Equally valid symptoms for having dysfunctional leadership.
Signs you might be in "Survival Mode"
11–20 of 34 posts
Re: Signs you might be in "Survival Mode"
#12I feel exactly like this but regarding my studies at university
OK, a few suggestions (which you might be sick of hearing, but restating the basics can some times help)
1) Get the calendar for deadlines for assignments and dates for the exams for all the modules. Synthesise all the dates onto a single planner. Work out the order of priorities.
2) Make a time plan for the week and try to stick to it. The plan must include breaks and (at least) a day off a week. Do things with other people in the day off and at certain times of day like meals.
3) Get topic lists for each module and check them off as you study those topics.
4) Find other people at about your 'level' of confidence in each module and try to buddy up with them for study periods in the library...
5) ...find a place to study that isn't your own room/house/wherever. Libraries can be good, as you have to get work done, but somewhere else helps as long as it is away from where you sleep (&c).
6) Reduce friction to getting started. Keep notes, study guides, any equipment and textbooks for each module organised. Pop them into your bag as you go off to the study location. Pack the night before if possible. Put the bookmarks to module Websites on your Web-browser tool bar. Use a password manager so you don't even need to authenticate.
7) Google The Pomodoro Method for the actual study time. The author has gone commercial now but there are summaries. Its easy.
Any good?
EDIT: 8) At the end of each study day, prepare the stuff you need for tomorrow. Try to find an easy task on whatever is on the time plan that will get you started (the Hemingway strategy).
Re: Signs you might be in "Survival Mode"
#13This could also be read as - "Signs you might be in a startup"
I think just about every software company I've worked for exhibited most, if not all, of these traits. Two in particular:
Urgency
I've observed, on several occasions, at multiple companies, senior managers talking openly about deliberately instilling "a sense of constant urgency" into the team. I don't know if we were perceived as unmotivated (we were) or if there was some external threat coming that warranted urgency (debatable), or whether management just picked up on the "a sense of urgency" phrase from some HBS article (probably). Either way, the end result was this kind of "forced urgency" with motivational speeches about how we should all feel urgency about the company's success, and that every task assigned to everyone was always an emergency. Needless to say, it was a great place to work.
Reaction Mode
I've worked at very few software companies that seemed to have an actual long term plan AND were willing to stick to it. It's easier to "just do what the customers are asking for today and then change to do what they are asking for tomorrow". I've worked at companies that pretended to be selling a product, when, in reality, nobody wanted their product as-is and they would get roped into constantly doing custom engineering for VIP customers (bonus: every customer was a VIP customer). So, while the team would be ostensibly working on improving their core product, in reality, they were adding buzzers and lights that had little to do with the core function of the product, in order to react to what one or two customers wanted. The recent "agile" craze has not helped in this regard.
Re: Signs you might be in "Survival Mode"
#14I thought learning by isolation would be a way to enforce deep understanding, it turned exactly into what's described there. Time for a change.
Re: Signs you might be in "Survival Mode"
#15Living in survival mode past couple of years. It's beyond painful.
Re: Signs you might be in "Survival Mode"
#16There's a quicker method of identifying "survival mode": just ask your accounting/finance officer about your cash flow for the last quarter and the projection for the next.
If your company isn't able to cover its burn rate and keep some cash for these two things:
1. Setting up a growth plan (more revenue), or 2. Continuing pivoting until you find something that allows you to do 1 ...
... you're in survival mode.
In survival mode, the only move is to lower your metabolic rate or burn rate. Much like a body would shut down non-critical functions just to "survive" so too will the company need to eliminate non-critical expenses. All this simply to buy more time for a eureka moment that will answer your growth question.
Tough as hell.
Re: Signs you might be in "Survival Mode"
#17Well said, describes where I'm at now. Many people associate these signs exclusively with "burnout" but my problem with that term and thought is that it feels "terminal"-- meaning there is no fixing it apart from quitting and taking time off, finding a new idea/company you are passionate about and trying again.
I think it's common to be in this state without being what I'd call "burned out." If your management doesn't understand or support your team, and have undue expectations, that could easily put you in "survival mode."
Re: Signs you might be in "Survival Mode"
#18Living in survival mode past couple of years. It's beyond painful.
:-)
Hang in there! We are in the same boat too. Our problem is that we thought we had a growth problem until recently, only it turned out that we have more of a strategy problem. What are we selling? To whom are we selling? Do they even want "it"!??
Re: Signs you might be in "Survival Mode"
#19Living in survival mode past couple of years. It's beyond painful.
Me too. Maybe those who have doubts if they are in survival mode should also check if they are burnt out at the same time. To identify the problem is the first step solving it.
Re: Signs you might be in "Survival Mode"
#20Ever seen those web adverts that list a few generic health problems and ask you to 'click here', or read a horoscope that makes claims almost anyone can relate to?
So how is this different? Why so many upvotes...really, this is just more spam - is it not?