What gets you up in the morning (other than the kids/dog/alarm clock!!) ?
I have had some jobs where I couldn’t wait to get up and get started with the day, to hit the road and get on site, to get a job done.
Similarly, there have been days when I dreaded what lay ahead. Whether a customer meeting where I had some bad news to share, an unpleasant work situation or manager, or just no longer enjoying the work.
The decision to start up “on my own” was not an easy one. The risks, the uncertainty, the negative what-if’s all added up.
But the positive what if’s – “what if you get some great clients”, “what if you find a company that has been looking for your skills for years”, “what if you get to travel and make a life that you have control over” burned strong and I didn’t want to get to retirement and say “if only”.
Too may times I have been to customers or worked in companies and met people where you could see the passion had gone. Just turn up, do the job and go home. Day in. Day out. The mood and the output reflected this.
I can’t do that any more. Life is too short. Each day the news headlines are a reminder that each day needs to count for something.
No matter the scars of the past, the 3 principles that drive me today and gets me out of bed are:
📢 Passion – The desire to help people and companies solve problems, transform their businesses, create new products. There is so much potential out there to innovate – it just needs to be discovered.
🤝 Personal & Professional – Every client/problem is a unique situation. Experience is used to help solve the problems but forcing a “this is the way we do things” onto every customer may be efficient but in the long run you lose the subtle nuances that makes a proposition unique. Optimise & automate repetitive things, but don’t lose the chance for that innovative touch that gives a competitive edge.
🔎 Inquisitive – The day you are the smartest in a room is the day to find a new room. There is always a new skill, process or methodology to try out and experiment. Never stop learning. The opportunities to share knowledge and experience to others, particularly young people, are gifts. The thought that by sharing your knowledge with them, they may end up being better than you, should be a pleasure – not a threat.
Work with me today and this is what you will get.
