“The worst times can be the best if you think with positive energy”
Domenico Dolce
OctopOSS projects can be highly stressful workplaces, especially as “dreadlines” approach. To exacerbate this further, it is common for the OSS project team (particularly the vendor’s implementation team) to comprise of many members who are working away from home and their associated support mechanisms.
Team development often focuses on building a team that is technically capable of delivering a project, but there is another personality trait that I value incredibly highly for remote implementation teams (and all teams for that matter) – a positive attitude.
Tolerance, compassion and empathy are essential, but energy, humour and enthusiasm have contagious impacts on the project team, just as negativity can inversely effect the overall health of the team. I have observed both and seen the impact of both. As such, I personally try to bring humour and positivity to every project team I work with.
According to a research paper by Fowler and Christakis in the field of positive psychology, “People’s happiness depends on the happiness of others with whom they are connected. This provides further justification for seeing happiness, like health, as a collective phenomenon.”
A separate study has identified that happier workers were 12% more productive and unhappier workers were 10% less productive.
These two studies present a compelling reason for vendors and customers to work together to make their OctopOSS projects more enjoyable rather than high-pressured.
Standing out in a highly saturated and fragmented OSS market can be really difficult. We’re regularly involved in bake-offs where we see dozens of OSS
One of the things I love about my job is all the vendor demos I get to see. Product demos are one of the four
Have you read the book, “The 4-hour work week” by Tim Ferris? It was one of those relatively rare books that inspired a complete mindset
Over the years, we’ve been involved in many OSS procurement events and have seen a variety of different pricing models proposed by vendors. Being software,
Here at Passionate About OSS, we are exactly that – Passionate About OSS (Operational Support Systems). We’re also passionate about BSS, NMS, or any other names you call the tools that help to operationalise your network.
