p value memo

During BlackBelt training, I had a hard time understanding what the p value is, why it appears so often for different reasons and how to read it.

Then on a daily basis as a Lean Six Sigma project leader, I was tired of looking throughout my books to find how to interpret a test.

That is why I put together (amongst other tools) a p value memo:

Today, I still have a print of it on my desk and use it on a regular basis, just to be sure. Hopefully it can help others too!

And by the way, I got my BlackBelt certification last week!

Introversion and negativity

I joined Google+ to meet other introverts, share thoughts and experience and promote my blog. Before discovering that I am an introvert, I’ve often felt different, isolated and/or strange when I’d react differently from extroverts in a given situation. Joining this community made me understand that I’m not the only one feeling that way. 

Recently, I’ve noticed an increase in negativity in my feed. I get that the internet is a great place to vent and let go of your frustrations. I get that in real life, those people with negative posts may be a lot more positive about interacting with others. That said, being surrounded by so much negativity is tiring and makes me feel different, isolated and strange all over again.

 

I’ve seen all sorts of quotes about extroverts, interacting with people, wanting to be alone. Truth is I rarely agree with them. I don’t think extroverts are inherently bad people. I don’t think I’d be happier on my own. I want to interact with people, go to parties, make new friends. That doesn’t make me an extrovert. 

Just like many posts about feminism on Tumblr (and probably on other social media too), many posts about introversion/extroversion on Google+ are complete crap to me. Treating men as evil creatures doesn’t make you a stronger woman or a feminist. Treating extrovert as if their purpose in life was to inflict pain on introverts is just as ridiculous and vain. 

I believe in understanding others and their motives, sharing and communicating to make everyone’s life easier. Obviously, it is not always possible or realistic or effective. But saying “I’m an introvert and this is how I perceive this given situation” is making a step in the right direction. It is gaining more respect from others (extroverts included) than shutting down everyone around while silently complaining in your head. 

No one should hide behind the fact that they are introverts (or extroverts!) to act like they do. If you don’t listen to people when they talk, it is not because you are an extrovert; it is because you choose not to. If you don’t have many friends like I do, it is not because you are an introvert; it is because like me you don’t make efforts to make new ones. 

Human being are complex creatures, and I’m getting tired of people using only side of one’s personality to define them and using this as an excuse or a cause to everything they do. In literature, it is called a synecdoche. 

I’ve attended 5S training in England last week. I met six new people from all Europe. I obviously had an introvert moment at the beginning of the week. From the first day though, I’ve spent my evenings with the team and did not escape to the loneliness of my hotel room. I’ve learned a lot about them and I’m looking forward working with them again. They were pretty surprised to learn that I’m an introvert (as most people). I can be an introvert and be a social being. The counterpart of that week is that I spent most of my week end hidden in my bed, alone with a book (and social media). 

So please, stop justifying your negativity by the fact that you are an introvert…

I am the Captain of my own ship

The week before I left, two major events happened:

1. I won the European Project of the Year Award for FY14,

2. I sent my BlackBelt project deck for certification. I only have the presentation left before I can be certified.

After this great week, I took advantage of my holidays and thought about my job and my career. I wondered what key element makes me a successful Project Leader. Obviously, there is technical knowledge, but it is not always the key to success. Introversion is a distinctive element from my peers, though sometimes it can make a project go south. What really makes a difference is what I call having a sense of vision.

To me, having a sense of vision is to be able to visualize, to imagine what a solution / software / process will look like before it goes live. At home, it translates in having a clear idea what the room will look like before you start renovating it. As my parents both have vision, I thought for years that it was common to everyone. Leading projects, I discovered that not only it is not the case, but also that it comes really handy.

Because I am comfortable with IT topics, I often end working on software related projects. I have done a data entry software demo to the Unions Rep a couple of months ago and told my audience that the software will be in French (it was in English at the time) and that the field will be the same that the ones used today for each Customer (when I was showing a generic US customer configuration). In my head, I see pretty clearly what it is going to look like. My audience had a hard time doing the same, creating push back and fear of change. 

As a Project Leader, I am the one with a vision. As I am not my Team Members' Manager, I do my best to be their leader using vision and persuasion. I like the metaphor of acting as the Captain of a ship to describe the role of a Project Leader. Let take that journey together.

As I just said, I am the captain of the ship (Project Leader). I have been asked  and given the means by the Governor (Sponsor) to complete a mission (solve an issue). I need to gather a Crew (Team) depending of the size of my ship and destination (project). My Crew is made of a few volunteers, but mainly of people who take part of this journey out of necessity. 

My role is to convince them that I know where we are going (solution) and that no matter how hard the journey will get (DMAIC steps), it will be worth it and they will get their gold (benefits from the project). Food and water (investments and resources) are limited on board and need to be managed properly.

Once at sea, them leaving will make it harder to navigate (lead the project to success). They may lose their lives (from credibility to job) in the process of leaving. Once we get to the promised land (Control phase), we celebrate and share the gold (benefits). Then we move on to our next mission (project).

Holidays

At 5pm today, I'll be on summer holidays. I'll be heading to my grandfather's home in Brittany for 3 weeks. 

Here is my holidays wishlist:

• Enjoy the company of my husband,
• Sleep a lot, 
• Read whenever I can,
• Sit on the rocks and watch the sea,
• Make a sunset timelapse at the beach,
• Take pictures and make the most of my GoPro,
• Visit new places I've never been too,
• Go back to the places I love over there,
• Eat crepes and mussels,
• Go to a Fest Noz (Celtic music concert),
• Try the recipes I don't have time for during the rest of the year.

