My Work, My Fit, and Company's Goals

 

I, My Role and Expectations

At least once a day, it is useful to think about oneself.  I started doing this late in my life and career. I started doing it in recent years.  If I do not think about myself, I will be lost very soon.  This is not selfishness; it is self-care, which is what I'm learning.

It is essential for me to think about myself, because:

• It helps me to see what I'm
• It helps me to see where I moved today
• Does this move help me personally?
• Does this move help me professionally?
• What benefits does it bring me?
• What benefits does it bring to those with whom I associate and work together?
• Does it keep me in sound mental and physical health?
• Did I learn today?
• Something new?
• Anything I refined and unlearned?
• Does it bring any costs and cons to me?
• Am I fit?
• Fit to where?
• Fit to what?
• Fit? How?
• Fit? Why?
• Fit? When

In all the roles I take in my personal and professional life, I'm evaluated at some point in time.  I will be judged for:

• Did I fit?
• Did I do my role
• Did I meet the expectation?

The problem is not that I'm evaluated.

The problem is I'm evaluated without saying what makes me fit to be in the association and how I will have to meet the expectation.  Some associations can remove us while some cannot.

When I say this, I want to say this -- the word family is often misunderstood; not all associations can be a family although the word family is used often in associations.  This is reality and not a fact!

Does family eliminate me if I do not fit in?  I don't know!  At least the hope is, family is where I can be myself; without the thought of me being judged and evaluated for what I take and bring to the family.  My family as well have expectations from me in the different roles I live in with them.

When I can see this in my family, why don't I see this in the place where I work together with other people?

Do I fit in here for what I make out of this place (company) and take it to my family, home, and my life?

I wish my home and school had helped me learn this question early in my life!  I expect it now because I realize the "value of fit", now, that is, after I graduated and started to work with people in the organizations.

I consistently learn that every one of us is replaceable in any association, be it family or a workplace.  And, it moves on; it does not stop.  If not replaceable, it is manageable to continue and move on.

When we are in the association, how fit we are so that it is hard to replace?  Maybe that's a price (value) tag and a necessity of one!

The Response, That I Should Evaluate

As a responsible colleague and team member, I promote the discussion of this question at least once a month.  I ask this question to whom I report at work.

I will have this question in every one-on-one catch-up that I will have with my reporting manager.  And, I expect a response to this question and want it recorded for future reference.

What is that question?

How does my work fit in with the company's goals?

Evaluating the response:

• How do I evaluate the response to this question?
• What should I do on the evaluation of the response?
• Why should I evaluate the response?
• What should be my next course of action?
• After all, what is my response to this question and how do I evaluate it?

To get promoted to the next roles,

• I need to be solving the problem of my higher (or next) role
• I need to have the capability (skills) to solve problems of my higher role

But this is not a question of promotion.  It is the question of being fit for the company's goals.

While I get promoted or to be promoted, my work may still not fit with the company's goals.  Identifying this early helps.

I have learned, sometimes the promotion does not necessarily come with the fit for the company's goals.  But then eventually the fit will be evaluated at one stage by someone in the company together with a promotion given.

This has led me to ask this question consistently and then evaluate the response with the business, political and rational mindsets.

I say the same to my team, that is, ask this question for yourself and to the reporting manager.  Evaluate the response that comes to you.

Should you ask this question to your reporting manager in each month's one-on-one catch-up?

The Fit Equation Changes

In the team and company, we believe:

• We are contributing
• We are a value-adding fit type
  

We keep saying to ourselves how we make a great fit and difference.  Isn't it?

This "fit equation" keeps changing every day or quarter or year or appraisal cycle.  I learn, this "fit equation" keeps changing rather than evolving.

Adapting to this consistent change and delivering is evolving.  This is my understanding for today.

Biases, Communication, and Problem Solving

We all are in biased mindsets and perceptions at any point in time.  The people in the company need help to break these mindsets so that one's fit equation is questioned and assessed regularly.  In my opinion, this is a great assistance that a manager and a leader can give to her/his people.

