Written Expressions: the blog

There are a great many things that I disliked about my cubefarm job, but these three are at the top of the list:

1. being taken for granted
2. feeling under-appreciated
3. constantly needing to justify my existence

After six and a half years of living with those feelings I was nearly brainwashed into believing that's the way work is supposed to make you feel. I know now that it doesn't have to be that way, but occasionally I have an interaction with a client that hammers home the difference between what my concept of "work" was then and what it is now:

• I got an email from my RFP client yesterday asking for advice on how to draft a Best and Final Offer for a prospect (pause for a "pat on the back" moment--they got to this stage based on the proposal I put together with them). Back at the ol' cubefarm, it is unlikely that I would have gotten any praise for getting them to the next stage of bidding, and I certainly wouldn't have been asked for advice on how to proceed. And if we didn't get to the next stage, it was assumed that the failure was the result of some shortfall in my proposal, rather than bad pricing, bad stats or some deficiency in our offering. And I sure as heck never got a commission when they actually won a piece of business from an RFP . . .

• I was talking to a friend of mine about my agency client this weekend--explaining what a joy they are to work with because they are supportive, honest, and really seem to respect each member of the team's contribution (including mine). She asked me if I would consider going to work for them full-time if I was asked. I said "yes," with no hesitation, surprising myself a little.

It's nice to know I'm not the same jaded person I was when I left the cubefarm. And now that I know how rewarding work can be, I don't plan to settle for anything less in the future--no matter where the future takes me.