Where has all my doapmine gone

Seniority and the Diminishing Quick Wins

Advancing into leadership roles and gaining seniority in my career has introduced a significant challenge: the necessity of adopting a long-term outlook on achievements.

This transition appears to be a universal aspect of gaining seniority (based on a few of the chats I’ve had). However, dealing with ADHD has made navigating this shift particularly challenging for me.

The Core of the Issue

At its heart, the challenge is the transformation in the nature of responsibilities and perspectives that comes with seniority. In the early stages of a career, there’s a constant thrill in learning new things, completing features, and having a tangible ‘definition of done’ for tasks. As one progresses to more senior roles, the focus inevitably shifts. Although there are still immediate problems to solve -a balance between being an individual contributor and a leader is possible- the emphasis on strategic and long-term work becomes much more significant.

This shift towards long-term ogals can be rewarding. However, it often lacks the immediate gratification and dopamine rush associated with task completion. The new rewards lie in witnessing the fruition of projects or seeing team members achieve their career aspirations over potentially years.

While ultimately has left me often wondering just where has all the dopamine gone.

Reflecting on my missteps

Reflecting on my journey, I recognize how my pursuit of immediate gratification has sometimes led me astray, impacting both my work and my team:

• I found myself overcommitting to tasks that were better suited for individual contributors, at the expense of my strategic responsibilities.
• My work hours extended far beyond what was healthy or sustainable, setting a poor example for my team and my impacting my own wellbeing.
• I attempted to compress the timeline of significant projects to achieve a quicker sense of completion.
• I inadvertently became a bottleneck as too many tasks hinged on my direct involvement.

My Approach to Improvement

Recognising this mismatch between the short-term wins I was looking for and the longer-term goals that my role requires has been a big step in trying to address it. It will always be an ongoing process, I still tend to work more hours than I should, but I’m slowly learning strategies which are helping:

• Restricting my role as an individual contributor to early-stage proofs of concept or smaller features that are seperate to the teams wider work.
• Actively seeking feedback to ensure I am modeling the right behaviors for my team.
• Allocating more time to personal projects, as highlighted on the projects page of this site.
• Increasing my recognition and celebration of my team members’ achievements.
• Being open with folk about when I’ve worked late but am taking off early during the day to look after myself
• Collecting data on the impact of ongoing, long-term projects to appreciate their incremental benefits.

Additionally, time has played a crucial role. As I’ve settled into my senior roles, projects initiated in the past are coming to fruition, providing a unique sense of satisfaction.

Embracing the Shift

The transition from seeking immediate rewards to appreciating the value of long-term success is challenging. Our natural inclination towards quick wins can be hard to overcome, especially for those of us, like myself, who feel this urge more acutely. However, by stepping back to appreciate the broader impact of our work and finding ways to celebrate short-term successes within this larger context, I’ve found a renewed sense of fulfillment in my role.

Ultimately, I not only enjoy the positions I’ve grown into, but I’m also learning to be a better leader and coming to grips with my own limitations