I struggled and procrastinated a lot through University. I suffered with depression and wasn’t doing well with my degree. I was disheartened. Even though I didn’t fail my degree, to me I felt like a failure. All my peers went on to secure jobs in banking, as lawyers, in the top consulting firms. I began temping in jobs that did not challenge me but I decided to push myself and work my way up the ladder. One temporary role become permanent and I received two further promotions within three years.
I’d found my stride and up skilled so I could work on the most exciting projects within the company.
Kerri L Watt: That vulnerability and speaking about failure is something a lot of people will be able to resonate with, especially the idea of not failing on paper but feeling a failure to yourself. What are your thoughts on the competitive element of failure, whereby we constantly judge our success to our peers?
Karlene Agard: It’s fuelled by social media, you only see the airbrushed versions of people’s lives. People will talk proudly on each platform but rarely talk about their struggles. It’s as if we only feel appropriate to share the positives in our lives and that it isn’t conventional to present the full picture. We have to always remember that at times when we think we’ve failed, when we feel isolated and unable to relate to others, that we all have our own struggles. We need to look beyond the surface of social media.
People have said to me how well I am doing and I have to remind them of what happens behind the scenes. I highlight that we only choose to share a fragment of our lives, and a filtered one at that.
Kerri L Watt: How do you think that early fear of failure fuelled your fire to succeed and sculpt your journey later in your career?
Karlene Agard: My journey could have definitely been different. I wouldn’t have found the job I loved that came from a temporary job when I sought an alternative career. So who knows? In one sense it was fortuitous. It happened early enough for me to accept it and move onto a career that I’ve been incredibly happy with since.
Kerri L Watt: So let’s discuss the work you do a little more, and the effect it can have on businesses. What are the advantages for companies that want to commit to risk and value management?
Karlene Agard: When you look at risk management, it will help you to make decisions. If you’re weighing up two options considering whether to go with option A or option B, option A may appear on the surface to be more profitable, but if you haven’t analysed the risk then it might be the case that B is more profitable. If you choose option A , you’ve lost out on money or time- which is why it’s imperative to understand the risk element in business decisions.
Value management on the other hand is resource maximisation. When you’re beginning an initiative, it’s about understanding that you clearly define your necessary outcomes. People, particularly in project management, have a real tendency to want to get things done. This is where the issue can stem from, as you need to ensure you fully understand the problem that you’re solving before you try and solve it. You may even come up with a solution that doesn’t get you to what you need.
The two work together organically to create a much stronger project management leadership to protect the business’ best interest.
To learn more about Karlene Agard and her company Aravun go to www.aravun.com.
