The Journey
Greetings, friends: fellow workers, wanderers, students, leaders, and explorers. Thank you for joining me on this journey - the one where I said we would embark together, should you choose to join, to discover what it looks like to “operate well."
I'll explain more about why we're on a journey soon.
But first, about the discovery mission. It's not a coincidence that I am using the name of my consulting company, “operate well," as the destination of this journey. I chose this name in 2020 as I was deeply exploring what I wanted to do for work.
My time at the large aerospace company was coming to an end. I needed a new path, something more aligned with my skills, where I had more agency and impact and could directly help others. Choosing to help small organizations discover what it meant to "operate well" felt interesting, exciting, and helpful. It was a step toward finding work that is authentic to me.
Alignment, agency, and impact (both organizational and social) are still key pieces of what makes work work for me, and there's more that I've discovered since then. My journey to help organizations "operate well" reflects my desire to have a harmonious, flowing, fruitful, and authentic work life. By extension, I've set my eyes on assisting others, individuals and groups, with the same.
I'm choosing to share my thoughts about what it means to "operate well" using the metaphor of a discovery mission (cue music from Star Trek 'Discovery') because I wish to see people and organizations in a place of fruitful flow, a place that makes them happy. That said, getting there isn't a one-size-fits-all path. It's a journey that requires awareness - picking up on the clues, the themes, the pains, and the joys - as a team and as an individual and using these as markers on your way to where you'd like to be.
- It's a journey of recognition
- It's a journey of continuous improvement
- It's a journey of appreciation and honesty
I want to create content that will inspire you and lead you and your team to a wonderful place of thriving together - where work is working and where you or your organization can have the most significant impact - delivering your unique, relevant offerings to the world.
Here are some themes I'd like to bring to your mailbox (or feed) over the next few months:
- Getting started: What type of structure (or lack thereof) do your organized efforts need at this moment in time?
- Listening practice: The wonders that slowing down and listening thoughtfully to oneself and others can do for everyone
- Acknowledging why you (and your org) operate the way you do
- Beginning again: Exploring how to hold and attend to the needs of this moment
- How care, coupled with honesty, can lead to actions, plans, and goals that fit
Thank you for embarking on the journey to Operate Well at work with me!