Next Practices

Before leaving work today, I had to pack up all of my belongings into storage bins, labeling them and the equipment left behind in preparation for a move on Friday. I’m taking the next three days off as vacation to attend a conference in town, so I had to pack today in preparation for the move.

I’m not changing teams or jobs. Our whole team is moving from one side of the floor to another. I’m on only my third team in nearly nine years at Humana, yet next week I will inhabit my ninth desk in this, my fourth building. Between my first building being imploded, larger departments trying to consolidate, and others playing chess with teams to try to make the best use of space, it has been important not to grow too attached to a desk or even a building. Also, I’m working under my eighth manager for those three roles – five in my first role, two in my second, and fortunately only one in my current role.

Having moved into my current building and desk two months ago, it took only a little over an hour to pack up and say goodbye to my current desk. I’m getting pretty good at this!

When our manager first told us about the move last month, he gave us some options for who might sit where in the new location. My team being the awesome, considerate group it is, was eager to defer to others regarding where we would sit because, frankly, it doesn’t much matter. What matters is that we love being together and we work very well together and we will do that regardless of where they put us. Yes, it was a bit of a downer to leave my 19th floor window view of the city and river a couple of months ago for a non-window seat on the 9th floor of a different building. But I’d endure much worse to hang out daily with these people.

I hope you have discovered by now that our physical environment isn’t nearly as important as our relationships within whatever environment we find ourselves.

Leap year lesson #98 is Relationships are more important than surroundings.