𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝟭 – 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝟰/𝟲
So you’ve just nabbed a new consulting role with a #Salesforce partner. 🌈🌞
Feedback from the interview was great and you feel confident. 💪🏻
You get assigned a project, and you meet the team and everyone’s really lovely.
“Let me know if you need any help any time – I’m always online.”
“Don’t worry – you’ll get the hang of things.”
Then things start in earnest.
Meetings with clients make you feel like you just got into a car that hit hyperdrive and you can’t find the seatbelt! 🏎
You get assigned user stories that you don’t quite understand so you reach out for help.
“I’m so sorry – I’ve got my head down trying to figure out how this bugger happened. Can I ping you when I’m done?”
“Um, yeah – that’s how I understood it too. Sorry, but I’ve got to prepare for show & tell. You’re going to have to figure it out for now.”
You find out that those who offered help “at any time” are available as a status on their IM – only because they’re working on their own stuff. 😖
You feel this sick feeling in the pit of your stomach as you try to ‘figure it out on your own’. 😨
Your PM asks if you’re on track for delivering your user stories, and you panic and squeek, “Yep! No Problem!”
The fear of looking bad in your first job cripples you, especially since it’s a consulting role and everyone seems to be so much more capable, confident and amazing. ☹
Your client, who expected you to have provided a quick demo of the user story has sent you a few emails, and you worry that the weak replies will make her realise how awful you are. 😰
No, you’re not ‘awful’.
You’ve just been assigned work that doesn’t quite match your capability and you haven’t been provided enough support to succeed.
Take a deep breath and talk to your PM, even though she might be a bit annoyed because she was expecting you to deliver your work when you said you would.
If you don’t feel able to speak to your PM, then reach out to your coach, your mentor, your home/career manager – someone.
Escalate your situation (we’ll talk about Escalating in a different context within project situations for non-Grasshoppers in a different post).
If you don’t, you will struggle for a long time, and will take its toll on your mental health.
Your job and tasks should stretch and challenge your capabilities, and you develop and grow only when you have enough support to do so safely.
So, Escalate!
And you, young Grasshopper 🦗, will turn into a Fox 🦊!*
*within the context of my Animal Framework for the 5 Levels of Consulting Mastery, link to original post below 👇🏻
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A few people have asked me about past newsletters and more information about the previous Grasshopper habits of success.
I’ll compile everything into an ebook when I finish riffing through the whole series.
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