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A New Place

As another layer of the onion of me is peeled back, I find I am in a new place. A good place. A happy place. I understand that I used to strive to become something or someone that had a big title or an impressive job. A way to say, "Look at me. I did well for myself!" or "See me!", but something has changed within me and that part isn't so important anymore.

When I took this job back in November, I was so excited to be on the executive team and to have a Senior Director title. That's all well and good, but what I have found is that it's not my title or where I sit in the hierarchy that really drives me now, but how I can be a part of making a difference. How I can help change come to be. How reinvesting in the people here with what I have learned and the experiences I have had. These people want to be challenged and to learn and I am all too willing to accommodate and encourage that willingness. I love the people part--to mentor and develop them. To challenge and stretch them. To see them grow into tomorrow's leaders.

This week, I got to dig in with my new team. Today is the last week of my formal transition into the Support Center, and I am happy as can be. I love being back into the deep people management and development arena. Yes, we have to take calls and develop reusable process, but the base of it is all about the people. The people make all those things possible. If we get the people part right, the rest works out. The best part is, the managers for each of the areas get that and want to become better for the people who report to them, too. It is so exciting!

During my interview process, they had talked to me about taking over the support center. At that time, I felt that was a step back and wasn't into doing it. As I figured me out more and more, I realized that stepping back into something I love and can be an influence in is never a step back. Plus, as the saying goes, "It's not all about me!" I struggled in the pricing area of my former role because that's not my strength. Accounting and formulating cost uplifts and stuff makes my brain go blank. Thankfully, I was good in the other areas such as asking the right business and solution-focused questions as well as understanding technology. I also go to invest in the director there who had long struggled with not having the support he needed to take things where he wanted them to go. He's the star of the story. I just did the blocking and tackling to make a way for him to shine even brighter. He's going to continue to do great things with that team, too, and for that I am so very happy that I got to be a part of that story.

So, this new place is somewhere I can certainly get used to...for a while...

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