The Work, The Outcomes, & The People

In recent months, I’ve spent some time plotting the next leg of my professional journey.

I consider myself a driven person who strives for excellence.  I also consider the responsibility for keeping my family safe and secure to be sacred.

That said, what I find myself yearning for most, these days, is fulfillment.

This has caused me to reflect on my career and ask, “When was work most rewarding?” and “Why?”

I concluded that, for me, lasting reward has never really been measured by personal income or status. Instead, it is found in three things: the work, the outcomes, and the people.

The Work

The work stands at the center of everything.  When I think of my most fulfilling professional experiences, they all involved projects that required digging deep and working hard.  These projects required that I apply myself, challenge myself, and learn something new.

The mission is another defining element of my proudest work.  The best initiatives were always well-defined.  Their objectives always seemed obtainable.  The work always felt worth performing.  The goals usually involved making something better, more efficient, or more effective.

These missions were particularly exciting when they offered the opportunity to develop something new and disruptive. This allowed our teams to imagine the future and to participate fully in this wild age of innovation.

Challenges also played a notable role in my most rewarding work.  Time, budget, and resource constraints were ever-present, as were those unanticipated failures, setbacks, and obstacles that required creativity and ingenuity to overcome.

The Outcomes

The outcomes created by meaningful work drive a sense of pride and accomplishment, creating a belief that the work truly matters.

My most fulfilling work produced outcomes that made people healthier, better connected, better informed, and more secure.

There have been plenty of other memorable projects whose results were not as lofty, or noble.  However, I have found the satisfaction in realizing profound outcomes to be unequalled.

The People

My fondest recollections are of the people.

This starts with some of the great teams, and people, I’ve had the privilege to work with.  Much of my personal satisfaction results from those late nights spent working together, confronting a deadline, committed to delivering something great.

It also extends to the clients and the end users.  It is beyond gratifying when you have helped a client succeed and advance their career.  Even more satisfying is knowing your work delivered on its promise, making an end user’s life a bit better.

The Future

This leads to the future. 

I have decided to start my own business, Butterpie Labs.  

I have learned from previous start-ups, that this will inevitably be a journey without maps.  Business plans seldom remain intact after engagement with the real world.

Wherever it leads, when this next leg of the journey ends, I am fairly certain that the greatest fulfillment will, once again, be found in the work, the outcomes, and the people.