Get to know your colleagues beyond their job titles

We define ourselves by our job titles as opposed to our experiences, passions, or even interests. But when we take the time to understand each other beyond our traditional job titles, then, and only then, do we begin to understand the perspectives, experiences, and stories that make our teams whole.

Sometimes, without expecting it, our outside8 becomes our escape, our solution, our healing, or even our opportunity to give back. It’s a chance for us to express ourselves in ways we sometimes can’t, to connect with people where we otherwise couldn’t, and to grow in ways that allow ourselves to evolve.

Sometimes we choose our outside8, but other times it chooses us. It’s a calling that only those who create the space to hear it, can. For Mackenzie Kitchen of Vancouver, British Columbia this calling allowed her to become that somebody for somebody.

During her nine to five, Mackenzie works for the Government of Canada advising on data projects and providing data literacy training. If you didn’t know Mackenzie, chances are at first glance you may not have guessed that volunteering plays a huge part of her life. More importantly, you wouldn’t realize what those volunteer efforts could tell you about Mackenzie herself.

Our nine to five can sometimes do that — overshadow the other aspects of our life that make up who we are. We define ourselves by our job titles as opposed to our experiences, passions, or even interests. But when we take the time to understand each other beyond our traditional job titles, then, and only then, do we begin to understand the perspectives, experiences, and stories that make our teams whole.

Mackenzie’s outside8 allows her to become someone who was once such an important somebody in her own life. Outside of work, Mackenzie volunteers with women who are new in recovery from alcohol and other substances. Her own struggle allowed her to create the space to find her outside8 and to help others on a similar road to recovery.

“I entered recovery 13 years ago; I needed a tremendous amount of help in the beginning. I was so fortunate to have women around me who spent hours of their personal time to help me navigate life sober.”

Having had someone walk alongside her during her own road to recovery, Mackenzie knows what a difference it can make to serve as that somebody now for someone else.

“To see them heal, to see their families heal and to see them regain their place in society is the most amazing thing in the world.”

The biggest challenge?

For Mackenzie, it was all about letting go of the way she once saw the world:

“My addiction was not the problem, as I had thought, but rather the solution I found to a painful way of living and thinking. I had hit bottom — I realized that the way I was living wasn’t working on any level and I had to begin from scratch. It was terrifying and wonderful all at the same time. What seemed like a terrible ending was in fact a promising beginning, although it took some years to see that.”

If you ask most people how they found their outside8, chances are their story, although likely different than Mackenzie’s, will — at the heart of it — be motivated by a personal story that shines so much light on who we are. This very light is the light guiding the outside8 publication … the one that allows us to pull away the curtain and start talking about the stories that truly shape us … even as employees in our nine to five.

Mackenzie’s own outside8 tell us a story of patience and humility. Her volunteer efforts with people from all walks of life remind us, as Mackenzie puts it — that “addiction is an equal-opportunist and that it cuts across every ethnicity, age and background to create chaos and pain in families and communities”.

But it is also a story of evolution, of how someone became that somebody for someone who needed it, and how that someone will perhaps one day do the same for someone else. Mackenzie’s outside8 gave her confidence in who she was. It reminded her, and I hope all of you reading this now, how some of the darkest times in our lives can bring about some of the brightest new beginnings. What we can’t forget, however, is that this journey never ends. While we work towards our outside8, we mustn’t forget to work on self-care and work-life balance too.

“I am very careful with my time and I often say ‘no’ to serve my larger ‘yes’. My role in my family is my priority, and my recovery community is up there too. My outside8 work fills me with positive energy, provided I balance them with my other priorities.”

So, how does Mackenzie find balance?

“Downtime is an absolute must. I work hard, but come 9:00 pm, my work is done and I am reading for pleasure. I also get up a bit earlier and meditate every morning. Its self-serving — every moment I spend centering and organizing myself is given back to me throughout the day in efficiencies and freed up energy. Fuel and sleep are critical too.”

Mackenzie’s story, and outside8, may not always find the right platform to present itself. If you never asked her the right question, maybe you would never know what a courageous woman you were standing before. If you never learned of her outside8, perhaps you would have never realized how her volunteer efforts have strengthened her ability to talk to people with compassion and empathy; to manage change; and, to have the tough conversations that often times go unspoken.

We often overlook our outside8 and only speak of our “work experiences”. However, if there’s a lesson this publication can teach you … I hope that it is this:

You can learn so much about a person when you take the time to truly get to know all aspects of their life.

If you’re interviewing someone, ask them about their outside8 and how that has helped shape them and their career. If you’re being interviewed, don’t shy away from sharing how your outside8 has supported you throughout your career and made you who you are today. What better way to determine a right fit than by truly getting to know someone beyond their nine to five.

For Mackenzie, I’d say that sharing her story has proven that we can all get to know our colleagues a little better, and in the process, perhaps even open up a little more ourselves.