👩🏻‍💻Navigating New Responsibilities at Work for Increased Productivity

Hi Team 👋

Hope you are all well. How's your work week been?

So this is my first Work Productivity newsletter. Hurray! 🎉 Thank you for subscribing. My goal is to issue it every Sunday (we will see how this actually goes as I create new habits 😂). As a thank you for subscribing, you can find a small gift below.

I am keen to hear about your work updates, new jobs and responsibilities, work challenges or projects you are working on. You can always respond to me by simply replying to this email or send me a message on LinkedIn.

🤔 Just Say Yes and Learn Later

Opportunities to lead on new projects/initiatives don’t come up very often.

When they do, grab them with both hands. Even those too difficult projects/initiatives at work no one wants to do, I suggest you say YES. This is one way to stand out in the crowd.

I started a new role last year (June 2022). I now find myself doing more and more at work, but new areas, not extra workload where I am struggling with capacity. This is actually work I have never done before.

I am now a Change Management Lead for a big project that has a potential impact on the whole of organisation, changing 'minds and hearts'.

Let me be honest, I have no change management qualifications. This is just an example to confirm we don't always need them, what we need is an OPPORTUNITY. I am planning to simply learn on the job as I go along. The best way to learn in my opinion.

I have usually been an HR lead in a change project, this is now me leading it 🤯 This is in line with my career interests and aspirations.

I, of course said yes, I will figure it out. 🤣 

Anyway, this is what I have done so far:

1. I have spoken to a few people who are change manager practitioners. I asked them to share examples from their previous work I could review, if they had any tools and toolkits etc. I will continue to speak to them for support during this project.

   I have soon realised (and they have agreed), that there is no one change approach fits all. You cannot simply replicate change management approach from one change to another change. However, the working principles of change should be present and improved where required. It all needs to be adapted, tailored to the size, scope and scale in any event.

2. My second action was to review documents shared and create a first draft of change management impact analysis (high level only).

I have presented this; it has gone down well. Next steps are to do a detailed change impact analysis for the relevant focus areas and discuss comms/approach. I often find change management is a lot about communication.

3. I have also drafted a workpackage for this project, which focused on what I am responsible for. Scope of my work. I am still agreeing this. You will often hear this term 'workpackage' in project management world. It is pretty much what it says it is. A piece of work needs to be delivered, let's discuss and agree it as a package 😀 

   → I use JIRA as part of my role.

   → I work in an agile team.

   → I work in monthly sprints (a sprint is a short, time-boxed period during which a set amount of work needs to be completed) and

   → I update my actions weekly.

4. I have also started to go through free change management training and information available online before I discuss any formal training (if required). There are so many qualifications out there, it is so confusing which ones to go for. If you have any recommendations please respond to this email or message me on LinkedIn.

What are some of your current work projects and initiatives you are working on OR would like to work on to develop new skillset?

🧰 Notion - productivity app

Have you heard of Notion? Notion is a productivity app. Your wiki, docs, 
& projects. Together. Notion is the connected workspace where
better, faster work happens. Now with AI.

You can use it on your phone, laptop and computer. All connected, so if you update something on your phone it is automatically updated on all devices.

I will be using this app to share various tools with you I create from time to time. I suggest you download it and register, it is free to get started.

If new to Notion, start from here.

📝 Personal Work Performance Review

As a thank you for subscribing, please download a Personal Work Performance Review Notion template. I created this long time ago and improved over time.

December performance reviews at work are coming up slowly but surely so it is best to be ready.

🤔 How does it work?

→ You simply click on it; it will take you to a webpage.

→ Then find where it says duplicate (usually the right hand corner), click on it and it will duplicate it to your Notion workspace. Simple and easy.

→ You can then continue to edit, adapt and use further.

🎑 Daily visuals

As I have now started to create daily visuals, I am getting inspired every day. Please see below one of my favourite ones and something for you to think about.

Ask WHO not HOW. I am here to help if you need to get started. Simply respond to this email or send me a message on LinkedIn.

I look forward to seeing where this newsletter takes me, meeting new people and learning together.

Until next Sunday, best wishes

Sanja