Communicating My Journey is a Challenge

 

I wrote about getting started on a new journey… I was going to document my challenges and successes along the way, reach out for advice, and bring all of you along for the ride.

I failed.

That failure gave me a practical look into what I’ve been doing.

First things first, thank you to everyone who commented and supported me on my first post. The advice was great, I took it (sometimes with modifications, and always with gratitude), and it worked. From that moment on, the pace of my change went into hyperdrive.

It was a great feeling and a LOT of work. I created service models and resource plans, job descriptions and expansion timelines. I created and socialized templates and processes. I spoke with my leadership, HR, and my network of friends and colleagues.

As is often the case, I started doing the new job… while doing my old job. I’m still doing both jobs because the transition is still in progress.

Through this experience, the first thing to fall off of my plate was communication. I am literally creating a team to help others communicate, and I forgot to do it myself.

In the words of Alice on her adventures in Wonderland, “'I give myself very good advice, but I very seldom follow it.”  

As I came to my realization, I’ve planned two follow up actions.

1. Write this update.
2. Create my own experience as a use case for encouraging others to get communication and change management support, so they can focus on the core project.

Clearly the update is getting written (as I write!), and the use case is underway (just a heap of notes and lessons learned for now).

I hope to be more effective with my own communication in the future. Part of my use case is that I’m trying out the templates and processes I’ve been developing – I won’t ask or expect anyone to trust me until I’ve validated my own work!

Thank you all – additional feedback is always welcome, and will always be accepted with gratitude.