The biziness

So, as most of you know, I started a new job at a much larger company. An agency, actually, and, I'll admit, it was a big adjustment for me. I really like it, but at first, I was a bit unsure of myself. Maybe I'm getting on in years. I'd been at the same company, a great company, for seven years, and I loved it. But, the culture here is so different, and the company is so much bigger than my last place, that I suppose I didn't trust what I was hearing at first.

That I have autonomy. That people want to help each other succeed. That ambition in corporate america doesn't have to be cutthroat, or a dirty word. There's support, there's encouragement, and there are resources along the ladder.

But, I felt a lot of pressure right away--from myself, in the end--to prove that I was worthy of the trust they had put in me. And then....there's the calendar scheduling system. Our old system, at my past company, was pretty easy. If I needed to schedule a meeting, I went to the offices of the people that I needed to schedule, and stuck my head in, and if they were there I said, "Hey, we should set some time aside." And then, we did. That was it.

But, I'm new. So, first you need to figure out who you need to talk to, and then figure out where they are, and then how to use conference calling...and then this scheduling thingy...which takes skills. Skills, I tell you. Skills I don't (apparently) possess.

Let me give you an example. I needed to schedule a meeting of managers to determine the direction of a project I'm working on. Sounds pretty normal, right? I agree. But, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

So, I had scheduled a couple of minor meetings on the system...and I was feeling pretty confident. And, I set the time, set the place, did my research--and then I went for it. I scheduled it. And managed to get 90% of the attendees to respond positively--that they could make it. Only to realize I'd doubled everyone up against a mandatory HR meeting. So...I re-scheduled. Found a room, scheduled that. Found a good time. Ordered lunch--okay, I found the person who orders lunch, but Jesus, I was sadly proud of that...and then they ordered it. All good.

And, then the meeting.

I showed up. They showed up. And then lunch showed up. And lunch can be a real hardass. I was totally embarrassed. Because, as it turned out, someone else had booked my space. For a client (the nerve!) What happened? I had so diligently researched and set aside. I thought I'd done it correctly. But, as life so often tells you...you are not as good as you think you are. So...we had to relocate. Everyone was really good natured about it, but I still felt like a moron. (I am.)

So, we all squatted in the hallway over soggy sandwiches and made bets on how long I'll last. I have the under.

No, it was fine. There was a room a door down that was wide open because who schedules a meeting over lunch? No one cool.

So.

Things are getting better. I no longer feel like a gibbering idiot. At least on a daily basis. Mostly that happens around once a week now...which, even outside of work, is a marked improvement.