Small, Small, Small
It is not everyday that I feel small about myself. As an IT professional that has a wealth of experiences in managing projects and having a long list of industrial recognized certifications, I would think that I am capable and knowledgable about a lot of things. In a short span of two days, I ate two humble pies in a row.
First, I am reminded of how small I am in my organization. Even as a Senior Manager, I am a nobody. I have little power to change the course of fate of some policies that I believe are both unjust and unreasonable. All my boss did is an email and the Director of the office called to apologize. Call to apologize! I am in awe and wonder what I have to do to command this kind of influence and power. Second, I am reminded of the seas of knowledge in strategic management. Despite having to undertake a PhD specializing in IS and strategic management, I felt so small when I chat with a good friend of mine who work in the office of quality management. His knowledge on how to link strategy with business processes is legendary. I am glad that he is part of my EA team and I am given a lot of chance to learn from him.It is really not easy to be good at one’s job. It is also not easy to be opened to the idea of constantly challenging yourself and the status quo. Especially allowing myself to be crushed to the lowest level of the hierarchy every time and having to work your heart out to rebuild back up from there. The last time when this happens is during the time when I was with my PhD supervisor. Back then, I felt so cognitively incompetent in relative to him.
Many people will probably feel damn depressed when such stuff happens to them. But for me, I am overjoyed. Overjoyed because I have just brought into my mind things that ‘I don’t know I don’t know’ into the realm of ‘I know I don’t know’. I become aware of what I currently lack and with this, I know I can work to make it become things in my ‘I know I know’ realm. This is learning and this is growth. It is this sort of things that make me excited.
It is this sort of things that makes me want to go to work everyday. It is this sort of things that keep my work exciting whole year round.
Posted by 学海无涯 – The sea of learning is borderless « 牛牛Babe's Blog on December 28, 2011 at 8:41 pm
[...] feeling of being forced to realize how inadequate I am with my ability (see these postings: 1 and 2). It is a paradox that most people will find it hard to accommodate in their life. However, I [...]