Optimising Crap

This post has been expanded from recent conversations with those who have demobilised site in the last few days.

Pretty things grow from crap. You know the "Ugly Duckling" story, the fruit tree doesn't taste as sweet without manure situation.

It is easier to remember the bad, frustrating times. It is in our nature to amplify and headline the bad than the good. We are natural at complaining and criticising…because we are never satisfied, we yearn for better and better and yet nothing earthly ultimately satisfies.

How often do you see headlines and articles like ‘Awesome Sunny Skies Spans City’, but instead we see more of the storms and the dollars that insurances will probably need to pay out. Yeah okay these gloomy articles are useful to warn people to prepare of the dangers if the weather bureau can provide enough useful advanced notice. But what about the articles on how to prepare for ‘Awesome Sunny Skies’, or ‘Rebel the Typical Night Out’. You know better-awesome-r things to converse around instead of activities such as binge-ing, or doosh doosh venues, or 'heading out with the boys to the Doll House'.

I will not deny that for the project I have been on this year has been an accomplishment, for the client, supervisors, ground crews, and the EPCM team who worked through all the ups, downs, joys and frustrations. We persevered and had fun in the end even if there were crappy moments, a lot of it.

Those who lasted longer on the project can probably concur even if it has been frustrating. Those who did not stay as long may not agree because perhaps they did not see things from the beginning, middle, end and the times it was fun and/or less stressed.

If I were to take onboard the above rant, the personal highlights and opportunities from this project would be:

1. Learnt what not to do
2. Worked with people who piss you off but at the same time can also make you laugh
3. Learnt more about the equipment and processes and how to find a solution. This outcome would not be if the conflict / issue did not arise in the first place.
4. Met a niche people who I would not interact with if I was not onsite
5. Learn to stand my ground, challenge people
6. Learnt about my flimsy, changing character, which I constantly have to work on
7. Learnt more about people and how culture affects the state of the plant, the state of the project, the work morale
8. To be good at things requires dedicated take time, ie music, fitness
9. Still learning how to not scatter the crap and leaving no room for that seed to sprout for good outcomes to grow.
10. Stilll learning not to be in a “try not to care” about things because it will frustrate me more, but instead to find that balance of “caring” to take pride in the work but at the same time not to plummet to a disappointed, negative state because that pride is hurt.
11. And probably more!

In conclusion, utilise the negative and crap around us, find or plant the seed and cultivate it to something useful. Have you been in a similar situation?

PS. Note, not all crap is useful if weeds have already take root, get rid of them.