I have a great boss.
I’ve only had one or two in my entire working adult life, and my current one is definitely one of the best.
In the manner of great bosses (technically she’s my ‘people leader’), she is wildly proficient at her work, empathetic, calming, and a grounded leader who cares about her people doing the best work they can.
A week ago, she posted this in our team chat:
A Fresh Start
Question: What’s one word or intention you want to carry into the new year?
An older version of me would have found the question hokey, or too ‘feelingsy’ to respond to. But this is what a good leader does: makes you want to participate.
So I gave it a go and responded:
Exposure
During my career, I’ve strived to be the ‘quiet professional’ and ‘a servant leader’ letting my work ‘speak for itself.’ I’ve doubled down on hard work assuming a good team, a good manager, a good company would notice and advocate for me. Deliver value, receive value. And when it didn’t pan out as I wanted, I’ve switched roles, jobs, and companies.
It worked really well. Until it stopped.
This past year has been hell and it’s not going to be over for a while.
I’d driven myself at top speed into a wall. Mentally, emotionally, somewhat physically. And I noticed. The accolades and rewards I wasn’t earning. The friends I wasn’t making. The opportunities that stayed just out of reach.
I am constantly striving to learn, grow, and accomplish more. I am incredibly capable. But if it’s all invisible, then it is the proverbial tree falling in the unwatched forest.
So this site, This Thing, is my exposure. To start with a whisper.
My thought processes, my writings, my experiments.