I got laid off several days ago.
I know what you’re thinking: What? What? Your employer was bonkers to get rid of someone brilliant like you!
OK, so you probably weren’t thinking that, but I was! I was also thinking about other things shortly after my departure. Mainly, I pondered the role of work in our lives—but I don’t really mean the actual work. I’m talking about the people we interact with daily.
Two years ago, when I was initially offered a job at my now-former employer, I thought of every reason not to take it. Me? Work in New Jersey? I pay big bucks to live in Manhattan! And work in financial services? O.M.G! Am I going to have to, you know, like, wear a tie? Or, like, an actual, you know, suit? No way am I going to spend my days suffering alongside people who work in finance. They’re all a bunch of (use your imagination here).
I was thisclose to turning down the offer—until I realized there was only one reason not to accept the job. I was scared. I was scared of the unknown. I was scared of what we’re all often scared of—change. I also realized that that was no reason to reject a potentially great opportunity. It was probably a reason to embrace it. (Well, that and I needed a job!)
After starting work, I knew I made the right choice.
OK, that’s a lie—because none of us really knows if we made a mistake until some time has passed, or at least until we’ve tried the cafeteria salad. Well, two years later, my only regret is buying a new suit jacket that I wore just two times and don’t even fit into today!
Turns out, getting to do great work has been the best part of my experience here.
Yet another lie. What mattered most to me at the company were the people. I never imagined I’d meet so many smart, talented, kind people, many of whom I now call my friends. Working alongside them has been an incredible experience. And that is not a lie. I learned from them, and I hope them from me.
But it wasn’t the work that underpinned our relationships. As I always say, no one ever bonds over an Excel spreadsheet. Rather, it was our willingness to share our personal stories, support each other, celebrate each other, and laugh with (and yes, sometimes at!) each other. Turns out, financial-services professionals can be a bunch of—no need to fill in the blank here—amazing people.
My larger point is that we are people before we are coworkers. That’s important to keep in mind when discussing organizational culture. What sort of culture do you have at work? What kind do you want? And how do you go about creating it? The answer is actually pretty simple: You show up. That is, your mere presence influences culture.
You are not part of your company. You are your company. Everything you say and do—intentionally and otherwise—shapes the culture. We all have the power to build more phenomenal workplaces. The most and least we can all do is bring our best selves to work, try to improve everything we touch, and relate to each other as people before we do so as managers, vice presidents, directors, senior officers, and assistants.
