Jumping In With Both Feet

We all have to figure out how to juggle in life!

Being able to be flexible and do different things is an important skill in the world that we live in today. Gone are the days in which people could stand at a factory line and do the same 3 or 4 tasks in a day, all day, for 30 years. That's something that sounds good for some, but for me holy shit does that sound miserable! I don't think I could do something like that, because I am really someone who enjoys variety in a lot of things in life.

With the recent change in companies, one of the things that I figured would happen is that my responsibilities would change. I think this is an important step for me because it helps me get that next step on my career ladder. Every 3 or 4 years, sometimes 5, I've made decent career changes or jumps since I started working years ago. This has been a fun and interesting pattern, because a few months ago I realized that I was getting to that point where it was my normal jump time. Sure enough, with the changing of my company over to a new one, that presented the perfect opportunity!

I have added responsibilities and they are certainly many, but they also work well with my background, skills and interests. I am able to do a lot of things, and do many of them pretty well. Well enough that many of the things I get to do are very successful and there are positive outcomes. I don't want to say everything I've done is perfect, but there are for sure many things that have gone right.

One of the things that I'm a little worried about is being able to juggle all of these things, because a considerable amount of the things I need to do are learning the ropes from the other side. I've gotten the management piece down, now it's getting to the technical nitty gritty and getting my hands dirty instead of working with someone else that is getting their hands dirty, that I've got some growing to do.

One of the important things for me is that I have the mindset and attitude that is a good fit for this type of environment. I'm not saying that I've got all the answers, but one of the things that I have done my whole career is jump in with both feet when presented with a request or situation. I am for sure nervous about what is going on, but I know that I can take a step back and think, bring the analytical skills to the table and have the calm demeanor to get things done.

I don't shy away from issues or problems, and I think that's one of the things that makes this a good combination. I've had to help do things that are not at all in my scope of duties, but I had experience in similar situations from jumping in to help, and things worked out for the better when everything got cleaned up and fixed in the end. Things like that have helped me develop the skills and mindset for this current role adventure, so I am for sure looking forward to that.

I think one of the biggest things for me is trying to just balance it all but I know it's best to take a breath, roll up our sleeves and just get to work. That's the best thing we can do!

What about you, have you had situations where you were requested to do things that you think you can do, but are technically outside of your formal skills? Let me know in the comments!