I’m Natasha, and I’m new here — first time in an agile company.
I cried 3 times within these 2 weeks.
Yup, you read that correctly.
Everything feels overwhelming …
As an introvert, I love to work on my own, working in silos. MBTI personality test confirmed this and mapped me to INFJ type personality. The test described me perfectly; talking to people scares me, and it is really not my thing.
I used to work with numbers all day in finance, doing the same stuff over and over. However, I now need to change my comfort from following repetitive processing to being in a cross-functional team. This means I need to collaborate with others as well as work on things beyond what I know. It forces me to talk to others because I really need to learn to complete my task.
The first time, I felt tears coming when there was so much new stuff to take in, things I’d never done before, and feeling like I had to be perfect was tough. Every day felt like a struggle, and I just felt like I couldn’t keep up, doubting myself all the time.
I just “jalan dulu”…
All this isn’t easy.
I was always worried, constantly afraid that I’d mess up and make mistakes in everything I did. But then, I discovered that my worries were often wrong, and things usually turned out better than expected. I realized I needed to “jalan dulu” and face my fears to improve.
Dive into tasks immediately, knowing that I could slowly improve my work with each try. This change in perspective released me from self-doubt and highlighted the idea that each attempt was an opportunity for growth and improvement.
Making work transparent …
The pressure increased.
I tried to act like I was fine, hiding how anxious I felt.
I pushed myself hard, wanting to show I could handle this new situation, even though it felt too much.
My manager saw that I was struggling and made me express my challenge to him. He didn’t try to cheer me up with empty words or look at me with pity, but just acknowledging that I was having a hard time made me feel a bit better.
I now believe in the power of transparency and collaboration. Instead of keeping my progress, insights, and challenges to myself, I actively share them with my stakeholders. When confronted with obstacles, challenges, or impediments, I recognize the importance of involving stakeholders in meaningful conversations.
By openly discussing these issues, we can pool our collective expertise and perspectives to explore potential solutions collaboratively. This will ensure our efforts align with the project’s primary goals. This collaborative approach allows us to navigate challenges more effectively and drive greater success in our endeavors.
Now, looking back, all my cries and tears are worth it. I learned so much and am excited to embrace the new ways of working with open arms.
You can also start by exploring this FREE e-book “From Bad Scrum to True Scrum”.