Success Stories

Putting off things I don't want to do...
It's a bad habit of mine.

In my mind, I draw a line between "interesting work" and "uninteresting work," and I tend to prioritize the interesting work.

It's not that uninteresting work equals unpleasant work, though. I'm actually quite good at tasks like endlessly sorting packages coming down a conveyor belt, and I used to do things like inputting data into Excel all day long quite often (in the past).

At large companies, they often use the term "success story" to highlight individual or team achievements (as a sort of interim report). I think that's a good initiative. It likely boosts individual motivation and increases internal visibility.

However, when a higher-up suddenly mandates, "You must present one success story at every weekly meeting!" it immediately starts to go wrong.

"We reached △△ on our annual goal of 〇〇!"
"I organized the shared space and made it easier to use!"
"A new employee joined the team!"
"***-san has reached their one-year anniversary!"

...and so on, all sorts of vague success stories start flying around, and since the higher-ups were the ones who asked for it, they end up reacting with, "Wonderful! Clap, clap, clap..."

There is no meaning in a forced, after-the-fact success.
What's important is not the "success" part, but the "story" part.

What kind of thoughts does that person have while working on that task? What did they struggle with, and how did they overcome it? How did their way of thinking or their relationships with those around them change through that work? ...I want to shine a spotlight on that.

Perhaps I define "interesting work" as work where there is a high possibility that someone (or I myself) can craft such a story.