with a difficult problem is to start with a positive outlook. Sometimes our first reaction is to fear the unknown. That’s pretty natural. However, I’ve realised over the years that it is the unknown that has given us, as individuals and as the human race, the curiosity to try new things and aim for the stars. Don’t fear the problem itself. Look at it as an opportunity.
2. Understand the problem well by asking questions. I distinctly remember my days in University where an entire classroom of would-be engineers have sat there having not understood an important point the lecturer had made two months ago. Yet nobody had asked a single question. Why is that? A lot of it has to do with the fear of looking stupid. Most of the time, I find people do have the same questions as I do, but for some reason are too afraid to ask them. Regardless, before you can solve a problem, you must first understand it. If there’s something you don’t understand, ask as many questions as you need to. There are no stupid questions, only those you do not yet have an answer for.
3. Approach the problem with an open mind. An old saying goes, “If the only tool you have is a hammer, everything becomes a nail”. What this means: The way you have done things in the past may not always work for all situations. In life, I find there are often many solutions to a given problem. Some are more effective than others. Some are more appropriate than others. When faced with a difficult problem, do not assume you know the answer at the start. Stop for a second and take the time to understand what the problem is truly about before applying a solution. Be open to all possibilities. Do not presume everything is a nail.
4. Look at the problem from the helicopter view. Sometimes the problem we are trying to solve isn’t the real problem at all. In order to solve a problem, we may need to take a helicopter view of the situation. From a different vantage point, we may discover that the problem we have focused on is in fact part of a bigger problem - one which would require a completely different solution. So, before attempting to put a solution in place, first seek out the “real” problem. Once you have understood the problem in its entirety and context, only then can you determine the best course of action.
5. Define the problem thoroughly. Take a minute or two to actually define the problem. In doing so, identify what the problem is about and what it isn’t about. When you understand the problem thoroughly, you may already know what tools you need to apply or what solutions to avoid because they are not appropriate. Sometimes, when given a problem, we can naturally assume it is something it is not and so can implement the wrong solution. It is often more effective to ensure you understand the problem, its symptoms and causes before proceeding. Ask what, where, why, how and whom. Write the problem down, draw diagrams, create plans etc.
6. Dissect the problem into bite sized chunks. Would you eat a whole apple in one mouthful? Probably not. In a similar fashion, some problems are simply too big to chew all at once. A useful technique for solving complex problems is drilling-down into the detail and continuing until each puzzle piece becomes manageable. Once you have a set of manageable pieces, solve each individually. When a given problem is broken into bite sized chunks, sometimes it is easier to see the patterns, tools to apply and the actions that need to take place.
7. Think through the issues logically. Simple problems don’t often require a plan of attack. However, given a complex problem or one which involves an extended time frame, having an actionable plan identifying what needs to be done is crucial. The plan is a good reminder for yourself of what and when things need happen as well as a communication tool for all the people involved. Creating a plan requires that you think through all the issues logically and identify all the relevant issues and constrains.
8. Look for similarities with other problems. Whenever you are faced with a problem, ask yourself whether this problem shares the same characteristics as something else you may have solved. Often, problems mask themselves within their context but the root issue is the same. If you find you have a problem which shares the same characteristics as something else, you may be able to leverage the solution you have applied to that other problem. I find this is most useful in conjunction with the previous tip. When a problem is broken down into its constituent parts, you’ll find some of these parts occur frequently in other places.
9. Don’t be discouraged by mistakes. Problem solving and making mistakes often go hand-in-hand. Sometimes in order to find the best solution to a given problem, we have to go through a hundred bad solutions first. The most important thing here is to remember that mistakes are ok. Don’t get discouraged. Don’t get frustrated. Use the mistakes as stepping stones to get to the desired solution. If you have gone through a hundred options to no avail, you have found a hundred ways not to do something rather than one hundred failures.
10. Don’t let your emotions get in the way. Emotions or stress can sometimes affect our thinking and judgement. Do not let these cloud your mind. In most cases, problems are best dealt with logically. Try adopting a rational mindset and let your mind govern your actions. Go through in your mind what the problem is, then identify the steps which are required to resolve the situation before taking action. If you find you are too emotionally charged, pause for a moment and let yourself calm down first.
11. Focus on the end state. Problem solving is about getting from one state to another state. This is known as traversing the solution path. Sometimes getting from the start state to the end state is not as immediately obvious as seeing how the end state can come from the start state. In many ways, this is like navigating using a map - we can either trace a path from where we are to where we want to go or we can start from the destination and work backwards. In many cases, I find it is useful to focus on the end state and then plan backwards until I get to familiar territory.
12. Take notes and record your progress. When a problem is open ended and you’re working in uncharted space, be vigilant with your note taking and record your progress. You may find months later an off handed note you made can be the breakthrough you are looking for. It may not be immediately obvious at the time, so record your progress and ensure you can trace back to the things you have tried and what the results were.
13. Check your answers and challenge your assumptions. As you progress, be mindful of the answers you have obtained and assumptions you have made. Ensure they are logically consistent and “makes sense”. Mistakes do happen, so check, recheck and then check again. You do not want to build your solution upon incorrect answers and assumptions. When you are satisfied with your solution, don’t forget to test it under various conditions, not just the most likely scenario, but also the edge cases. Only with rigorous testing can you be sure your solution meets the initial requirements.
Good luck! Remember these nuggets and apply any and all to the problems you are struggling with.
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