That means I'll work as little as possible and won't be updating this blog during that time. I'll be updating my travel blog (in French) as much as I can though. 

See you mid-September!

The most important piece of advice I've received so far

Today, I want to share with you the most important piece of advice I've received so far. But let me tell you a bit of the story being it.

As a teenager, I have been bullied by several people and for different reasons. I tried to get it to stop by telling the adults around me, but revenge happened and I didn't want to seek help with the grownups on that matter anymore. It eventually died out on itself the next year when having different classmates.

Then it happened again, as a young adult, within the company I was working for at the time. It lasted until I had an insightful chat with my mum. She is a shrink and we often chat about our days, what went well or not. She is very easy to talk to, but I sometimes struggle to open up to her (for no reason as she won’t judge me or love me less).

So one evening, I was venting about this colleague I was in training with, who has said mean things to me and was always looking for my attention and being a pain in the neck. I was expecting something along the line of “my poor darling”, but that never happened. My mum looked at me in the eyes and told me calmly that my behavior towards that person was responsible for being bullied. That I was responsible.

Obviously, I was speechless and quite shocked. I changed subject and reflected on it, until a mentoring session I had a few days later. I explained the situation and the piece of advice I have been given. My mentor told me to stand straight, to ask for the respect I was due and to make sure it wouldn't hurt me.

The next training session, I tried my best to do what I was told. It actually came more naturally than I thought and made me feel so good, so strong. The bullying stopped almost instantly.

That lady seemed to be so confident, I envied her for it. She could easily voice her opinions, questions and doubts in front of everyone without ever looking nervous (she is a true extrovert). In reality, she is as insecure as I am, maybe more.

I understood then that the louder the person is, the less confident they are in reality. That confidence is all about appearances: if you look confident, people will assume you are and treat you differently. So next time you meet someone who is very loud in their general behavior, or maybe a bit intimidating, keep in mind it is only for appearances: they are most certainly as insecure as you are and are just better at hiding it than you.

I have since become friend with that lady and have weekly catch up calls with her. Now, I know how to stop that kind of behavior:

• Make sure your bully knows they don’t affect you,
• Stand proud: you are beautiful, strong and can do and be what you want,
• If you are bullied at work, ask for the respect you are due (they have a lot more to lose than you!)
• Don’t let their “confidence” fool you: they make mistakes like everyone else and may not be who they seem.

We never talked about how she made me feel. I think I will sometimes, so she can learn from her mistakes and stop that kind of behavior, as I’m sure most of it was unintentional.

Bad news vs. bad surprises

When I was working as a Communication Manager, one of my Managers told be he'd rather get bad news than bad surprises. That sentence stayed with me from that day and I still reflect on it.

His point was very simple: telling him bad news right away, rather than waiting for him to discover about it too late. As a project manager, this is a key to success: being proactive and mitigating risks instead of waiting for the disaster to happen. It also means improving the relationship with my manager / project sponsor. They need to know I'll tell them about it, but also that I'll do everything I can to right the situation. Trust can only increase with that kind of behavior.

I've obviously failed that saying a few times at work since then, but even more often at home. As many people, I am very talented at avoiding doing what I don't like to do. Going through the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People helped me deal with procrastinating. The first habit is the habit of choice, and is all about how doing, or not doing something, is a choice you make. Being lazy is a choice. Not cleaning your desk is a choice.

Dealing with a tense situation is not easy nor pleasant. Though, doing nothing about it won't make it better, but most likely will make it worse. It will only take you making the choice, being courageous for a couple of seconds to start dealing with the report you don't want to prepare, the cleaning you have postponed too much, the unpleasant phone call. 

That's what I try to remember every time I'm reluctant to perform a task, stick to my diet, have to pick up the phone, etc. What are your techniques to avoid procrastination?

A smile can make a big difference

Today, one of my colleagues, who sit at the desk in front of mine, decided to have a bad day. She got really upset about her chair being misplaced as someone borrowed it last afternoon. I understand that having your belongings (though own by the company) used when you are not here is not pleasant.

Then it was her computer. Then it was the noise. Then it was the people around her who are not nice enough. Then it was the work load. Then it was not going to eat outside of the company enough (when we go outside often she complains about her weight). It is only mid day, but she already found about a dozen reasons to complain loudly to everyone and have a bad day. Including about facts that happened weeks ago and belong to the past.

Shit days happen to everyone and for a variety of reasons. You have the right to be upset by events and thus have a bad day. Consciously turning your day in a shitty one is completely different though.

I am rarely in a bad mood (usually when I didn’t sleep enough the night before). Even those days, I’d rather isolate myself from my colleagues (meaning I have my headphones on and won’t talk much to people) rather than have them suffer my bad mood. I also try to smile more than I’m inclined to on one of those days. Thus, my colleagues tend to smile back at me and be nicer. My mood usually improves after a few hours (and coffees), and I go back to having a better day. 

I also tell people I am a bit grumpy that day, so they can stay away from me or won’t be offended if I’m not my usual self. If I'm at home, I'll spend some time alone and rest, or do things that make me happy for a while before I'm a social being again.

Besides, your day won’t be better/easier/shorter if you spend it complaining and looking cross… So don’t forget to smile! It won’t fix all your issues but will improve your mood!