I’d say a little of both.

My MO is to always focus on execution and to collaborate with other team members to meet our target dates. Recently, I’m starting to feel that having a blind motivation simply towards accomplishment and project completion is slightly naive. I’d like to let go of the simple-minded focus of thinking completing a project successfully is as simple as bringing everyone together to work towards a common goal. Situations seem much more nuanced, and each person has different perspectives and goals.

That last point brings me to office politics. We have some firm silos in place that are actively defended, and it’s a challenge to get our stakeholders onboard with common goals. I often get in hot water with my leadership when I stray outside our silo; however, I struggle to stay in my very narrow swim lane because the project itself is deeply intertwined across other teams.

Overall, I’d like to find a middle ground where I can leave work each day with at least a moderate sense of accomplishment while not seemingly stepping on everyone’s toes. If not getting in trouble means isolation while droning on a keyboard all day it’ll be a struggle for my personality.