Doing More of What You Love
I wrote recently about the journey I took to secure my new role. For the outside observer, it may not have seemed like a transformation, because they weren’t aware of the work that went in behind the scenes to make it happen. There’s a great quote from Lionel Messi, a famous footballer, about how he worked for 17 years to get where he was—only to be called an overnight success. I like to consider that quote on those days when I feel like giving up on my personal OKRs. “Those days” can sometimes translate into most days, especially in an environment where it might seem like we have fewer distractions—and therefore fewer excuses—for failing to meet our goals.
But, that’s not what I want to write about in this post. What I want to write about instead is what happens after you complete the training, pass the test, and ace the interview. What happens when you land the role? The answer is that now you have to perform the role that you worked so hard to attain. This can be easier said than done.
Even if it’s your dream, no job is perfect. You’ll discover that you love some aspects of your role. You know you love it because you think about it when you’re not doing it—in a good way. You know you love it because you reach a flow state—i.e., the work is challenging, but not too challenging that it becomes an exercise in frustration.
While some aspects of your role may be pleasant, there will be other aspects that are just OK, and some that you actively dislike. As long as most of your job description falls into the “love” or “like” category, then you’ve got it pretty good in my book. For those parts that you dislike, there may be ways to minimize those activities and reshape your role to cater more to your strengths and interests.
When I started my new product operations role, I asked each leader that I met with about their vision for the top 2-3 things that I should accomplish within my first six months on the job. I got a variety of different answers. I recorded each of them and hung them up beside my desk so I could keep an eye on my progress. Then, I listened. A lot. I went to a ton of meetings, I asked a lot of questions, and I interviewed a lot of people to understand their perspectives.
I distilled the information I collected into a set of activities that the product operations lead should perform. I categorized that list based on their alignment with my career aspirations. Which ones were most important for me—a mid-career professional—to perform? Which would represent areas of growth for me? Similarly, which activities could be delegated to someone with less experience? I drew up a quick cost-benefit analysis and presented my proposal to leadership. I explained that I could perform the junior level set of activities with relative ease, but this meant that the more strategic activities (those things that I had personally deemed more interesting) would not get done. Alternatively, we could hire someone to perform those activities that I had already mastered—generating greater cost savings and efficiency and maximizing professional opportunities for both employees involved. My request was granted, and my team doubled within 90 days. Less than six months after I started, we’re getting ready to triple—thanks to meticulous tracking of activities and metrics and an appreciation for how to hire quality talent (a skill I prioritized learning earlier in my career using a similar method of optimization.)
On the good days, my work is easy, but everyone else thinks it’s hard. On the bad days, it can feel like banging your head against a wall—no one sees the beauty of what you’ve done, and your team is getting just a little tired of your obsession with OKRs. You wonder if you’ll ever be recognized for your efforts. But, you know that’s the downside of working in an operations role. You’re quietly shoring up the walls in preparation for a flood. When you’re doing it well, no news is good news.
Here’s to a quiet month ahead.
