Since my last post, I have been getting back to doing project work. For the last several years I've directed our consulting engagements and interacted mostly with client executives; project teams would report to me from the field. Now I'm leading a Lean improvement project in rural Minnesota while also negotiating a contract on some operations initiatives on the west coast and in Asia. Like everything else, this arrangement has its good and bad points.
On the downside, the travel stinks. Flying around to clients and racking up Hilton points was pretty cool when I was in my 20's and had no kids, but at this stage the Monday-Friday trips are a drag. I miss Carolyn and the boys, I miss my house and my bed. Fortunately there's Skype, so my family and I have a free nightly video conference to do homework and catch up on the day's events. It's not the same as being there, but it's better than nothing.
On the upside, apart from the airplane commute and long drive, the work itself is fun. The folks in Minnesota are open to new ideas and eager to improve. They value our ideas and facilitate our progress, so we can roll up our sleeves, dig deep into the toolbox and design big improvements to all aspects of their workplace. The plan will address workflow, materials and scheduling, management processes and departmental layout improvements all at the same time. Usually we don't get such latitude at the outset, so this is a great opportunity to do some things fundamentally right. That alone makes the work very rewarding for us and beneficial for our clients.
Later I'll probably write something describing the work itself, but that's not the point of this post. My point is that these back-to-basics assignments are exercising essential career skills that get rusty as management duties take up more of my time. It brings all the high concepts back down to a practical level, while reminding me of the daily challenges our project teams face.
And maybe best of all, as Steven Covey said, sharpening the saw reminds me of why I do this for a living, and what I hope to gain by continuing in this field. It's nice to be reminded this stuff can be fun.
