The Future could be Friendly

Before I joined Sun Microsystems back in 2001, I had never been with any 1 company for more than 2 yrs.  I was learning and moving on as quick as I could.  Looking for challenges.  I had lots more energy back then.

Then 9/11 happened.  I still remember that morning.  I thought it was a hoax.  It seemed fortunate to be at a company more or less stable.  And I was at Sun.  An amazingly innovative place that created Java and many other things many don't realize.  It was a great place with an amazing work culture.

But stability is a perception.   I managed to avoid being downsized for a long time.  Cutting it close back in 2010, when Sun was acquired by Oracle.  After more than 20yrs at more or less at the same company.  I moved on to a telco.

Not having ever worked at one, I was curious to explore and see for myself how they operate.

It was mentioned to me (felt like an amber alert), that they are chaotic places.  But somehow they manage to get things done.  I took that for what it is and set out to just do the best I could possibly do.  You can't have regrets if you try your best.

Having been here now for almost 19months.  I can attest to that fact that the environment can be confusing.  That's a bit of an understatement.

Let me put it this way. For a long time I felt like I was in the middle of an ocean and could not see land in any direction.  After a while I could see something in the horizon, but unsure which was land and which was floating garbage.  Lately I could see the land I needed to get to, and even see some of the sharks and storms along the way to prepare or avoid.

With many processes and intake forms for every team, component or org.   Once you get used to it, that's all it is.  You get used to confusing processes, forms are filled for the sake of a record that no one reads.  It may seem inefficient or frustrating, but it is what it is.  The lesson I learned was that all you can do is you try to make it work for you and move forward.  It's an uneasiness that you learn to ignore.

What was ironic though is that as I was just starting to get into a groove with managing the umpteen teams and systems and processes.  A very amazing colleague & friend said that it takes a minimum of 2yrs to just start to get comfortable and not so confused.  And I was nearing that mark.

My daily stresses and fears were still there, don't get me wrong.  It wasn't a walk in the park.  However, the network I was building was becoming more etched.  It's like being blind, and now you can see, but it may be still a bit blurry.   I could tell I was on the right path.  The frequency of the questions on all the projects that were priority was lessening.  My questions were becoming more pointed.  I was becoming productive.  This cog in the corporate engine was spinning and starting to drive like it always knew it could.  It'd slip a bit sometimes, but it was now driving progress and clarity.  And that was comforting.

Here's the really ironic part of it all, that journey ended last month.  And I was gifted time to decompress and figure my next landing spot.  Grateful for the opportunity, the experience gained, and the new people that I got to meet and befriend.

First order of business after these situations was to ensure everything that I was entitled to was confirmed to be favourable and consolidated to a place I could get access and settled. This is especially critical to get done before all my work access was revoked.  Primarily financial stuff and my phone.   I returned my work tech within a week so that I could detach and move on.  But in no uncertain terms was I in a hurry to get back into the jungle.

Now is about moving forward, being selective about finding the next opportunity, that was not just a 8 out of 10 match in terms of my LinkedIn profile.  I wanted an amazing space, where I could and would amaze myself on what I know I am able to contribute, not just go through the motions to do again the next day.  It was about getting my mojo back.

 

 

Today may not be friendly, but tomorrow could be a good day.

 Groovy Baby! YEAH!