This week is training week.  It’s also work-is-going-crazy week too, since a new cabinet is about to be named and that has a rather significant impact.  I’m not quite sure how I got nominated as the “he can fix it” guy, but I’m certainly the key point on a few of these things.

Ok, I’m lying.  I know exactly how I got here.

The training I’m on is about developing management skills.  One of the first topics is personality profiles, and this course focuses on the DISC model.  There’s a self-assessment as part of the course and it provides 2 results – one for “environment” and the other for “baseline”.  The former is how you are at work, the latter for general cases.

My baseline is an even D/C.  I like to analyse (duh!) and make decisions.  I’m not terribly concerned about what people think of me.

At work though, I am a solid D.  Everything else drops off the map.

So, given that I project an air of dominance, to a massive degree, I get the fun problem cases.  There’s a saying that goes “if you want something done, give it to the busy person”, so my plate seems to get bigger every year.

And while that’s manageable for pieces of time, there’s a point where the return on personal investment goes away.  There’s only so long you can juggle all those issues, manage that stress.  The whole idea of work/life balance is a very hard thing to manage when you’re tasked with making firm decisions, constantly.

So while I’ve been managing for some time and these personality profiles aren’t exactly news to me, I’m more in this for selfish reasons.  How do I personally manage all these various issues without going off the deep end.  And training, especially group training, is awesome for that.

I get to bounce ideas off other members, see their own experiences, relate to mine and work on refining my skills and style.  It isn’t so much about finding a true balance for myself, I know that isn’t possible, or even likely.  I will always be an outlier, and I’ve accepted that.  What I can do is find additional coping mechanisms, different communication tools to relate with other personality types.  Find a way to delegate some of these files, and do it in such a way that I feel comfortable having it leave my desk and that the person feels capable and supported while working on it.

I know it sounds pie in the sky, wishy-washy.  And truth be told, it is for a large part.  But when you get put into a position where people report to you, where you have authority, building a trusting relationship where all parties benefit (and you stay sane) is really the entire point.

I’ve already gotten a lot of useful info, looking forward to the remainder of the week.