Leveraging Change to Find YOUR Calling
Sunday, May 3rd, 2009Just as I was starting to settle in and get used to a day-to-day routine at hi5, the economy decides to pull a fast one on us and things in the workplace started to change, drastically change.
At a very short 10 months, I became a hi5 “lifer”. Not just because I believed in the product, more importantly, I cared about the people and the people cared about me. It was a nurturing environment, in which people were excited to come to work, innovate, interact with their co-workers and collaborate, regardless of whatever their specific job title was.
For the most part, everyone at hi5 did things for the right reasons. That really differentiated the company and product from money-hungry corporate America orchestrated by “the man”. Ethics, integrity and loyalty were overarching themes within every division of the company, during every single workday.
Now, it’s hard to not take lay-offs personally; it’s just a matter of continuing to repeat one phrase in your mind, over and over again – “everything happens for a reason and that reason should energize and leverage our potential to ultimate success.”
With that in mind, I’ve moved on to different pastures, and am now working as the vice president of Digital at Edelman for the consumer technology group. In this capacity, I will be providing strategic counsel and guidance on how to best build corporate brands online. Everyday, more and more brands turn to PR and interactive agencies to assist in “New Media” or word of mouth marketing, digital integration and social media. Edelman is poised to excel in this market because of its expertise in the space, ethics-driven guidelines, a knowledgeable digital team, a comprehensive training curriculum and of course, a stellar client base (which was the main reason that I accepted the position).
It’s exciting to know that there are still companies out there that encourage personal passion plus creative freedom as a recipe for success. Life is too short to be working for “the man” at a job that doesn’t inspire you and the others around you. Live your dream, whatever that dream may be.