I expect the managers and leaders to ask the company:

• What the company wants from the people?

We people in the company and in the team, let us ask the manager and leaders:

• What the company expects from me?
• What is my fit equation?
• Does the current work that I'm delivering fits the company's goals?

I have heard most times from people saying, "I was said that I did not fit with the company's goal".

How will one know what is the company's goals and how can one align with them unless it is communicated and recorded professionally?  I see, to start it needs communication, clarity, and affirmation first from both ends.

Does this solve the problem?  No!  It gives an onset to understand the problem and the differences to fix.  With this, the manager and leader can help the team, and vice versa, in solving the problem.  Thereby contributing to the company's goals by aligning with them.

If you are a manager or a leader, make sure you have this as an essential practice in monthly catch-up to assess this fit equation and let know your people.  I love seeing this initiative from managers and leaders.

This is one of the leader's fitness to be in the role to assist people and the company.  By doing so, we will help the company, business, employees, investors, and customers.

To reset this post's intent equation:

• How the work expected from me fit in with the company's goals?
• How does the work I'm doing fit in with the company's goals?

I Don't Know!

Lessons comes from the consistent practice we do, from the mistakes we commit, by looking at the mistakes of our peers & other people, by interacting, by inferences we make, by reference we look for, by conferences we go for and etc. Being myself a tester by my soul and not just for a profession, getting plenty of lessons every day from the sources (more correctly they are resources that makes me to think and question myself) that I look at.

I always have a determination and focused mindset to take up testing tasks that makes my mind to generate questions continuously by thinking. When I met testers, most said, domain knowledge is very important to test. But, I had my tester who is within me, saying, "Concentrate and practice on the skills and practice with focused mindset to test anything given at any time by questioning; never hesitate to question".

As like all other interview procedure, one day I got a call from HR, asking when you are free in this week for taking up an interview for testing position. I asked her, when interview panel is available at your place for the interview. She said today at 3 PM and me too agreed.

I never tested any electronic product except my mobile phone, my monitor, my friend's CPU, my friend's laptop, my digital watch, the elevator at my workplace and my friend's digital camera. When I asked the HR regarding the company address, she gave the address and description of the company.

I was happy that, the interview was for the Telecommunication domain. But still, I said HR as I am not a graduate of Electronics or Telecommunication and does it meet the position requirement. But, I can test those products and system of electronics and telecommunications. After couple of minutes she confirmed and said, we will be happy to see you today at 3 PM for the interview.

The interview panel consisted two members. They introduced themselves, where one was the Director of Quality Assurance for the company and the other person was Test Manager. They started conversations saying, "we are not young in age as you, but we are young as you in the spirit". I was very glad, to see them and the conversations showed the tester within them. The room had four chairs; myself and two interviewers were seated and one chair remained with no person to sit.

Interviewer A: Can you sit on that chair?
Me: Can I know, why should I sit on that chair? Why not here?
Interviewer B: So that we all here can have comfort talk.
Interviewer A: Is it possible for you sit on that chair?
Me: I don't know!
Interviewer B: What you don't know? It so good chair then you are seated now. Why can't you sit on that chair?
Me: I does not know whether I can fit on that chair or can make use of that chair to my purpose.
Interviewer A: You are thin enough to be seated on that chair. Then, what is stopping you?
Me: Without sitting and confirming that I can make use of that chair, I cannot tell you, that chair is usable by me.
Interviewer B: What is making you to think that, the chair might be not usable by you without sitting or more rightly without TESTING it.
Me: Might be the chair may not withstand my 57 KG weight, or it might be not to my comfort on which I am seated on now, or it might be too heavy for lifting it to here since I am comfort in this place to be seated, or it might be time consuming to move chair over here if it has no wheels and weighs bit more than the chair on which I am seated, or it might be wet, or it might have lot of dust upon it, or it might have pests that feeds on my blood, or it might be for my other good friends i.e., people who are challenged physically, or it might be chair that is used to make BAKRA. This are the few reasons to say, "I don't know," for I can sit on that chair or not.

