Life Musings

I'm very thankful for my employer. The company is struggling a bit, but that's largely because our future looks good and we're growing. We just moved into a building, and that has placed us in debt; however, this is symptomatic of our growth and progress.

I appreciate the boss as well. He's much better than many other bosses I've known or heard about. He genuinely cares about his employees, and most impressively, he truly understands the creative process. He recognizes the importance of letting ideas simmer and percolate, instead of simply plunging right in and building stuff. He realizes that the best work often comes while someone is letting ideas brew, rather than simply chugging away to attempt a fix. From my own experiences -- both here and at some previous jobs -- I know how important that can be.

He has even asked me to put together a small exercise room for the company. He says that he wants people to get a bit of exercise in during the day, as that is also a good way to stimulate creative thinking. (I'll be looking for sturdy but low-cost equipment, since we need to watch out finances. Still, I like the idea.)

I also like certain aspects of the corporate atmosphere -- in particular, the way the boss and my teammates pool our input and act as safety nets for each other. If somebody makes a boneheaded mistake, there generally isn't much recrimination. Similarly, if somebody's design work or marketing strategy is flawed, most of us point it out constructively. Now, I'm under no illusions; I'm not saying that we always operate this way. Still, I've never heard anyone say "You fool! You should have thought through this more thoroughly!" or words to that effect. Rather, people generally understand that none of us will see the entire picture, that we all make mistakes (including big ones), and that we all bring different perspectives to the table. I like the way we correct and reinforce each other, instead of simply casting aspersions and blame.

There are some things that I dislike; for example, I do too much grunt work and I feel that I don't always get recognized for my efforts. There are also some difficult individuals and various other aggravations. On the whole though, I appreciate the environment and I consider myself blessed.