I Drew My Worst Work Habit as a Flowchart. It Was a Loop.

This week, the reporter acknowledged a problematic work habit where, when faced with challenging projects and slow progress, they took on additional work instead of seeking assistance. As time went on, this behavior only exacerbated the situation. The project team consisted of three people instead of the typical four or five, leaving extra work to fall on an individual who knew the material best.

Given the option to absorb the extra workload or distribute it more evenly, the reporter's default choice was to absorb it all. This cycle of taking on more work became a loop, with the reporter never addressing the underlying issue.

To break this pattern, the reporter began to load balance by deliberately teaching their teammates the work instead of handling it themselves. They communicated their needs clearly, asking for support rather than silently taking on additional tasks. The reporter also stopped providing answers outright, allowing their team members to learn the core concepts together. They documented their approach to team agreements and trust-building exercises, which helped shift the behavior from informal to structural.

The reporter's one-on-one meeting with their program director focused on the reporter's self-awareness and emotional intelligence development. While they had listed emotional intelligence and self-awareness as areas for growth, the program director pointed out the reporter's tendency to hold back in discussions. This revelation presented a paradox – the reporter was both the person who took on excessive work and the one who rarely spoke up in team meetings.

The reporter recognized that these two behaviors were interconnected – avoiding confrontation while tackling tasks quietly masked their inability to communicate openly.

Consequently, the reporter committed to seeking first to understand before being understood. They applied the principle of actively listening and sharing ideas more openly, drawing inspiration from Stephen Covey's "7 Habits of Highly Effective People." As they implemented this change, their team began to observe the reporter engaging more in conversations and offering constructive feedback.

The reporter's first High Tea experience demonstrated their newfound confidence in openly contributing to team interactions. The roundtable format provided an opportunity for the reporter to learn about their teammates and introduce them in turn, fostering a more open and collaborative environment.