Podcast Transcript
I love my company because we’re not like some other companies (or some that I’ve been part of) that will just lay you off. We really tried to find other projects that could take people. So we don’t have to do any layoffs. And I am glad to report that we haven’t had to lay anyone off. And I’m so happy about that. But we did have to reduce the staff from I believe it was probably over 50 plus people down to about 25. So half and try to shift them into six teams into three. So due to that, one thing that happened was that the project managers that I had working on three of the projects we made had to, unfortunately, let go. So
To ensure that things keep running, I’m managing two of those teams. So just trying to know what’s going on. That has definitely been a shift. And so it’s been a crazy month. And one thing that has really helped, and you hear this a lot, is just taking a step back, writing down everything you need to get done, and breaking it down into smaller chunks. That really helps. So even though the house has been prepped for the pictures, and things are pretty okay, we still live here. I have a toddler. So I am going every day and making sure that a room in the house is ready. So when we leave on Monday and Wednesday for the cleaners, the house will be prepared for people to come in and hopefully have some buyers who love the home and will buy it. And that’s the same thing I did at work because you’re not really into the nitty-gritty of things as a program manager. So when I went, and I’m now actually like directly managing these teams, I did see that there were some gaps. And so, instead of feeling overwhelmed, I busted out my sticky notes. I’ve told you before, I’m obsessed with stationery and pens. Why? But I busted out with those. And I just broke down one big task and have broken them into smaller tasks, which has been really helpful.
So then I don’t feel like I have all this stuff to do, and my head is about to explode. I’ve also done the other thing to make sure that the people around me are okay. Especially in my team, there was a lot of uncertainty. I know people were stressed, they were frustrated, and they were nervous. So I made sure that my team was okay, the same thing at home more for the baby and the dog. So I know that they can see that things are different. And I know that next week will be a little tough because I think he’s going through a sleep progression.
On top of that, we will be in a new environment sleeping there. So it’s going to be a pretty crazy week, next week when we go stay at my parents, because he’s never actually like, stay there. So I’ve been trying to make sure that he’s ready for that tomorrow. We’re actually going down to spend the day there. And so he can get more aware of the surroundings and feel a little bit more comfortable as well. I mean, the, my dog has been there, like, a lot of times, so he’s fine. I’m not worried about him as much. But it’s still going to be a shift to what they’re used to. And so that is one thing is, after you take care of yourself, and you’re okay, make sure you’re taking care of the people around you.
The other thing, too, is there will be hiccups. Just be kind to yourself, and don’t feel like a failure if things don’t go according to plan because they won’t. I mean, usually, they won’t. If they do, then congratulations on that. But usually, they won’t. I know that we’ve gone in and done some patchwork that I noticed needs to get done. So I did that. And so you just have to make sure that even though you’re doing all this stuff, you are being kind to yourself and not beating yourself up if it doesn’t go according to plan. Because one thing, and this is probably like the project management side. But one thing is that you can plan, plan, and plan, but there will always be obstacles, there will always be shifts, and there will always be something that changes your plan.
An example is we had all these plans for this year, we had the six teams, we were going to do all this stuff. And then we heard that, unfortunately, some of the funding was delayed. And so we had to just make sure that we were able to make that shift and make sure that we took care of our team and ourselves along the way.
Please be kind to yourself. Take care of yourself and the people around you.
