What are your moments of truth? What are the crucial moments when you make the most important differences?

Get It Done Guy’s podcast on where you can improve to get the most career boost got me thinking about moments of truth at my work and in life.

If you can identify your moments of truth, you can look for ways to get even better at them.

Here’s a first pass at some of my moments of truth and how I can improve, with the really valuable ones in bold:

Problem-solving

• Pointing someone to just the right function, module, document, or bug fix that will save them tons of time: Exposure and experience
• Automating tasks through scripts: Functions, scripts, libraries, inspiration

Service

• Coaching people and helping them figure out what to do with social media: Alternatives, success stories, enablement material, metrics
• Facilitating brainstorming sessions: Facilitation and creativity techniques, raw material, experience
• Connecting the dots by bringing together people, needs, ideas, and resources: Connections, tracking system, networks and communities

Creative

• Writing about the patterns and practices I see, and how to make them even better: Communication skills, experience, broad views
• Preparing presentations: Visual and organizational metaphors, content, techniques
• Delivering presentations: Technical expertise, inspiration, return on investment
• Sharing something that prompts a serendipitous connection: Sharing, findability, communication skills

Life

• Seeing and taking opportunities to be happy: Experience, safety nets
• Planning and trying experiments: Capital, ideas, inspiration, prioritization, sharing
• Seeing and taking opportunities to express love and appreciation: Shared experiences and in-jokes, life, imagination

(It’s an interesting question to ask in conversation, too. Hmm…)

What are your moments of truth? What could help you improve those moments?