Hello, this is Katie.
I work as a Project Manager in Kansas City.
Today, I tried to manage my colleagues, my boss, and all my tasks while still remaining myself.
Meet new Ms. Manager!
My best friend Janice is doing great! I can’t believe I was worried about her well-being a few weeks ago when she was struggling to find a job. She decided to make a major change and applied for a job as a manager of a big catering business. A completely different kind of business than what she was working in.
Before the interview, she told me, “I tried impressing people and it never worked. So I told myself, I am just going to be me!” If you knew Janice, you’d be a little worried about this, but you know what? She got the job! “There is no point in wearing a disguise for an interview. I would have to wear it at work every day as well!” she said happily.
So, the message is – always be yourself! And if it doesn’t work out, the job is not for you.
Tasks for me and my colleagues
Being the manager of a team is more demanding than I thought! I am kind of enjoying all the responsibility, but it feels like I’m thinking for five more people and constantly reminding them to do something. We are the eWay-CRM “guinea pigs” and after the testers check a new update, we will also be the first to use it. I thought that since we all have Tasks in our mobile phones I could drop it because people will be able to check their progress all the time and remind themselves. And the new version of eWay-CRM is pretty flawless!
Well, I think four out of five members of my team are actually performing very well and using mobile Tasks properly. The fifth person is Bea. “I thought I had already done this!” she said at a morning assembly when I pointed out another Task she hadn’t completed.
Bea is working, but she gets very frazzled a times and as a result, she always feels overwhelmed. I am not a fan of shaming people in front of others. After the meeting was over, I asked her to stay a few more minutes.
“Bea, I’m sorry but I am not happy with your performance at the moment,” I said carefully. “You need to work on your time management and planning.”
“Come on,” she tried to shrug it off. At least she wasn’t angry!
“No, seriously. You are very competent, but I want you to start using Tasks properly. It’s such a big help to have them on your phone.”
She mumbled something, but she took the GTD book I handed to her. I hope I can persuade her that GTD and Tasks make your work easier, not harder!
Another Task for me
I thought about the conversation with Bea and came to a conclusion that maybe a staff meeting should be held. Everyone could raise their questions on GTD or Tasks in eWay-CRM and we could all share the best practices with getting our work done effectively. So I talked to the boss.
“Now that is an amazing idea!” she lightened up. “Let’s do that. I want you to think about it as a training combining the GTD technique and how eWay-CRM can help your performance. Have it ready for me on Wednesday and next Friday...”
“What do you mean?” I gasped.
“Well, you will be the presenter Katie!”
Tasks everywhere
Oh wow, as if I wasn’t busy enough! Can I really prepare a training like that for all my colleagues? What if I mess it up? I was full of doubt. Then I remembered what Janice had said and I knew what to do. I will just be myself.
I’m sure I’ll manage Bea, too!
Yours,
Katie
