Learnings from 2016: Connecting the Dots
Back when I was a pre-teen making dumb movies with my friends, I couldn’t imagine being where I am today.
This quote has always resonated with me. But it’s always felt too soon to begin connecting the dots. I’m 27 years old. I’ll wait until I finally settle into my career, I used to tell myself.
But this year I spent a lot of time reflecting on how I got to where I am today. And where I want to go from here.
Making those movies with my friends taught me that you don’t have to ask permission to try things. Those experiences gave us the confidence to start several film festivals in high school. Those later evolved into a nonprofit organization, which filled a need in the community. From there, we founded a small web design company. Both of these endeavors taught me to spot opportunities and the importance of timing (it’s everything).
In college, I read an article about a Boston theatre legend coming to Emerson to build a theatre company. I wanted to be a part of it. So I took a stab at what his email address might be and sent him a note. It turned out his college email address had been set up that day. My note was the first email he received. We grabbed coffee and three months later I became employee number four of what became ArtsEmerson. This experience again reinforced the value of spotting opportunities, and timing.
Had I never become comfortable jumping into the unknowns of startups, I never would have moved to Los Angeles without a job (turning down a job opportunity to stay in Boston).
My generation has a reputation for wanting The Dream Job right out of college. I was no exception. I networked my ass off, trying to land at Disney’s Imgineering division. But that’s not what happened. An opportunity to work for Disney Channel landed in my lap through a temp-agency. It was a foot in the door. Joining Disney in this capacity changed my life in many ways, though most weren’t apparent until years later.
In college I took a social media marketing class. We read a book by a guy named Julien Smith. His blog became a source of inspiration. It led me to discover many amazing authors and speakers like Simon Sinek, Seth Godin and Umair Haque. These people taught me a number of lessons, including the importance of failure to success. They also encouraged me to begin writing.
Despite being surrounded by amazing people at work at Disney, I was unfulfilled. But I was intellectually stimulated at night. I was reading ferociously on the topics of creativity, leadership, and the modern workplace. A friend told me about the Deloitte Human Capital Trends Report. I printed it out that week and read it from cover to cover on a flight from LA to NYC. This report explained every reason why I was feeling disengaged at work. It was engrossing.
This was the first sign that I needed to be working in this field. Since then, I’ve read dozens of related books. My Amazon wishlist has accrued 127 others, nearly all of them related to business, culture and leadership.
Despite the odds, the dots have lead me here. I’m now engaged every day in work I believe is really important. And this has helped me discover my why:
To make work better.
(It’s really rudimentary and needs more nuance. But it’s a start).
Looking back, the dots connect beautifully. They’re not linear. But they’re directional. It’s dangerous to take this for granted and try to predict where the next dot will land (as Mr. Jobs suggests). But I know the path I should be on. Finally.
Most companies function as archaic institutions. They are built on a top-down leadership model that squeezes results from their people. The consequence has been decreased productivity and engagement in the workplace.
We spend most of our lives working. It doesn’t always have to be fun. But it shouldn’t be so miserable, either. It should be engaging and fulfilling, a vast majority of the time.
There are many smart people out there working on solutions to this monumental challenge. The answers are fairly simple. But fixing the mess that’s been engrained in our business culture for over a century is not easy work.
This year, I’m creating a three point plan for how to become a part of the solution:
Craft a clear, powerful message.
A broad, sweeping statement like “make work better” lacks inspiration. It must serve as a starting point and evolve into a specific vision that moves people (and me, too… and maybe even whole companies).
Commit and focus.
My commitment to this cause is strong. But my focus has wavered (I’m currently reading five books, when one is enough). I will spend this year becoming regimented with my work. Read. Write. Rinse and repeat. My Culture Engineering publication will serve as a place to explore these ideas.
Connect.
Crafting a clear, powerful message and focusing intensely on honing it won’t be worth anything in a vacuum. I must talk about my message to anyone who will listen. No one ever did anything great on her own. The more people I talk to about it, the greater the odds that I will discover people who want to join this movement.
This plan is directional. It leaves room for improvisation. This message may resonate with people within Disney. Or with other organizations. Or maybe others, whom I’ll start a company with.
I don’t know where the next dot will fall. But no matter where it does, I know I’m on the right track.
