Edition # 4: It’s on the way. I just thought I would say “hi” anyway.

I thought I’d reach out and say hello — it has been a little while. I am in between contracts and have enjoyed the space to sit and do very little in the last few weeks.

Yes, there is the odd feeling of nervousness about not landing a job shortly. But these weird and misplaced feelings of anxiety soon go away. Having just finished a one-year contract with a great organisation, I know that landing another contract is only a matter of time.

So I am enjoying the space to chill and relax. The weather is warming up and is a stark contrast to the last couple of months. For me, the last couple of months have been spent on lockdown (as has been the case with many of you). What a “far from fun” experience! In my case, I used my lack of social life to focus on finalising my fifth year of a six-year psychology sequence. The final unit was an online clinical placement and was quite a doozy in workload and intensity. During this time, I was grateful also to publish my book and online course. My fitness went entirely out the window, and it is only in the last couple of weeks that I’ve started exercising again. While I did walk with my son outside for about an hour most days, we didn’t exactly work up a sweat.

Our next edition of Human Factors and Change is on the way. I had the pleasure of catching up with a leader in the Business Analysis space. His name is Igor Arkhipov. He is the editor of an excellent Medium.com publication: Analyst’s corner. Igor published my first few articles when I started writing on Medium.com. Any of you who know about impostor syndrome could attest to feeling out of your comfort zone when writing articles. I felt this way, yet Igor approached me and encouraged me to continue writing. It is calm and encouraging leaders like Igor, which makes working on projects rewarding and worthwhile.

We find out more about Igor’s career and take on the future of projects and organisations. I will edit several videos and post them as part of this publication.

Our impending edition of Human Factors and Change has a “systems” flavour. Why systems? A great system gives you incredible power. For instance, a weak and infirm person cannot compete against others in a foot race. Yet provide them with a car, and they easily trump the competition. The vehicle operates as a system, and this system gives incredible power. So what systems can project professionals exploit to gain greater productivity and prowess?