Why are we doing this?

I spend a lot of time with organizations of various sizes helping them transition from their current state to their desired future state.

In practice this offers a wide variety of challenges from one organisation to another. Some have great developers but poor processes, others have strong processes, but lack support systems, some are just struggling to understand what their goals are. Inevitably there is some level of confusion, frustration and a sense of someone else ‘just not getting it’.

I’ve increasingly taken on a mission with all of these organisations, a personal mission that I believe goes to the very heart of the malaise that I see in the IT industry over and over again.

That mission is to help everyone remember that once upon a time, not so long ago, this used to be fun.

We all have had the experience of coming into work entirely alive with excitement. A sense of joy was attained by solving problems individually and with teams. Communications were free, open, challenging, robust but always entertaining and filled with humour and a singular focus on achieving the shared goal. The outcomes were tangible and brought their own excitement building an excellent foundation for the next phase.

We’ve forgotten that this is why we get paid. We’ve forgotten that this is why we want to get paid for working in this industry.

We are inundated with commentaries, articles and advice on preserving and protecting our mental health. Do the right thing; maintain your work / life balance; pursue happiness; be your best self. It’s exhausting.

We perceive the demands of our working life as being in conflict with these high ideals. How can I have work life balance when work is so, well, busy? How can I pursue happiness when I have to spend so much time in the office?

The answer, in my opinion, is to make sure that you are getting that happiness in work. Don’t settle for Job Satisfaction, demand more of yourself, your colleagues and your employer. We have put so many systems, processes and procedures in place that they serve to bleed every ounce of joy out of the workplace.

Get on board with this mission, make your workplace the place where you find happiness, take back control of your well being – you will benefit hugely, your colleagues will benefit as much and your organisation will gain dramatic leaps in productivity.

Start a revolution today!