The "Kobayashi Maru" at Work

Organizational Freelancer Blog #3 

July 21, 2013 

Sometimes a freelance work assignment will lead to new learning opportunities or propel your career to higher levels. Then there are some assignments that seem like the unbeatable test similar to a "Kabayshi Maru" type of moment. Sure these assignments will test you, motivate and even bring you to tears or exhaustion. These are the projects, people and environments that test your professionalism to its very core.

Some days you will walk into to work on the assignment and realize that no matter your level of expertise, you are being tested to ensure the task will not fail. A variety of issues may occur. For example, staff may not show up, stakeholders may not participate in events, software may not work or it is the wrong version or simply a general lack of support from all employee and leadership levels. These limitations will hit you at your very core and question your sanity as you continue to move a project forward. Was the issue identified as a potential risk? Or did it crop up last minute?

What do you do when you find that every tactic you take to move a project forward and troubleshoot, you are blocked from achieving success? There are the usual short-term solutions to tackle problematic tasks:

• Whine
• Stop by the bar after work and take a cab home later
• Complain to others about your plight (they will not be sympathetic because it was your idea to freelance to other departments in the first place)
• Walk away from the project and let it organically unfold to its next step. 
• Tempt fate and stick with it

While most of the suggestions above sound like a great escape route, they may not curb your focus to support a variety of freelance work projects. So what do you do? 

Try a creative approach and consider the last time you had to work on something that was hard to complete because of the number of constraints. Then do the opposite and try harder. There will always be staffing issues, problematic software and strained resources in both good and economic times. However, as an organizational freelancer your role is to look beyond the limitations and find a middle ground to success. 

Trust me; it will be challenging to stay motivated. I once had this situation and took my lunch break to walk around a local museum to brainstorm about the troubles this one public relations project was giving me. The a lack of staff support impacted project deadlines and I ended up doing everything to move the project forward for the entire team. After circling one art exhibit after another I realized something. I need to hang around and ensure the project moves forward no matter how much extra effort I had to tie into it along with my regular responsibilities. Basically, I needed to hang around and hang in there.

After all, an unbeatable test only exists to stop you in your tracks if you let it. Bottom line; leverage your creativity to propel your freelance assignment to its predetermined successful state. 

*The reference to the "Kobayashi Maru is simply a metaphor.* 

*All works are copyright protected, June 7, 2013. 

Play Outside of Your Sandbox, 7/4/13

Play Outside of Your Sandbox

Post#2

July 4, 2013

When was the last time you did something at work that you truly loved? Often we have jobs we enjoy and then the fun ends because of a lack of recognition or advancement.

These are the times to consider moving forward with new plans outside your "formal scope of work." The Organizational Freelancer perceives issues in their field or expertise as well as identifies tangible solutions for their "client." The client maybe some of the people they work with in their larger organization and outside of their immediate work group.

The benefit of implementing changes, solutions and work for the benefit of other groups allows you to focus on meaningful work opposite of your routine daily tasks. They may be challenging, allow you to work with diverse groups and enhance your resume with skills that you want to maintain.

For example, if you are a graphic artist in your main group and know there are others in your company in need of graphic art work, you can readily offer your services to meet their needs. This will allow you to support other organizations goals and indulge in your passion- graphic art projects that inspire you at your job. Also, your portfolio skills will expand because people will spread the word about your amazing talent.

This is referred to as "Motivation to Play Outside of Your Sandbox." Complacency stifles creativity when some people get stuck in a work rut that paralyzes their ability to show initiative. When you play outside your sandbox by sharing your expertise with others in your larger organization you have the ability to help those understaffed, underfunded and still have some fun at work.

Motivation to freelance within your organization also includes managing your time wisely. You may be the most creative person in the room, however if you lack time management skills it will impact your primary role in the organization as well as those you wish to provide your freelance skills on demand.

How can one freelance at work and still meet their primary work goals? Prioritize your work to meet your immediate manager's needs as well as your additional internal clients' timelines. This may create an overwhelming abundance of work for some or a challenge to rise to the occasion about the great opportunities generated based on your talents.

Playing outside your sandbox at work also affords the opportunity to meet and network with new people. Routine work may include routine meetings and working with on the same projects. This can become really dull for those who seek to inject new energy into their work life. It also limits one’s ability to obtain professional development.

An Organizational Freelancer may work among many groups based on her or his talents, communication skills and the ability to manage business relationships. Keeping your "internal clients" informed about their project deadlines is critical to your success. In addition, check in periodically with people you provided freelance work for in the past because it’s good to maintain contact. Also, it may be lead to the next big opportunity in your career. Sometimes internal freelance work may lead to an opportunity to participate in a rotational assignment, new friends, obtain a new mentor or work on something exciting and new.

Lastly, one of the biggest motivators to freelance inside your organization is having fun. When was the last time you had fun at your job? When did you last laugh during a work assignment you knew was going to become a challenge for you, but your "freelance team" was ready to get the job done right? If you can’t remember when you had fun on a work project, it may be time to play outside of your sandbox.