Fresh Perspectives as a new old CEO

I’ve gone back to my old job. It’s really a new old job.

I've been thinking about how to write about it. Where do I share it? Do I share it? What depth do I go to? There’s a small team behind Ministry of Testing, I don’t feel I can be as open as I would be if I were a creator on my own accord.

I guess I'll share lightweight thoughts mostly here (what you are reading now) and within the community for now, partly to build up my confidence. Partly to figure out what I feel comfortable sharing.

I’m back to being CEO at Ministry of Testing. It's been about 3 weeks now since I took over, but a few more weeks before that as I was planning the transition. It wasn't what was planned. And it was perhaps the most stressful thing I’ve ever been through.

But it is what it is, and I'm taking it in my stride. There are many positives to take away from a hard situation. I definitely feel stronger for it.

I’m embracing the fractional mindset by balancing it alongside Rosieland. It’s been challenging and far from ideal, but I do feel I’m starting to find my forever imperfect flow.

I'm trying to come into the new Ministry of Testing role with a new perspective and a new set of lenses. I stepped back for about 4 or 5 years, and I guess I come in with a different lens. That's kind of where my head is at the moment.

I started this company back in 2007, or at least efforts towards it. It didn't become a company properly until around 2010. But it's been a few years since I’ve been directly involved. I still own the company. I still believe in it. It’s still 100% indie.

The deeper I go into where the company is at the moment, I'm starting to see things from very different perspectives. I'm starting to see opportunitiesand the things we should be focusing on. I see things in a new way. New opportunities. Old opportunities. I see things that need to be gotten rid of. Things that don't make sense. All sorts of stuff, but mostly I think just coming in with a new perspective. A fresh rosie perspective where I’ve spent years deeply building and learning about indie businesses and communities.

I'm really trying to rethink and ask questions, looking at everything and trying to learn what exists, why and decide: Is this what's needed? Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. I’m interested and motivated for the future!

Whilst I was aware of certain things happening and the direction, I'd stepped back enough to stop paying attention to the detail. But now I'm going in, getting to know the team better again, getting to understand everything that's going on, and seeing it from a new lens again.

My lens is constantly changing too. I'm trying to apply a bit of critical thinking. I'm trying to make decisions based on good information as well, rather than hasty decisions. And it’s still early days, but I'm always changing my mind at the moment about what needs to be done. Some things are clearer than others. Everything is shifting with each conversation I have.

It's kind of fun and exciting again. It's a challenge, certainly a challenge.

I wrote this with the help of AudioPen. It helped speed up my writing. Let me know what you think!