Time Flies Whether You're Having Fun or Not
In December I accepted a consulting project and let me tell you, it wasn't an easy decision to make. After a very productive break (Yes, the last box was finally put away some time in late November. So it took a good 6 months, what's worth doing is worth doing well, right? Well, okay, maybe I just really, really don't like unpacking.) I discovered that I was actually missing consulting. Although things were going well, I couldn't quite figure out what direction I wanted to take my hypnotherapy/break-up coaching/massage related business in. I had a lot of ideas, but nothing was really grabbing me. When I developed my couples massage class I was flying back and forth to Seattle. I remembered how stepping away from something I really want but can't quite figure out helps bring me clarity. It was time to explore getting a new project.
And as opportunity would have it, I received a call. A person from a company I have worked with steadily over the years (although this would be my first assignment with her in particular) let me know that there was a project management job she wanted me for at a local non-profit. The project would be full-time through May, decreasing steadily through to October and finally ending up at about 10 hours a week by next year end. I'd be helping this non-profit get caught up with their close and billings, put best practices in place in their accounting department, assist in the budget process, etc. Right up my alley! I love project managing, felt good about working at a non-profit and knowing it would go part time by the summer was the break I needed without feeling I'd be abandoning my dreams. Win-win, right? Not just yet...
Right before I was supposed to start the project, she called me again. "They have no controller and they need you do be interim controller until we can help them hire a new one." My heart sank. I know I have a CPA and I know I've been in the accounting/strategy/managerial biz for a long time, but throughout my entire career, being a controller was never one of my aspirations. In fact, it was one of my worst nightmares. It's just not for me. I never registered my CPA because I never wanted to go into public accounting. Most of my career I was involved with projects, budgeting, forecasting, analyzing financials. It'd been years since I'd been part of a monthly close process. I was very honest and let her know all of this but they (my client as well as my "boss") were desperate. There was no one else available with my skills, she had faith in my abilities and would I be willing to do it?
Well, realizing I hadn't challenged myself in a long time, I decided to get out of my comfort zone and see what I was made of. I accepted the project and started right after Christmas.
On my first day I found out that not only was the controller position open, but the position had been empty for months. The CFO had been away on sick-leave for over a year and was just now returning part-time and after seeing the problems she was returning to, she was none too happy. My accounting manager and senior accountant were temps with less than a few months experience at the location. A close had not been completed since June or September. Morale was low, direction was lacking, it was, to say the least, a mess.
For the first month, every time I walked in the door I felt like I was a day late and a dollar short. It'd been a long time since I'd felt this incompetent and it was difficult to get motivated. I felt I had made a big mistake. But then I focused on why I took the project in the first place. And I thought of the staff that needed me, of this great place doing such wonderful work for the community that needed me, hell, I needed me. So, I bucked up.
Every day I reminded myself of why I was there. I applied what I believe is a quote from Soren Kierkegaard which goes something like this: "You can either make yourself miserable or you can make yourself happy, the amount of effort is the same." Time was going to go by whether I was having fun or not. As completely corny as it sounds, I decided to try and have fun. And in the process I learned a lot about myself.
I learned that if I ever had doubts about my skills and abilities as a consultant, that I can put those to rest. Not because I'm perfect or know exactly what to do each time, but because I'm willing to put in the effort, to ask questions, to figure out what needs to get done and how to do it. I do what it takes to get the job done. I learned that I'm good at motivating people and at bringing a team together. I learned that the unknown always seems scarier than it is. I learned to be less afraid.
Are there still days where I want to tear my hair out? Sure. Am I always cheerful? No. But I know I can change that when I want to. It's about me. So I take a lot of deep breaths and I try to bring fun as much as I can to the process. And I'm not talking about joking around and playing games. I'm talking about smiling and having a good attitude, at recognizing people's efforts and making a big deal about their and the team's accomplishments. It's about laughing at myself when I make a mistake and showing the team it's okay to not be perfect, as long as we keep learning and improving. It's about bringing in a pizza when we're all too busy to break for lunch. It's about taking a few moments to ask how everyone is doing and listening to the answer. Fun for me is also about doing my best and enjoying the results of those efforts.
