Greener Grass, Pt. 2

It's true. I could have gotten just "a job" to fill the gaps after I was laid off back in December. I probably could have made freelancing stretch for a while... I could have made coffee... I might have even been able to squeeze back in at the pediatrician's office where I worked right out of college. But those weren't God's plans for me, and I'm beyond grateful for that. I was able to get my current job, with a thriving company, working in my field, and my responsibilities have even grown since I started in February. I still have to look around and pinch myself to be sure it's all real.

It's been hard not to compare the new job to the old one. When people ask me how things are going, I usually end up making at least one comparison to where I came from. I know it's not fair... jobs are like boyfriends⎯none of them are going to have all the same good or bad qualities. But sometimes you think you have it pretty good until something truly great comes along, and in the loss for words to describe the greatness, you contrast it with the good. 

And, I was in such a vulnerable place by the time I came to my new job. I was humbled and stretched, but I was also doubtful and lacking trust. I had been burned by the good thing, and it took a while to let the wounds heal and my heart open up again. It might sound melodramatic, but that was my first, adult experience with Corporate America. My tender heart is not cut out for that country. I hope to not visit it again for a loooong, long time.

I'd much rather stay in a place that exercises these kinds of ideals, and deal with all of the strange transitioning and reconditioning that comes with it. It's a beautiful mess.

1) A company-wide ideal of communicating well, early, and often. We have company-wide, weekly staff meetings and devotionals, where announcements are made, praises and pats on the back are given, and prayer requests are heard and prayed for.

2) We do work that matters. We all hear testimonies of changed lives as a result of our work. Our leaders hear our point of view on a weekly basis through reports and team meetings, and we receive our leaders' feedback and encouragement. We're not all holed up in cubes, working away with no sense of accomplishment. We're reminded every week that we're a team, and we're making things happen in the world.

3) Absolutely no gossip. I thought it was too good to be true, too. But it isn't. We don't talk behind each other's backs, not even to vent. If you have an issue, you take it to the person (leader) who can handle it. This is probably the single most freeing aspect of this place!

4) We don't worship processes. Being a process person myself, this is hard to always bow to. But I can see the freedom and benefits in it. Just because we find an efficient way to do something, we don't stop thinking creatively and lean on that process alone. The only consistent thing is change.

5) I could keep going, but I'll end with how these ideals affect a work force. Because there is communication, praise, feedback, perspective, freedom, creativity, and room for growth, people work hard and excellently. There is no "drumming up" drive. It just exists as a natural result of these things. There is lots of laughter along with the hard work, and at the end of the day, I feel spent and satisfied.

And then, there are the "perks" of the job⎯the things I received which I didn't expect at all. The icing on the cake. Those have been: team members who already feel like (and treat me like) family, two large computer monitors, a desk with a window, pretty art on the walls, free lunch every week, and a more scenic commute, to name a few.

I hope that everyone can experience this kind of workplace at some point in their lives. It has been an impetus for revival on many levels for me. I hope to continue working here for a long time, but I know that no matter where I go in my work life, I will take these ideals with me from this point on. Hopefully the grass will continue to grow greener.