Yesterday was a good day.
On June 3rd I was in a meeting at work and I could sense that the folks in the meeting didn't feel that the meeting was being as productive as it could be. This meeting is primarily with my seniors, but I am reasonably well respected amongst my peers as well as my seniors. When we got to the requests for new business I decided to go for it. I stood up (which is very uncommon) and made an appeal for the opportunity to run the meeting for one week using a methodology I had learned long ago at IBM. I was granted the opportunity. In the interim two weeks I was able to get the other PMs together and share my vision. I was supported by two other senior peers and a half dozen PMs. We prototyped, rehearsed, critiqued and then we delivered yesterday June 24th. The PMs nailed it, my colleague who was assigned the whip role did a great job of keeping the meeting focused and on time and, all in all, it was a rousing success. I was congratulated, recognized and elated.
Days like that at work are uncommon. There are other things I'd like to take a shot at, but right now I'll enjoy this success and try and figure out the rate of change the environment can handle, bide my capital of recent success and see if I can make it two for two in the coming months.
I left work literally buzzing and took the long way home. Down 751 to New Hope Church and then over to Yates Store road. Yates Store road actually has a "store" on it. but it's the propriety of a gentleman that sells Husqvarna lawn mowers and firewood by the cord as opposed to a convenience store. For years I've taken this route and on many a day there's been a gentleman in the front lot of the rural property who would, without fail, unabashedly share a kind wave with me as I passed by. As I turned right on Yates Store, there he was. Today an anonymous wave just wasn't going to get it. I pulled into the parking lot and drove over to my friend with no name and said, "Hi. Every day I drive by here and we wave at each other and from now on when I wave I wanna know who I'm waving to. I am Jim Preis." I extended my hand to shake - a tradition that has it's origins in demonstrating that the participants are unarmed - and as he shook my hand he said with a smile, "Well Hi there! I'm Ricky. Glad to meet you." With that I told him that now when I drove by I'd know the name of the friend that I was waving to. He smiled a kind smile as I drove away.
All days should be so good.
