Focusing Intentionally on Making the Most Impact
For many of us, COVID-19 and everything surrounding it has significantly impacted our motivations, work patterns, and how we communicate with each other. Essentially, the Coronavirus has dramatically changed how we do things.
Candoris was already set up to enable staff working from home when the pandemic hit. Yet no one expected an overnight shift to an entirely remote workforce! Houses unexpectedly became filled with family members of all ages from all over the globe, and various levels of controlled chaos ensued.
These current circumstances transcend normal workplace logistical issues of team member locations and technology. We are also dealing with tremendous uncertainty. What will the economy do? How will our business pivot? How should we react? We are in a special time in our history, and much has been said about the extent of the impact so far. I would suggest that for most of us, this may be the biggest event that we experience in our lifetime. It’s laced with the opportunity for doubt, frustration, impatience, and a ton of other reactions. All of it will end, at least in some fashion. Our lives will go to normal – whether it’s back to our old normal or on to a new normal, no one knows– and we will figure it out.
Seeking Clarity in the Midst of Disruption
For me, this questioning resulted in a search for clarity, for something I could home in on. I’ve been thinking a lot about how I work, how I use my time, how I think about my role, and how I lead. What came to light was a reminder to focus intentionally on the things that make the most impact.That’s a high calling and requires a lot of upfront thinking.
Our response and reaction to our circumstances are our responsibility. We typically can have one of four viewpoints:
- We can look back to our pasts to relish the way we use to do it. We can long for our old norms. We can seek a sense of return. While not an unhealthy reaction, the best you can ever do is achieve the same gains you once experienced. Little growth is possible.
- We can look down at our feet. This is helpful. We probably won’t step into a groundhog hole and twist our ankle. But when it comes to knowing where we are headed, it’s almost impossible to get to a meaningful destination. Looking down is representative of being knee-deep in our circumstances. Sometimes it would be better to be walking three feet to the left instead of where we are. But to know that, we can’t be staring down.
- We can look off to the left or the right. Distraction and loss of focus is the biggest culprit in moving off-line. Consider the farmer plowing the field. If a straight line is required, he can’t look off to the side – to get distracted by what someone else is doing – because he will lose his focal point.
- We can look to the horizon. When we focus on what is in front of us we have the best chance to get there, in the best shape, in the shortest time and distance traveled. The horizon represents hope and is played out in our goal setting.
Focusing on Our Horizon
How can we make this disruptive time a practical one? In my role as Business Analyst Team Lead at Candoris, I provide support to our sales team as they engage with potential customers. I facilitate business process, requirement, and planning conversations with customers as part of our Discovery process. I help manage how we implement projects with customers, ensuring we are true to customer goals, and I also lead a team of Business Analysts.
As for my team and I, we have set out to capitalize on the time we have to do some house cleaning and get ready for the inevitable waves that will come. We are focused on our processes, our knowledge, and our credibility. We have made significant progress on our continually maturing business processes, on our knowledge base, and on documenting the reasons that customers place trust in our team.
We’re focused on making the most out of every situation and helping customers see the hope that lies in the horizon, even through today’s fog. Because even a small shift in focus offers 20/20 vision.