Project Characters
Often I find myself flitting between feeling good about working in the project world as a Consultant and yearning to work in one place where I see the same faces every day.
It is always difficult weighing up the benefits of meeting different people in different organisations and feeling sad about having to leave the characters I have worked with for months or even years when a project ends.
It’s hugely conflicting and I think it will always be like that for me.
One element I do love about project work is meeting an array of characters. Every person you meet can teach you something, and I have been very fortunate to work with some fantastically talented people.
Here are some characters that have stuck with me - for better and for worse!
“Dr No" - hated the concept of change from day 1 and would let us know about it at every opportunity. Ended up being the biggest advocate of the change in the end.
“Pivot tables Paul" - the man who taught me pivot tables, of which I will always be grateful!
“That’s not a requirement” - testing IT character who taught me to really refine my requirements as he would not accept any “dodgy” or half-baked requirements.
“Data Genius" - my first experience working with someone so fluent in understanding and analysing data. Such a natural talent.
“Leader from the back” - Strong & empathetic leader, completely under appreciated in my opinion and capable of so many great things.
“Mr Jolly" - one of the best business SMEs I have had the pleasure of working with. Always laughing and willing to help. Truly a character!
“Lean Trainees” - a group of lovely people in the first Lean training course I led with my colleague. So much enthusiasm & fun in one room. And learning, of course!
“Sharp multitasker” - so many tabs open at once but really productive, organised and efficient. A fantastic addition to any team.
“Dream Team” - the first team I completed an end to end process improvement with & they were so pleased by the results (and still are!)
“Drop you in the deep end" - the best way to learn is by doing. Fortunately this method paid off and my mentor, turned friend, will always hold a special place in my life.
As much as I daydream about working in a single place with the same people and building deep relationships, the draw of meeting different people across different organisations, and the opportunity to learn from the characters I meet far outweighs this for me at the moment.
If I have worked with you before, thank you for what all you taught me and for making my working life so far a positive experience.
If I have not worked with you yet, I look forward to it!
