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2 x 4 – Hard-Hitting Life Advice from TMBC’s Strengths Experts
I make about the same at my freelancing gig as I do at my day job. How do I know when I’m ready to quit and go solo?
“Don’t quit your day job” may be sound advice for karaoke singers, but it doesn’t always apply to the rest of us. That you’re asking the question at all indicates to us that your freelance gig is the true source of your passion, while the day job is a way to pay the bills. So our guess is that you already know you’re ready to go solo, when it comes to doing what you love to do.
The answer to your question thus becomes quite simple to work out: can you live on the money you’re making as a freelancer? What changes would you have to make to account for reduced income (at least at first—doing what you love can have a tendency to bring in other rewards, too)? You do have to keep in mind not just the amount of money you’re taking in, but whether you’re prepared to handle being untethered from the workaday world. Do you need the benefits of a regular 9-to-5 job? Do you need the structure in your life? Do you need the social contacts? Playing to your strengths is by far the most important factor in anyone’s career, but that doesn’t mean that other factors don’t have weight. If you examine them thoroughly and realize that you can manage, then all we can say is: congratulations!
What are the steps I should take if 2 members of my team are not working well together?
First of all, encourage these individuals to have a conversation in which they discuss what would need to happen for them to work together in a more powerful way. If necessary, you can mediate this meeting to capture/understand the agreements they make. Ask both people to consider the following questions in advance of the meeting:
- What would working well together look like? (We would check in every week and provide a written status on each other’s respective projects; we’d collaborate more; we’d be curious first, critical second; we would be respectful of each other’s time and space, etc.; we’d have fun together.)
- What agreements do we need to make to each other to support working well? (E.g., consult on outcomes; agree on timelines/priorities; respond to e-mail requests within 24 hours.)
- How would I need to show up to support that ideal? (E.g., I need to be more responsive/ I need to make sure I do written follow ups with clear time-line expectations; I shouldn’t assume something is wrong until I get the full facts of a situation; I need to consistently meet my commitments.)
As a manager, you want to facilitate a communication between these two employees, but you want to encourage them to be responsible for resolving the conflict. Avoid getting caught in a he-said, she-said situation and drive to a place where it’s a we- said situation and agreement.
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