Motivation
I have yet to find the man, however exalted his station, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than under a spirit of criticism.
Charles Schwab
Each time we ship a product I have this phase afterwords which is sort of like the depression that sets in after the holidays when all you have is winter and the part you looked forward to is over. Now it's just paying the bills and taking down the decorations. The waiting and excitement are over. I'm no longer in a frantic state of final testing. Now begins the slow task of planning, requirements, and the ever dreaded "side-projects". I'm not much of a "side-project" person. I don't like writing code. I like learning, but really, I like testing. I enjoy being constantly busy and changing what I'm doing all of the time. I don't get whiplash from doing 5 different things in 2 weeks. I want someone to give me an impossible task to accomplish.
So, when things slow down, I start to get critical. Rather than doing everything I can to make it, I can see every flaw. Every way that the process can be better. That we can be better. Not just the place I work, but myself, and everyone around me. I can't stop trying to improve things. I am used to taking out all of my energy on the software I'm testing. Now what?
It's tempting to just turn that energy on something else.
I think I've lost the ability to sit back, relax, and enjoy the results of a goal met. I sit around anxiously thinking, "What now?"
To make matters stranger, I've reached two monumental goals in my personal life. I bought and moved into a beautiful house. I've always wanted a house, and this one is really wonderful. It is the culmination of years of saving and much effort and risk taking. To top it off, I've completed a very difficult health related task, and for the first time ever reached a physical "goal weight". That goal was over 5 years in the making and is always a "work in progress" even now. I felt on top of the world for a few days. Now I realize how much I have to maintain, how much I have to lose. I feel the responsibility of it and not the truth. The truth is, I am quite lucky and I can handle this. This happened in part because of my work, and in part because of luck. It didn't happen by itself.
The other truth is that I love the company I work for, the software I work on, and above all else, the team of people I work with. Being too critical is not a good quality, even in a tester. It is certainly not a good quality in a test lead.
Charles Schwab
Each time we ship a product I have this phase afterwords which is sort of like the depression that sets in after the holidays when all you have is winter and the part you looked forward to is over. Now it's just paying the bills and taking down the decorations. The waiting and excitement are over. I'm no longer in a frantic state of final testing. Now begins the slow task of planning, requirements, and the ever dreaded "side-projects". I'm not much of a "side-project" person. I don't like writing code. I like learning, but really, I like testing. I enjoy being constantly busy and changing what I'm doing all of the time. I don't get whiplash from doing 5 different things in 2 weeks. I want someone to give me an impossible task to accomplish.
So, when things slow down, I start to get critical. Rather than doing everything I can to make it, I can see every flaw. Every way that the process can be better. That we can be better. Not just the place I work, but myself, and everyone around me. I can't stop trying to improve things. I am used to taking out all of my energy on the software I'm testing. Now what?
It's tempting to just turn that energy on something else.
I think I've lost the ability to sit back, relax, and enjoy the results of a goal met. I sit around anxiously thinking, "What now?"
To make matters stranger, I've reached two monumental goals in my personal life. I bought and moved into a beautiful house. I've always wanted a house, and this one is really wonderful. It is the culmination of years of saving and much effort and risk taking. To top it off, I've completed a very difficult health related task, and for the first time ever reached a physical "goal weight". That goal was over 5 years in the making and is always a "work in progress" even now. I felt on top of the world for a few days. Now I realize how much I have to maintain, how much I have to lose. I feel the responsibility of it and not the truth. The truth is, I am quite lucky and I can handle this. This happened in part because of my work, and in part because of luck. It didn't happen by itself.
The other truth is that I love the company I work for, the software I work on, and above all else, the team of people I work with. Being too critical is not a good quality, even in a tester. It is certainly not a good quality in a test lead.
Motivation: you struck a sweet spot, honey. At every moment I must stimulate myself to be the most productive possible(internal rules). I'm used to being criticized and blamed for everything, even stuff outside of my realm of control. What doesn't kill me makes me stronger. Working better under approval or constant criticism can be great motivating factors. Appreciate both. Rather say that approval, compliments weaken the resource and criticism, if he's a perfectionist and good will super have or her on to never be satisfied with the output and constantly be on the toes.Frantic state of testing works sounds delicious. Constantly busy and changing what you do all the time. An impossible task to accomplish. Make the impossible possible? Let's drill down into this. While reading the papers I mentally recorded that a top athlete was moving into the region. Top? N°1 Worldwide in the Europeans main sport. I then made the decision to add him to my portfolio. And sure enough 3 months later of frantic work: he was on my client list.
When things slow down, pick up the pace and focus on an area under your control to improve. It's no use giving the time to somebody who hasn't asked for it.
The moment a goal achieved, don't sit back, concentrate on the new goal and start working, that's how true progress is achieved. .NET Rocks, No REST for the wicked really turns me on. I can rest when I'm dead in 50 years from now.
Results Not Testing; Results Not Code.
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