[jeromie]

Very similar career trajectory and move -- just approaching the 1-year mark.

In hindsight, I wish I would have:

- Listened more and Talked less in general

- Consistently started with "Why does this happen this way" vs. "This isn't the way that the industry does it, and we should aim for that"

+ The end states I defined were generally correct, but historical context matters and informed the route in ways that I would have benefitted from knowing about.

- Spent more time helping people realize my perspective on their own, vs. just communicating the necessary end-state and the justification.

+ Even if I'm right in what we need to do, people want to solve their own problems and feel ownership for the outcome when they've joined the cause on their own

- Really dug into it when contributors failed to meet their commitments to me to understand if there was a prioritization problem or an alignment problem (or if there's a skill or commitment gap in play).

- Remembered that it's just a job, and nobody there is going to be at my funeral. It's a transactional relationship that's less important than my mental health.

In terms of things I feel I did well with and/or found engergizing:

- Lots of new, really smart and talented people in my orbit

- Tons of information and perspective sharing, new reading, new insight

- Taking the time to meet people (this was hard over COVID), but bi-weekly 1:1s are key. People will generally tell you the (or at least their) truth in 1:1 conversations in a way that rarely happens in large meetings.

+ Chatting with my lunch crew on the daily is where I have historically gotten most of the valuable intel and feedback, and hashed out long-term strategies for the group or organization. It's also where people in my orbit communicate their vision and build coalitions around common pain points. I feel kneecapped by this and haven't found a good substitute.

+ There's really no substitute for sharing a meal with people. It's human and important.

I also came away with a deep appreciation for how good many of the "invisible" functions at my last job were, and what excellent leadership qualities were on display.