Prior to attending SIPA, I worked for almost six years, most of which was in unstructured environments. One pattern that existed, which I am noticing now, is that the quality of tasks at hand often declined. While writing this blog, I attempted to identify possible explanations for this pattern. One possible explanation is that managers, clients, and recruiters often need to “sell” tasks or projects, and thus they package them as something appealing. This is needed to enhance motivation as accountability is usually low. Another possible explanation is that in unstructured environments, adherence to timelines is less likely, which results in the quality of work deteriorate over time.
In our consulting assignment, I started to expect a similar decline in the work. I realized that I had been looking forward to the later stages of the project and as we fell behind the timeline the quality of work later could deteriorate. Therefore, I decided to raise my concerns with my team and the client, and we all found common ground. I learned that I could not expect everyone to jump ahead just because I am looking forward to the next step. I also gained more clarity on the objective of the first task. Additionally, we also discussed the next stage of the project in a timely manner that otherwise would have happened later.
This experience reinforced my belief that although it is important to satisfy our clients, we also need to prioritize our own goals. And this can be achieved by taking ownership and communicating effectively.