Chloe Burger

Professional Testing

Are you an innovator? The world changes quicker and quicker. Changing from structured testing in waterfall projects to testing complex landscapes. From being a tester in a dedicated test team to a developer in a scrum team. Change is the new status quo. Not just technical skills will help you survive, also important is your adaptability and ability to connect with the people around you.

Sudden and unexpected change triggers your primal brain (amygdala) –Fight, Flight or Freeze. None of these states allows you to think freely, learn and explore… In an ever-changing environment it is very important to find your way to stay open-minded, ready to learn and ready for today’s challenges. How to spark your inner-innovator?

My story is about how I learned to spark my inner-innovator. One day I was hit by a total shutdown. I learned one of my pitfalls is the feeling of having the responsibility for ‘world rescue’. As I was not aware of this and simply doing it, I got overdosed of adrenaline. That was the time I started to think more on the how’s and why’s of change/stress. Time to beat the system!

A lot of exercise, reading, YouTube-learning and active relaxing brought me a lot of insights on how to deal with this new status quo. Topics that helped me include:

• The ladder of inference: practice to find time to reflect between things happening around us and the free choice of reacting on this
• Find your eye in the hurricane: Make time for (re)balance and self-reflection
• Creating flow. What would you like to be(come), and what is expected from you? The closer you can get them together, the happier you will feel.
• Circle of 8. Do you see opportunities or problems?

How do you change your working well into working better, a little bit, every day? Happiness is the secret to your success.

Key Takeaways:

• Change is the new status quo – how to deal with it?
• Life is a journey – be aware and enjoy the ride
• Only you can spark your inner-innovator

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