Gratitude Monday: Getting it together

A few months ago I saw a posting (well, kind of—very general) for a job in Washington, D.C. that I thought might suit me, so I emailed the recruiter and began the process that last week resulted in an offer that I accepted.

The thing is—it’s for an organization that stands for integrity in scientific inquiry, and it’s a function for which I am uniquely qualified. It involves bridging several worlds—scientific, academic, business, product management—and I am basically all about connecting people and ideas. It’s a job I’ll love doing, for an organization I can respect and support.

It was clear to me throughout the process that they’ve put considerable thought into defining both the role and the process—something I don’t see a lot of here in the Valley They Call Silicon. Last month I interviewed with a panel of six people who will be directly involved with this function, and I liked every single one of them. Smart, engaged, committed to the mission, but not waving their egos around as though they individually invented intelligence.

Over the next 45 days or so I’ll start with them while managing the relocation across the country. I don’t minimize the effort involved in that—this will be my seventh corporate interstate move. And there will be the Mother of All Spreadsheets at the heart of it. But I’m truly encouraged by the fact that, even though this is all new to them, the organization is being flexible in getting me started and situated.

It’s kind of like they think I’m a human being, and like they really want me to work with them. Go figure.

Therefore I’m sure that it comes as no surprise to you that today I’m ecstatically happy and deeply grateful that, come the New Year, I’ll be back in D.C., doing an exciting job that will really have some meaning.