It seems that people voice their opinions most frequently when they feel strongly about something – negative or positive – although I would venture to say the negative are often heard loudest. With that said, I decided to take a few minutes to voice my opinion in this post – rest assured, it being unsolicited and not coerced. This post is not intended to disrespect any of the previous opinions expressed here; I hear them; I respect them; and I wish nothing but success to any former employees because I considered the work we've done together good. These are simply my own views and own experiences in the workplace.
Like others have said here, some days at LiveText are challenging; work can be hard; work can be last minute; work can change quickly; and people can be difficult. Are these situations unique to this company…? My opinion and experiences tell me no. I have worked in full-time roles for three other organizations, some in education, and all have proven to be extremely challenging in many different ways.
At LiveText, whether it is expressed or not, you are expected to demonstrate your abilities and skills with the resources on hand. It is important to show through attitude and action that you are able to take on anything, learn anything, fill in gaps, and perform your own duties – challenging? Yes!
My best days have been the days where I know that this hard work has better supported a customer who needed help…better supported a fellow employee who seemed overloaded or frustrated…better supported a company that really, truly does aspire to help others learn. It’s when you take this attitude at your job, for a prolonged period of time, that you start to see yourself, your place, and the others around you change – I know, sounds a bit fluffy, but I find myself a testament to this.
I’ve been with the company for about 8 years. Personality wise, I am self aware enough to know that I am a pessimist. I expect the worst to happen, plan for it, and hope deep down it turns out okay. I have also found this not to be conducive to growing in a small company. I started in small role, at LiveText, within a department that was totally new for the company, and is still quite young. With that, I saw that if I supported the company in even the smallest ways at the start, I could grow here. But I needed to adjust my attitude to be able to do this. I vowed to do that. So, I answered the phone when I heard it ringing; I’ve set up for office parties/lunches; I’ve made travel arrangements; I’ve picked up and set out the breakfasts the company provides; I’ve organized inventory, cleaned the dishes, and filled in administrative gaps in other departments – all of this outside of my own department, never asked for, and not a part of my initial job description.
Sure, I had some meltdowns, attitude issues, and difficult times along the way. I’m human. I even left four years in, but to explore higher education more deeply in a role with an institution. I did these things not for a pat on the back but because that’s what I remember my college career center taught us as graduates. In fact, I still remember what my college career center advisor told my senior Intern-Advantage group… ‘To find success as you start out at a company, guys it’s going to be important to remember this piece of advice: never take an attitude of entitlement; you’re only letting yourself down.’
As I gained experiences elsewhere, I soon found where I belonged. I mean, when you find your free-time hobbies to include reading industry articles, blogs, and listservs, you probably know where you should be. Within 8 months, I returned back to LiveText in a new role and over the years have grown in different roles that have afforded various experiences, challenges, and also professional growth, privileges, and increased responsibilities. Again, there have been times that were very challenging, but from these experiences, I’ve learned a lot, been able to apply it to future challenges, and figured out how to better navigate the difficulties sometimes inherent in a small corporate environment.
Are more improvements needed? Of course. I believe wholeheartedly that the company will continue to do so. It may be a slow road, but I know it is being paved as we speak. But also be assured, it’s not a place where staff members’ consistently poor attitudes, eye rolling, or inflated expectations of what his/her role entails are helpful. Like I said, I learned this early on. Not every piece of work I did was going to be liked. And I was going to have to find ways within myself to be better.
A former boss at a previous organization, whom I still consider a mentor, taught me much, and continue to hold in the highest of regards, once told me this…You are a good worker; you’re faster than most and the quality is always high. Have confidence in yourself. But remember, never consider yourself more important than the next candidate in line. You must always drink the 'kool-aid'. That boss was right. My loyalties belonged elsewhere. I ended up leaving that organization but only because I longed for the taste of a different flavor.
I simply intend to post to share my own views, experiences, and what I have learned over the years. And if it were allowed on this site, I'd choose not to be anonymous.
