Back in December, not too long after I lost my job at a former employer who shall remain nameless, I wrote about what I was looking for in a workplace. This was my ideal, and everything that had been missing in every job I had ever had. I never expected to find a place that would meet all the items on the list. But looking back now….just wow. I’m just shocked to see that I met literally every single one of my goals when I joined Southern New Hampshire University as their Director of Social Media. Here’s what I wrote back then, and what I’m experiencing now.
I want a company where it’s OK for employees to be passionate about their work and their industry.
I work with some of the most passionate people I’ve met in my life. They strive to be perceived as the best at what they do. It’s invigorating.
I want a company that is loyal to their employees, and that makes a serious investment in their success.
SNHU invests more in their employees than most places I’ve come into contact with. It’s a thrilling environment to be in and the opportunities are there for the taking.
I want a company that is supportive of employees speaking at conferences and being involved in their professional community since this only makes people more passionate about what they do.
Done. I’ve got approval to go to all of my conferences for the year and will be starting speaking again after a year and a half of not being allowed to. The benefits of speaking (i.e. free conferences/learning opportunities) are acknowledged.
I want a company that encourages brainstorming and new ideas…and where it’s ok to disagree.
I’ve had some of the best fights in this office….but all in a really positive way (if that makes sense!). People make their arguments with passion.
I want a company where it’s ok to make mistakes as long as you make improvements.
Mistakes are OK as long as you don’t make them again. Experimentation is encouraged.
I want a company that is committed to building processes that make sense.
We work fast but we can also slow things down to build scalable processes.
I want a company that does more than pay lip service to problems…they make real and tangible improvements.
Yes, yes, yes.
I want a company that is data-driven in their decision making.
I was just in a meeting this morning where the big boss was demanding data. He’s my kind of guy.
I want a company where senior leadership are open to hearing about real problems, even if improvements aren’t made right away.
Not only do they want to hear about them, but they’ll offer up real solutions when presented with real problems.
I want a company where successes are celebrated rather than envied.
With every success I’ve had in my short time here, I’ve had nothing but positive feedback.
I want a company that allows me to have an outside life…to train for and run marathons and go to school and to have passions that have nothing to do with work.
Wouldn’t you know it, they view these as good things!
Lots of people out there are dealing with losing their job right now, among them some good friends of mine. And I know this will be impossible for them to hear now, just like it was impossible for me to understand it at the time. But I’m really writing this for them. Losing my job was the best thing that could have happened to me. Very few people know this but just prior to me losing my job, my parents staged a mini-intervention because they were worried for my health with how much I was working. I knew I was unhappy, but didn’t realize how miserable I was until I wasn’t anymore. I may have been depressed for a little while (and am still dealing with the subsequent weight gain from that depression, thanks to consuming copious amounts of brownie batter) but here’s what I came out with: I get to work at a job I love, doing exactly what I want to be doing with a group of awesome people. I get to be in an industry I adore and involved in my professional community again. I get to look forward to coming into the office every day. And, because I was consulting almost immediately and had an income coming in, I saved my “severance bonus” and used it to make a down payment on my first house (with just enough money left over to buy an iPad 2).
I’m seriously the luckiest girl in the world.
If you find yourself in the position I did, just remember to stay positive and look for opportunities rather than focusing on negatives. Something will come along and you may even find yourself in a much better position. It sounds cliche, but everything happens for a reason.
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