I arrived in Manila on a Saturday afternoon in May.
After checking into my hotel, I changed and headed out for my evening meal. By this time, it was dark outside.
While wandering in a slight jet lag haze, I soon saw two large illuminated signs of a former employer.
I smiled; I feel very fondly about this company.
This particular employer provided me with my first role in London, and I stayed there for almost three years.
I hold great memories from my time there, and seeing their signs gave me a warm feeling in my stomach.
What is it that made them so memorable?
Interactions
My role within the company gave me direct access to people at all levels, to present and interact. I learnt a great deal from these interactions, especially about taking the data and presenting this as insightful information.
Development
The development opportunities provided were different and varied. These included an author explaining how we were to write our transformation story and outcomes, and an afternoon acting class, where we played out constructive and less-than-ideal behaviours.
I was also fortunate to become accredited in various global diagnostics tools on culture, company effectiveness and personal preferences for influencing, as well as many other things. It was pretty incredible when I reflected on their investment in me.
The Work
I was a part of the organisation when an extensive transformation effort commenced. There were too many initiatives initially. A third of the way into the transformation, people then discovered there was a need to rationalise initiatives, so the benefits could be realised. There was a significant change management coordination effort to make things stick.
People
The people in the organisation were great and intelligent. One person in particular was an exceptional mentor. I learned a great deal about how to work across an organisation by applying “Systems Thinking”, MIT’s Peter Senge’s work.
Boundaries
I had a mobile but not a smartphone. It was my last role before I had access to email from anywhere. My wife and I travelled extensively across Europe during this time, and I was able to disconnect. I was present and rested when I returned to work.
Upon reflection, I feel exceptionally fond of this company. Employee engagement was strong!
They provided an outstanding balance of experiences in these key areas.
What are you doing within your company to make it memorable?
One of the many stories in Making Life Happen.
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