Changing My Work Environments
Changing environments, a term I rarely use, but one I am more than familiar with, has been a focal point for me over the past few weeks. As someone who has navigated through various work environments ranging from small to large companies, corporate to non-corporate spaces, down to transitioning through various roles within, I would say my work environments have played a huge part in where I am today and what’s next for me.
So let’s talk about that - what is next for me? Well before we can move forward we have to understand what was learned from the past.
Taking it back to my first job out of undergrad, I spent that summer interviewing for 6 different teams within one organization which spanned the course of 3 months before I was actually hired. Obviously that was crazy and it really had nothing to do with me. They were going through a few transitions which was challenging for the hiring process, but I was fresh out of college looking for an in so I definitely held out to the best of my ability. Fortunately for me, that was my first lesson in adaptation. Once hired on the team I was honestly meant to be on (you know the whole everything happens for a reason thing) I took that notion of adaptation and kept it on my radar. Throughout my time at that organization we went through various changes from people, divisions, leadership and even industry. A lot took place in a short time and I had to jump on board and make it work for me.
Fast forward, I’ve run the gamut on just about anything you can imagine within a business structure - startups, mergers, new divisions, new roles, freelancing, starting anew within a corporate structure (an intraprenreur) and starting my own thing (an entrepreneur). I’ve had over a decade of experience observing my environments: what works, what doesn’t work, what fuels me and what definitely does not serve me anymore. It’s safe to assume that I am well versed on this and came to this conclusion recently when I was asked to speak on a college alumni summit for New York On Tech. The topic was imposter syndrome, code switching and changing environments. Each of these really deserve their own feature, but due to my current status as a freelancer and entrepreneur, my environments have been a huge decision maker in my next steps.
I realized that my adjustment mechanisms of embracing a new environment, you know, the pros and cons it can provide towards my ultimate goal (ie salary/rate, title) are definitely important, but not my only focus anymore. At this stage in the game, being part of a company/brand that literally fuels me is a priority. Being part of a company culture that encourages creativity, cultivation, collaboration and change provides me with hope. Understanding that I get to decide the type of work culture I interact with everyday and its impact has been a crucial revelation for me.
Has it been easy finding that? Of course not, but it’s not impossible and that is where hope and manifestation comes in. I’ve been working this adaptation angle forever and I’ve acquired a lot of tools to help carry me forward so I need them to carry me towards an environment that I can work with. An environment that will not be perfect (nothing is), but one where there is hope that encourages me to believe and always put my best foot forward within that space or for that particular brand/client.
As I navigate through freelancing as a consultant on a part-time or full-time basis I am constantly changing my environment and as I continue to co-build my own company I am slowly creating the environment that suits me, which leaves a lot to be determined. I’ve been in conversation with my share of recruiters/head hunters and even potential new clients to see what my next opportunities are and I find myself mentioning culture and foundation a lot. The more I manifest and state what I want into the universe the clearer I become on what has not worked in the past and what I prefer not to go back to. Although it has been a bit challenging, it has been refreshing for me to stay focused on my non-negotiables and new possibilities I can create.
