Today was an interesting day at work. I had conversations with two different people from the team I was hired into when I started with my current employer two years ago. Neither of them are happy where they are. One has surrendered, essentially, and is just going to do whatever they assign her until she’s either had enough or retires. The other has had enough and has taken a position with a different group–one we used to only half-jokingly consider “the enemy.”
As I listened to both of them I realized that I felt sorry for their situations, but I couldn’t really share their pain. I’m enjoying where I’m at. I landed in a place that seems to be a good fit for me. My manager is supportive, actively interested in what I’m doing, and is working with me to develop my career in new directions. She’s probably as close to a mentor as I’ve ever experienced in my career. She is pleased with my work, and she’s evidently been telling her boss good things about me.
This is all doing wonders for my confidence and motivation levels, of course. I’m starting to be more proactive and putting myself out there more, realizing that while the company structure baffles me, it’s in my best interest to figure it out, find out who does what I see needing done, and build relationships with them. I’m coming out of my shell, and it’s kinda exciting to watch. Go me!
The thing is, I can’t take much credit for any of this, except on the most basic level that I’ve tried to be open to the changes they put us all through during the past year, and I’ve done my best in the various situations I’ve found myself in as a result. Everything else has just been good fortune, luck, blessings, divine intervention, or whatever you want to call it. I just happened to get a new manager who saw my capabilities and my willingness to do whatever needs doing, and put me in a spot that happened to be a really good fit. And when they shuffled the department again, I ended up with a new manager who has been taking her role to develop her team very seriously.
So when I heard my colleagues complain today I could only relate through past experience. I’ve worked other places, even within this company, that weren’t nearly so enjoyable. I understand what they’re going through, but I can’t commiserate. I had to keep my mouth shut (okay, I did brag just a little about how cool my manager is).
The pessimist in me says this can’t last. Something’s bound to go wrong eventually. But the optimist in me says that things are looking pretty good right now, and that I should hold on tight and enjoy the ride while I can. Oh sure, things could be better. I could be a internationally best-selling author raking in seven figures, or helping guide the business I helped build to open its tenth location. But at the very least it would be very foolish of me to complain. I’ve seen how things can be worse. Much worse. I’ve got nothing to really complain about.
Flames, and … well you know the rest.