WORK
This week, I hit the milestone of one year since I formed my LLC. While I don't consider my business officially open until early January when I started, that milestone was huge for me. Owning my own business didn't really cross my mind for much of my life, but in recent years, when I started to really want to work to live and not live to work, I started planning for it.
I wanted to share a bit about one thing that's really different about working for myself.
Being part of a team, and leading a team.
I think I may miss being part of a team a bit more than leading a team, though I did love them both. Working for myself gives me flexibility that I could have only dreamed of, and I get to do things (advising, more speaking, etc) that I couldn't have when working for a company.
But working for myself means just that - for myself. But also with myself. Yes, I have clients (and I love them!), but I am no longer part of a traditional "team." And I'm not leading a team. I often feel like Denis from Peloton - in the work I do, I essentially tell clients "I make suggestions, and you make decisions." (It's more nuanced than that, but you get it.)
So, in the absence of leading a traditional team and being a part of one, I'm leaning into self-leadership. Leading in other areas of my life. Learning and growing.
On the whole, I don't miss the corporate life - this was the best career decision I ever made. But we can all be happy where we are, and feel a little pang when we think of things in the past. And I'm glad I do feel that, because I think it means that I cared. That I had an impact.
COMMUNITY
This week, I want to talk about a brand new and really special community.
You.
Thank you for reading this far! The few hundred of you that are with me as I figure out my new business mean the world to me.
I sit across a couple of different worlds, with one foot firmly planted in the world of transformational HR, and the other in the Distribution/Manufacturing/Industrials industry. What I share and write about sometimes crosses, but not always. So I'd love to hear what you want to hear about!
Click the link below to answer the one-question survey and let me know what you want to see in Work.Community.Coffee in 2025!
COFFEE
I got some great feedback on my first newsletter exclusive pic, so here's another.
This one, however, is newsletter exclusive because I literally rolled out of bed this morning, drank a bunch of water, threw on exercise clothes and a hat and went to the grand opening of a new coffee shop four miles from home. (I am NOT sharing a pic of this with 33K of you on LI - but I'm ok with sharing an eyes-half-closed pic with all of you!)
Anyway, you get to see my husband Dave, who you will be hearing much more about in future weeks! (I'll share why coming up soon.)
So, back to the coffee. It was the grand opening of William and Sons in Concord. We go once or twice a month to the one in Manchester, so we were thrilled they opened one up in our town! We love Revelstoke, but now we may have our loyalty divided a bit, as W&S has a TON of great spots to work from for a few hours. And also, great coffee. (Today was espresso over ice, of course!)
Have a great rest of your week!
I'll be back in your inbox next week with more Work. Community. Coffee.
And next year...... stay tuned for a brand new look and feel, with more content!
My Partner Spotlight
HARRIET
Last month I officially became a Strategic Advisor for Harriet, an AI-enabled employee experience company based in the UK. I chose Harriet (and I am glad they chose me!) not just because I love the product - I also love the team.
I found Harriet when I was looking for an AI-enabled tool at The Granite Group. At the time, they weren't positioned for frontline communications - but they are now. So much so that it is a huge focus for them, and I'm thrilled to be helping them.
I work as an advisor to HR Tech companies in various ways, but mostly it's spending an hour or two a month giving advice, helping with brand awareness, and reviewing product changes.
About HARRIET: Harriet is the AI superpower for employee experience, Harriet is at your service 24/7, integrated with your HR systems, company policies, training and procedures and lives wherever your team already hang out – Slack, GChat, Teams or SMS. Access to the company brain at their fingertips. Check them out below!
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