"Now that you've been promoted, everything you did before with excellence is now considered mediocre at best - remember that".
I spent the last two weeks on vacation galavanting around the country with my beautiful and wonderful bride of 28 years. With my mind clear and refreshed, I sat down at my desk on Monday ready to jump back into the daily grind. As I prepared to process emails, to-do's, project plans and other related lists, I reflected on the quote above from a director who championed a promotion in a previous lifetime. Having recently received a promotion to Principal Architect, I realized I need evaluate what I am doing in the light of moving from what is now 'mediocre' to the new 'excellent'.
The move from an engineering tech lead role to an architect role requires rethinking how I approach my work. Specifically, I need to shift even more from 'doing' to 'enabling' while still remaining technically relevant. In addition to the technical advancements I need to keep up on, I also need to keep current on interpersonal skills - something I didn't really worry about as an engineer 'back in the day'.
I look forward to the new challenge the role presents - and I look forward to finding the new 'excellent' as I learn more about leadership and team building while trying to keep up on an ever-changing industry.
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