Stepping out of phase

This week has been a really odd mix, finishing some things off, planning for a few new things in January, reflecting on some experiences from the summer and prioritising family.

After watching one of my favourite seasonal movies last weekend I have had one foot into the midwinter holidays and a head full of tinsel. Far from being grumpy this has enabled me to drag myself out of wallowing and arrange some catch ups with friends and family before the end of the year. Bonus warm and fuzzy feelings for buying extra goodies at the supermarket to donate to the food bank stall outside. I can’t solve all the underlying problems but the least I can do is share what we have.

It was also a real contrast this week to share a cautionary tale with less experienced workmates, talking about a long running upgrade project that was impacted by dysfunctional team culture. Very much a presentation on what not to do, or put up with and when to start asking all the good questions: why am I doing this alone? why did this get left so long? and surely someone in the organisation also knows about this? Two days later I found myself doing another upgrade of a very different kind and having a much better experience: just one version jump, a well known and documented system and very clear requirements. Apparently things can indeed get better!

With so many heading off for a festive break in my team and the wider organisations I deal with, much more is happening asynchronously. This is great for flexibility but has left me feeling out of phase, not sure who I have a last meeting with before 2023 and who else I have missed wishing a Merry Midwinter. A couple of things I thought I would hear about might not be finalised until the new year, so changes are afoot but a little in limbo: not yet wrapped up with a neat little bow.

Very much on the plus side: in the last few days, I have had the chance to catch up with all my reports and celebrated some of their proud moments from 2022. I am privileged to be there to support them and look forward to seeing them grow (and growing beside them) next year.

How ever we spend this time of year, may it be a kind and peaceful end to 2022.