3 Lessons

365 Days Later.

For 5 years I got the chance to discover who I was as a person and who I wanted to be. I learned what employee experience truly means, what defines industry-leading Customer Success, and how to clean red wine off the ceiling! (Hint: not with a duster). And for every challenge I encountered, there were 10 amazing lessons to learn. But I’ll keep it to 3 lessons today!???

I started at Enboarder as their 18th (maybe even 17?) employee, and I saw them grow to about 180 employees in my time. It was a rollercoaster going from just a small team where everyone did everything, to a fully-fledged company spread across the globe.?

So in light of that, my first lesson is this: Enjoy the good times.?

I'd never had a job where I was free to design my day, previously I was told what to do, when to do it, when I could eat, and more! It was the first time I had felt like an adult. In my first week, my manager even told me “You don’t need to tell me when you’re stepping out for lunch” - that was so new to me.

From decorating our new hires' desks to team lunches, “Friday frothies”, and entire company stand-ups (at 18 staff, it was possible!) - I finally felt at home.

Looking back on this, my lesson was to work hard - but enjoy every good moment you have, because you don’t really remember the challenging days, but you really do remember the good ones.

Second lesson: Learn what you can, from who you can.?

I was fortunate enough to be exposed to so many departments and true experts in their field. From Sabrina teaching me about product marketing, all the way to my customers teaching me about their industries and HR in general - it was all so valuable.

I use so much of what I learned over those 5 years today! However, one of the biggest lessons I learned here was that It’s great to say yes to everything, but it’s more important to learn how to say no. Saying no doesn’t mean you can’t or won’t do something, instead, it can mean not right now, or learning to manage expectations, or even simply asking “When did you need that by?”. I had a habit of taking on everything I was asked, but when it started to affect how much time I was leaving myself to do my core role - I had to learn how to say no.?

My final lesson: Your job is not your entire life.?

You might think this is obvious, or perhaps you’re okay with that sentiment - that’s totally fine, it’s your life! But for me, I didn’t realize that over those 5 years, I had replaced my relationships with my job. I lived and breathed it, and whilst it was amazing and I loved it, when my day ended, my job wasn’t there to have dinner with me! (It definitely didn't help me with the dishes). It wasn’t until my redundancy that it hit me - because suddenly it felt like I had nothing. Like I had lost everything. And it was a wake-up call to me because that’s not who I wanted to be. I could easily have found a balance, I wasn't drowning, I just subconsciously chose not to. So now I make sure that I make time for my partner, my friends, my family, and of course my little Kingsley! (My hyperactive Italian Greyhound!)?I'll always be a hard worker - that's engrained in my DNA - but now I actively choose to take a breath, go outside, and enjoy good times.

I don’t know if you’ll find this valuable - but for me, today definitely marks an important chapter coming to an end.

This year has been tough. Working through the mental hurdles of effectively restarting my life has been challenging to say the least. But It’s also led me to Qwilr, where I’m learning new things every day - and it’s allowed me to start the next phase of my life - moving across the world!

In early 2024 I’m starting a new life with my partner - and really, I have Enboarder to thank for all of these amazing opportunities I have ahead of me. Because without my redundancy - I wouldn't be where I am today.