That greener grass…

Sometimes when the grass seems greener, you get closer and realize it’s just fertilized with different manure. 

At the beginning of this year, I left the safe harbor of a company where I had built a career for the open water of a growing company that wanted my help to breathe new life into their training program.   The leadership changed within my first month in the role, and the future vision I had signed up for no longer existed.  Suffice it to say, I was disappointed to not get the opportunity to build a program from the ground up, let alone dealing with the micromanagement and 180 degree change in direction from the new leader.  

It would have been really easy to be discouraged, and to be honest, I was for a time.  I spent a few days really bummed with myself; how could I have walked away from a job I loved for so long, just to find an organization where on the best days I had an hour of job satisfaction?  Eventually I realized I was mourning a job that didn’t really exist anymore.  My beloved manager had left a month or so before I did at my previous job, the role had continued to evolve and the group I supported only had one or two (out of dozens) leaders still around.  That realization helped me determine that I didn’t necessarily make a mistake in leaving, but that didn’t mean I had to stay, so my job search began in late April.  

As the next opportunities began to appear, I realized I needed to be more thoughtful and intentional in my career decisions.  Asking better questions in the interview process and understanding the short and longer term goals of an organization were now much more important.  After a former leader shared an opening at her company – a large employer in our city that many former coworkers now call home, and the experience with the recruiter and hiring manager created a confidence in this being the right spot for me.  I received a generous job offer from them in June, turning down a couple of other opportunities in the works, and started in mid-July.  

From the moment I walked in the door on my first day, I’ve been overwhelmed by the kindness and team spirit by those on my team and in the office.  After primarily working from home for the past four years, I’m spending more time in a local office, working with teammates around the globe.  

I’m so grateful to call this place home, and to build the next phase of my career here.