Someone Needs to Do Something About It - Who Is It?
I pride myself on telling it as it is. Throughout my life, I've struggled with being too outspoken. It's a balancing act that I've gotten better at as time has progressed. Understanding where the line is that can make people uncomfortable.
Sometimes I still cross that line without knowing it, only to notice when I've gone too far. When I do, I apologize and try to convey that no harm was intended.
Most of the time I know where the line is. But sometimes something just needs to be addressed. If no-one speaks up, the problem will persist and grow bigger. Someone needs to do something about it. My dad always told me "If you say 'someone needs to do something about it', he is always easy to find. Just look in the mirror and the person you see is the someone you've been looking for"
I've taken that advice to heart and aim to live as I preach.
You might instinctively think it is a great way to behave. Or you might see the problems right away, because I end up stepping on people's toes. People start to feel slighted when I talk about issues that they have a part in. Even though I try my hardest to never attack the person, but the situation itself. Even when I have issues with people I focus on their behavior (something they can adjust), not their personality, looks, or other characteristics that they can't change.
I think a part of this has to do with having a growth mindset but also being in a zero-sum game or a non-zero-sum game. But that's a topic for another article.
In this article I want to highlight that as a growth-minded person, you should strive to find an environment where being candid is promoted. All environments are not equal, and I've seen my fair share of fixed-minded organizations.
And just like the critique of people should be directed at their actions, not their person, the same goes for organizations. No matter how great an organization claims to be, it is their actions that should do the talking.
That is something extremely positive I've found in my work at VTT. They seem to take their aim to be more commercial seriously and are letting me explore what can be done with the machine with their full support. I've longed to be in an environment like this since I was a teenager. I can't almost believe that I finally found a place where my talents are both needed and encouraged.
Being someone comes with a lot of hits on the chin. It's not the most pleasant route.
But when something difficult needs doing, there is no substitute for someone.
Someone needs to do something about it.
(this is a part of an article series about my work at VTT with commercializing this machine: https://youtu.be/zrPvfqRw034)