I am just back from 3 weeks vacation and had time to reflect on many things.  Some of them productivity...

 

 

My son and I went fishing during our holiday.  I was tickled by how he fished.  He changed lures frequently, threw his hooks far - sometimes onto land, and then changed to dangle them over the side of the boat 3 feet down so he could see them.  In my opinion, his hook spent more time out of the water than in prime fish locations.  I caught more fish than he did and talked to him once or twice about how I thought he should change his approach to get more and bigger fish.  He didn't listen...

 

On later reflection, I think I may have done him a disservice.  He was experimenting, trying new things and enjoying different aspects of the experience.  While he may not have caught as many quality fish as I did, he tried new things while learning something in the process.

 

 

It is like this in our day-to-day worklife.  We learn over time how to "fish" - whether that fishing is for new clients or finding a bug in an application.  The key thing you have to know though, is how your approach aligns with market realities and your organization's focus.  It may be OK to explore, experiment or seed, but when deadlines have to be met or quotas have to be filled you will not receive great appreciation or support for your efforts.  You have to learn what types of fish you are looking for and when the best time to fish for them is.  Similarly, if you have been "fishing" for a while in your organization you may think you know the best fishing holes - but times, industries, technologies and customers will continue to change.

 

 

So, to those of you just starting out - be experimental.  Try out new approaches - but when things are important, make sure you understand your environment and, if you have questions, seek counsel from those who have done it before.  For those of you at the other end of the spectrum - see what you can learn.  Watch the new guys, offer them counsel but don't get preachy and don't forget that you can even learn from the new guy. 

 

And as a first getting started step - think about your organization's approach and the fish they are looking for.  Are you trying to land those types of fish? 

 

 

Happy fishing.