Last Thanksgiving, I took time to reflect on the amazing hand I’ve been dealt as an entrepreneur and founder. Revisiting those thoughts, so much of what I had to say last year is still completely true.
Part of what I wrote that is still so meaningful pertains to how well we acknowledge each other.
Every two weeks, on Wednesday morning, we have our sprint planning with the whole team. We spend the majority of this meeting on reflection and retrospection.
The floor is open for each team member to reflect on the last two weeks. We focus on what went well, potential improvements, and team acknowledgments. I don’t know how all teams work, but ours has a strong bias toward the acknowledgment of others.
I love these acknowledgments. Listening to my team recognize their peers is a special part of my week.
I’m thankful for collaborators that are aware of the successes of others.
I’m thankful for thoughtful colleagues that are confident enough to share their admiration.
As a busy parent in a two-career household, like much of our team, I think this bit of what I wrote still means the most to me. In fact, it enables our entire team to not only survive, but thrive.
I’m thankful to be a part of a company whose culture encourages putting family first.
I’m thankful for teammates that offer support and not judgment when things go sideways.
Whenever I’m home with a sick kid, I think about how lucky I am to be in such a supportive environment. I also find myself thinking about those in less flexible workplaces.
I’m thankful my job is secure while I tend to my family.
Our company has almost doubled in the last year. As we’ve grown, I’m proud to say that “family first” continues to be how we operate our business. I consider us lucky to be able to do what we love with people who share the same values.
Personally, I find that growth has meant we’ve needed to grow up as a business, too. We have a bigger office, slightly more process, and a need for more communication. What worked for ten people doesn’t work for twenty.
As a founder, I realize that what I’m most thankful for throughout the last year continues to be the people that surround me on a daily basis. Growing is hard, but growing with the right people makes it all worthwhile.
Particularly, I’m thankful for colleagues who give me space to fail. I’m thankful that we have a culture that makes decisiveness possible, even if that means the road to success leads first through failure.
I’m thankful for colleagues who are confident enough to take a position and to challenge my thinking. We all grow much faster with constant exposure to new ideas.
I’m thankful for colleagues, from customer success to engineering, who believe that our customers deserve an amazing experience. It is amazing to watch the happiness it produces for our customers and our team.
This year, I hope you can take time away from your busy schedule to reflect on the people who make a difference in your life. It’ll make you smile, I promise.
From our team to yours, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
