The power of speaking your mind
Let’s cut to the chase- Let’s Retrospect. And well.
I LOVE RETROS.
And if you’re someone in a work environment that has anything to do with Agile or Scrum, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
For those who are not- here’s what google says-
“looking back on or dealing with past events or situations”.
In short, once a few small or big projects, features, functionalities or even plain day to day work has been achieved over a course of time- its time to hold a meeting and take time to -
reflect and look back
at what went well, what not and what could be done better. This meeting is very aptly called Retrospective.
For obvious reasons, I love retros. Its because I am implicitly a very vocal person and I’d like to take the opportunities this meeting provides and voice my opinions and hear others’.
BUT this time, I write for the ones who are either shy to speak up or just plain indifferent.
1.You get what you ask for-
Procrastination is easy. Improvement takes courage.
We all know our thoughts, words and actions turn into tangible results. But if staying within a comfort zone of silos is what you choose, then let’s just say that’s what you get. Its only upon voicing your thoughts could you even begin to expect change.
And, there are heaps of ways to mould and present opinions and gain confidence at doing so. Discussed further.
2.Power lies within you-
What is power? Power is not being able to control people or situations.
Power means being able to choose the right response when situations are not what going according to your expectations.
So, I believe, in order to exercise that power, one must learn the magic or technique of right timing and right response.
3. Respond vs React-
A retrospective can get hectic and exhausting due to so many mindsets and interests flying across the room. One must not only learn to just react to situations, but respond to them — within and outside the retrospective.
This is key to having a good productive conversation with your peers to be able to put forth your voice as well as hear others’ opinions.
4. Detachment is key-
Have you even taken a step back and realised if you’re being too biased to just think about yourself and not the overall perspective , the bigger picture?
What I feel and observe very commonly is that —
We all have an idealistic theory of how things & people should be, and then a completely different practical response when we are put in the exact same situations.
Are we really doing well in the giving back department?
The key, according to me, is to try to detach yourself from the situation and stop to check what our response must be. Just think — What could be the right thing to do rather than the obvious thing to feel?
Trust me, this has personally and professionally helped me so many times to save myself from the hurt, anxiety, unreal expectations and maintain overall peace- within & outside.
I hope, these few personal learnings & suggestions trigger you to sit back, look back and give back — at the right time, the right way.
I’d love to hear your voice on your take & technique of retrospection!
This year, in a few months, as I tread towards completing a decade in the IT world, I’d love to hold a massive retrospective for myself, within myself as to- what went well, what went wrong and what could have been done better. The most favourite part being- how to improve and action points for future.
We all love moving upwards & onwards, but sometimes it is imperative to listen to the voice & reflect on the past, completely unbiased, to move full speed ahead and with mightier fervour.
Until next month, wishing you the best of past, present & future.
