My very first day working at Menlo I walked in, said hello to a few people, then James Goebel told me I was going to go with Carol Morton over to the client site to observe someone using software for the first time.  Without skipping a beat I turned around followed Carol out the door to her car and headed off to do the observation.

Looking back on this experience it occurs to me I was unusually calm.  Calm is not a word generally used to describe me and my personality type.  Calm is something for those weird people who embrace change.  Yet the idea that I was going to Menlo’s biggest client to observe someone using software I had never seen before for an instrument I knew nothing about, didn’t bother me on that day.  The only possible explanation to this hiccup in my personality is I had a pair partner leading the way.  I trusted that she would help me.  She had been on the project and knew what she was doing.  All I had to do was follow her lead.  That’s easy.  I can do that.

Mine is not an unusual story.  Most Menlonians can fondly recall the crazy situation they were thrown into on their first day.  This is the power of pairing.  Rather than being left alone to feel stupid and less than useful, I was empowered and productive on my very first day!  I want to feel this way everyday.  I want to help others feel this way.

Pairing is an opportunity to learn, teach, and collaborate.  When it goes well, it feels effortless.  When it feels like a struggle, that’s when you know you aren’t truly pairing.  It is a skill that must be practiced.  Most of all, pairing makes work fun.  It is amazing how much work can get done in an eight hour day when you are having fun.  Try it sometime.  The next time you find yourself stuck on a problem, staring at a cube wall grab someone on your team, share your keyboard, draw pictures, share your thoughts, dare to be wrong, listen to the ideas of others.  You might surprise yourself.