Interviewer B: I liked that BAKRA!
Interviewer A: Then, how did you sit on the chair you are seated now, without testing it.
Me: Well, I tested the chair while we all were standing thirty minutes back.

Like this our conversation went on. One more question that we get in most of the interviews is , "explain me your project". Where I did not tell what my project details at all in the interviews I had been so far. But, these two people did not even ask this question i.e., 'explain your project'. Instead they asked, "what is the role of yours in the testing you do with your team?". They strongly adhered not to disturb the NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) policy, which each company will have. Neither my little resume will not have and did not had such details of project.

I kept writing all my observations from, what they gave me to test. I explained them why was that observations and justified them. I was enjoying the interview and it was different from the other interviews I had been for.

Interviewers never bought up Telecommunications or Electronics during interview. I was curious to know, what I will be doing in that company. And, was happy to know that I will be testing one of their product that is used at real time by people.

After testing, and brainstorming tasks, they came to the package negotiation. By now, my testing mind started to get confused. I am not good at that negotiation task still. Totally, I was in the other thoughts of negotiation and they too were talking regarding it.

Interviewer A: Does this pen write?
Me: Yes.
Interviewer B: What?
Interviewer A: Are you fine? How did you infer that pen write, when it is in my hand?
Interviewer B: Thought it is your pen, what he has in his hand now; it might not have written when you have used it again.
Me: I felt like, Tester within me slapped my face and said where are you lost? Wake up from negotiation thoughts.
Interviewer A: I expected "I Don't Know!".
Interviewer B: Never forget your word what you said today i.e. "I Don't Know!". I love that word.
Interviewer A: The tester within you was engaged in working out negotiation, and that made to take off the questioning mind of yours. Being a tester, we too practice that still i.e., to have our mind always in testing perspective at all time. We too do not forget your words "I Don't Know!".
Interviewer B: What is your joining date?
Me: I Don't Know!
Interviewer A: He has caught it, isn't it Interviewer B.
Interviewer B: Yes! What is your probable date to join our test team? We would love to see you with us.
Me: I will intimate tomorrow.

I did not accept the offer due to some of my emotions, but the lessons what they gave me during the interview was different from the other interview I had been for. Those lessons were truly worth one and I have to remember them forever. That's what made their product so well established in the competitive market.

I believe they are reading this now or might have read this little writing by now. I remember this two testing minds, before I start my thinking and questioning with a word "I Don't Know!" and What it is, why it is so and if not, why so?.


Lessons:

• More than any domain knowledge in testing, the testing skills are more important to a tester. Focus on them. We will learn any domain testing and can test any domain, when we have proper testing skills to test anything at anytime by questioning the product or system under test.
• Do not say blindly, it works or looks fine for a person without making use of it i.e., more rightly without testing it. It might fit & work for other user in her/his context but not in our context.
• Do not just accept anything without questioning; if accepted without questioning, we are carrying the fire in our hands without any fire exits; that fire can catch and spread with severe things to pay off.
• Interviews are great source of learning. Keep attending them as it helps ourselves to know where we are and where we have to pull our socks. Learning is not just in TESTING we do, but it comes in different aspects apart from testing, which go beyond the values that one can give.
• If interviews are of telling your ongoing and previous project details, never do that. You have signed NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) for your employer and we will be violating the company policies if we tell our ongoing project details. Do not mention on the resume too. Being ourselves the testers, if we do not test our resume and presentation of ourselves in the interviews, will be of no worth.
• Before starting up testing our product or System Under Test, say I Don't Know what it does and should mean it to ourselves.

To conclude, whether the above written is useful to you? I Don't Know!


Love Testing!