The hardest things to balance
A few examples where there is no right answer and “balance” is the right approach:
- Build on your own vs start from a good base (webpage, demo software, marketing content format)
There is so much nuance in doing any project from scratch that is lost when you get an instant pack for it. But this is not the value add that is important in all scenarios. Keep clear sight of whether knowing the last 20% is your value proposition or whether completing the 80% of a larger set of things is more important.
I am learning to use a new technology and the part where I had a good base to start with took 10 times less time. The learning is not 10 times lesser though. Finding these good starting points helps time efficiency.
- Own vs Delegate
Can you lead leaders? Can you scale yourself? Can you have influence without authority? Can you coach and enable others beyond delivering your own results? - These are important questions that are important once you get to the team leader or principal level. You cannot own more if you do not learn to delegate more.
Delegating ownership is higher risk as there can be unpredictability in the outcome and warrant changes or course correction later in the timeline than otherwise. This can lead to losing time, opportunities and sometimes trust. Building mechanisms to know and control/influence only when needed is a critical skill to acquire. Testing these mechanisms and gaining predictability in where your intervention is needed vs not is another related skill.
- Stay the course vs change Success and failure are not quantifiable, and becomes relative, after a certain point. In many aspects such as role, career path, company, it is hard to know whether you are doing “well” on the current path or would a different one be a “better fit”? What is “well” specifically - is it absolute (does it pay well?) or relative (does this company pay better than the previous?) or relative to a different scale ( is this taking you closer towards your goal?)
What is the threshold to consider change - when the current path is falls below the “pass” grade or below the “absolute best” grade? When is the right time to explore other things? How long to stay in a place? Would a different “something” be a better thing for you instead? There are no real answers other than the one that you give yourself and that you can find peace and happiness in.
- Collaborate vs Compete My observation is that people tend to glorify collaboration and don’t speak about competition enough. It is because there is generally a person whose job it is to “monitor” others who are competing and bring peace. Like a parent, teacher, coach, manager. They tend to rely on making one be good and other bad, to simplify their job and appeal to the underlying desire of people to please. Agreed that humans, or any species, can also survive only if they demonstrate collaboration.
However, there are several “zero-sum game” moments in life. There are people with resources and they determine how it is distributed. There are some that get it, at the cost of others. Know where you stand in the social standing or pecking order when such situations arise. Else you will be taken for a ride. Collaborate, but ensure that there is a hidden understanding that life inherently requires playing to survive, playing to win.