TL/DR: goals take time, effort and failure to achieve.
10 years ago this month I started at Tableau. I was excited to work with some of the smartest people I’d worked with in the past from multiple organizations and in multiple roles. I thought “if they got all these amazingly talented people to work there, something special has to be happening.”
It was. And I met some amazing new people. Four specifically that worked for me that I quickly identified as folks I would love to work FOR at some point in the future.
5 years ago, just post acquisition I put together a “where do I want to go next?” project and landed with one place clearly on top. My ego and priorities didn’t land me in a role that I was headhunted for at that time, and it turned out to be quite ironic.
Post acquisition, I decided to try to go “get my bag” and I allowed myself to be money-whipped or enchanted by a role or title, only to ignore my concerns and my inner voice saying “I don’t know about this. Watch ya back, man.”
I let people take advantage of me, I learned a lot about how I am perceived regardless of output and my effect on the business as well as how many people I looked up to for mentorship/leadership were all just winging it themselves. So I put together an internal list (the same way I did when I went through my divorce only that list was written down) and wanted to confirm my priorities for my next step. Luckily my “finding a partner” list landed me a woman in Sara Berkeley Churchin that supported me and helped me through an extremely low point in my life (more on mental health at a later date), and I set my sights on Atlassian.
I tried to square peg a role 3 years ago, and even though I got to the end of the hiring process, I didn’t get that gig and I understood why.
Then I applied again at Atlassian about a year ago. No negative feedback, but, I got 2nd again (and I hate losing).
Then, one of those 4 people I had on my teams at Tableau reached out and said “yo, Church. I know you just started a gig, but I’m really hoping there might be a chance for you to work on my team.”
Zero hesitation. Absolutely.
I have wanted to work for Allison Albrecht since I first got the chance to work with her back in 2015, and I finally get to do it.
I get to go to a company that has me as excited as I was 10 years ago this month. Culture, product, people, mission and role all align to allow me to work hard, developy team, impact the business, be a good dad, hopefully a better husband, and proudly talk about what I do and what we do (not necessarily in that order).
Super proud and excited to start in my role with Atlassian next week and to see what kind of good we can put in and what kind of good we can all get out.
All this to say: hire people you want to work for one day, accept getting burned and rejected as a rite of passage, understand your priorities, and -most importantly- when you go through the inevitable shit, share w your ppl, it helps. A lot.
COO @ Sigars.com. Damn Good Day Podcast Host
5moWell written👏🏻👏🏻