Trying on a New Hat

We all have our roles to play in an organization. Depending on the size of the company, you may wear many hats to cover several responsibilities. But, what if you need to put on a new hat, even just for a day?

Hey all! Beau here, jumping in to write this week’s blog post. John is on a well-deserved family vacation, and the show (blog) must go on. As you may or may not know, John writes our OrangeBall Insights posts each week and does an absolutely stellar job! I hope you agree. With John out, it provided the opportunity for me to step in and step up to pen this post and wear John’s hat for a day.

So, the first question was, of course: What do I write about? As with many of our other posts, life provides topics. In talking with Jessica, she said, “It could be about stepping in to cover for a teammate…” Bingo! We’ve all been there, and it usually doesn’t happen at the most convenient times. Truth be told, as I write this, I’m cruising in a car at 70 MPH in western Minnesota, heading to a family event and using my phone’s hotspot. Don’t worry; my brother is driving. Gotta love technology!

Here are a few observations from this experience:

Processes Are Important
Making something repeatable and streamlined is one key to success. I’m thankful we have a post-writing process in place because it makes it much easier for me to step in and help out. Some processes need to be rigid and followed to a T, while others simply provide boundaries, allowing for some wiggle room and creativity. Either way, trust the process! From here, Ciara will proof, improve, add relevant links, and post this to our website. It will then be scheduled for delivery to your inbox. Thank you, Ciara (and Grammarly)!

Your Personal Touch
Back to that “wiggle room” comment. If the hat you’re trying on allows for it, put your own polish on the work. It’s your opportunity to shine, go above and beyond, or even improve on a process. Your perspective can provide valuable insight, which can make the end result even better next time around. And, making it your own will make it more fun as well!

Get Feedback
As with trying anything new, there’s always the fear of failure. To help alleviate your stress, run it by your teammates (or those riding in the car with you) and get their feedback. The second set of eyes, and ideas, is helpful and takes some pressure off. If you shoulder the task together, you can share skills and experience to make the product of your hard work more polished and ready for the world, and make it easier on you as well. Make it a team effort for less effort!

Call-to-Action
We’re all busy and adding one more thing to the plate isn’t ideal. But, we challenge you to look for an opportunity to step in, step up, and help out. So, put on that new hat! When you do, trust the process, make it your own, get feedback, do your best, and enjoy the journey. You’ll appreciate it, and so will the person you’re covering for.

Ready for more?
OrangeBall Insights has always been a place to share ideas, explore our purpose and leadership, and chat a little bit about marketing. If this resonated and you’d like to receive weekly ways to bounce higher every day, subscribe here.