The project itself has been progressing steadily forward and after three months, I'm happy to say they finally hired a controller. Over the next few weeks I will slowly be able to transition that part of my job over to him. I'm relieved to be able to devote more time to the projects I was initially hired to do. And being the interim controller provided me with a lot of knowledge - it helped me become a better project manager and it helped me become a better me. And learning that was a lot of fun.
And as opportunity would have it, I received a call. A person from a company I have worked with steadily over the years (although this would be my first assignment with her in particular) let me know that there was a project management job she wanted me for at a local non-profit. The project would be full-time through May, decreasing steadily through to October and finally ending up at about 10 hours a week by next year end. I'd be helping this non-profit get caught up with their close and billings, put best practices in place in their accounting department, assist in the budget process, etc. Right up my alley! I love project managing, felt good about working at a non-profit and knowing it would go part time by the summer was the break I needed without feeling I'd be abandoning my dreams. Win-win, right? Not just yet...
Right before I was supposed to start the project, she called me again. "They have no controller and they need you do be interim controller until we can help them hire a new one." My heart sank. I know I have a CPA and I know I've been in the accounting/strategy/managerial biz for a long time, but throughout my entire career, being a controller was never one of my aspirations. In fact, it was one of my worst nightmares. It's just not for me. I never registered my CPA because I never wanted to go into public accounting. Most of my career I was involved with projects, budgeting, forecasting, analyzing financials. It'd been years since I'd been part of a monthly close process. I was very honest and let her know all of this but they (my client as well as my "boss") were desperate. There was no one else available with my skills, she had faith in my abilities and would I be willing to do it?
Well, realizing I hadn't challenged myself in a long time, I decided to get out of my comfort zone and see what I was made of. I accepted the project and started right after Christmas.
On my first day I found out that not only was the controller position open, but the position had been empty for months. The CFO had been away on sick-leave for over a year and was just now returning part-time and after seeing the problems she was returning to, she was none too happy. My accounting manager and senior accountant were temps with less than a few months experience at the location. A close had not been completed since June or September. Morale was low, direction was lacking, it was, to say the least, a mess.
For the first month, every time I walked in the door I felt like I was a day late and a dollar short. It'd been a long time since I'd felt this incompetent and it was difficult to get motivated. I felt I had made a big mistake. But then I focused on why I took the project in the first place. And I thought of the staff that needed me, of this great place doing such wonderful work for the community that needed me, hell, I needed me. So, I bucked up.
Every day I reminded myself of why I was there. I applied what I believe is a quote from Soren Kierkegaard which goes something like this: "You can either make yourself miserable or you can make yourself happy, the amount of effort is the same." Time was going to go by whether I was having fun or not. As completely corny as it sounds, I decided to try and have fun. And in the process I learned a lot about myself.
I learned that if I ever had doubts about my skills and abilities as a consultant, that I can put those to rest. Not because I'm perfect or know exactly what to do each time, but because I'm willing to put in the effort, to ask questions, to figure out what needs to get done and how to do it. I do what it takes to get the job done. I learned that I'm good at motivating people and at bringing a team together. I learned that the unknown always seems scarier than it is. I learned to be less afraid.
Are there still days where I want to tear my hair out? Sure. Am I always cheerful? No. But I know I can change that when I want to. It's about me. So I take a lot of deep breaths and I try to bring fun as much as I can to the process. And I'm not talking about joking around and playing games. I'm talking about smiling and having a good attitude, at recognizing people's efforts and making a big deal about their and the team's accomplishments. It's about laughing at myself when I make a mistake and showing the team it's okay to not be perfect, as long as we keep learning and improving. It's about bringing in a pizza when we're all too busy to break for lunch. It's about taking a few moments to ask how everyone is doing and listening to the answer. Fun for me is also about doing my best and enjoying the results of those efforts.
The project itself has been progressing steadily forward and after three months, I'm happy to say they finally hired a controller. Over the next few weeks I will slowly be able to transition that part of my job over to him. I'm relieved to be able to devote more time to the projects I was initially hired to do. And being the interim controller provided me with a lot of knowledge - it helped me become a better project manager and it helped me become a better me. And learning that was a lot of fun.
posted by Christa Ojeda @ 9:40 AM
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