FunEmployment

When was the last time your life suddenly was turned upside down? What did you do about it? How did you cope? Where did you choose to direct your focus? What were the outcomes?

In the middle of November 2023, I found myself FunEmployed as many others have found themselves in the past year(s). Fortunately, I was in a situation where I could take the time to reflect, regroup, and decide which direction to head.

Without thinking, the first person (outside of my husband) I reached out to was my dear friend in the HR space, Casey. She and I have known each other for over 10 years and have had similar growth paths within our careers. A great confidante, and someone who fully understands the ups and downs of being an HR leader. Many a night has been spent drinking good wine and discussing the woes of HR leadership, with the most common theme being “Can you believe this (fill in the blank) professional tried to get away with x, y, or z?” We also spent many of those same nights talking about “someday” taking a gamble on ourselves and going into consulting together. Of course, “someday” was at least 5 years in the future, and always just a “dream”. But alas, we found ourselves in the same place at the same time, FunEmployed. Neither of us is good at sitting idly without purpose or direction, so we started to whiteboard what the “someday dream” would look like if the timeline were pushed up.

We were off to the races, but first, I needed to make sure I was set up for success personally and mentally before diving into an endeavor I knew would take a massive amount of work. As a self-proclaimed workaholic, I needed to make sure I did not fall into my usual workaholic traps. While working on setting up the backend of starting a small business, I made sure to set myself up with goals that filled my cup: working out, carving out time to read (although the majority were “how to” business books), committing to dry January were on the list (I made it through without 1 drop y’all), and re-connecting with friends.

Alas, the last part, the re-connection has been one of my saving graces. The words of encouragement from friends, former co-workers, and strangers who have been introduced through friends and co-workers have been uplifting, reassuring, and impactful in so many ways. Kindness is out there, and if you choose to listen and learn from other’s stories, they might just return the favor, even if they are strangers, or better yet were a stranger.

As we embark on this journey, there are a few lessons I am quickly relearning:

·      “Put your oxygen mask on first”. Something I have never been good at. I have always made time to help others with their problems, their issues, and give my time to help freely; but when it comes time for myself, I save it for last, and usually, I run out of time or oxygen. Rinse, wash, repeat. I feel this lesson may be one of the hardest to learn, but as Hannah Corbin says (Peloton instructor… yeah, I’m one of those people) “Treat your body like it belongs to someone you love”. In this case, I’m adding mind into the quote, and blasting it on repeat in my head!

·      You can’t fail if you don’t try. I once heard that F.A.I.L. is an acronym for First Attempt in Learning. I like that mindset very much, and although failure may be scary, I look back at my accomplishments, many of which were originally failures, but I continued to pick myself up and I learned how to flex that muscle.

·      “In the journey of life, we stumble and fall at times. Asking for help is how we get back up and keep moving.” – Unknown. I wish I knew who to attribute this quote (if you know, hit me up), as it packs a lot of punch, especially for those who have had to play the role of the helpers throughout their lives. Like flexing any muscle, asking for help is something that gets easier when you see how valuable the help from those around you can be. No one has made it to where they aspire to be alone, and that’s a great lesson to relearn.

·      In Seth Godin’s book Linchpin, there is an entire chapter called The Resistance. This chapter is about the amygdala and its self-sabotaging ability to resist anything that is perceived as threatening or risky. For me, putting my story out there, believing in my abilities and capabilities, and betting on myself have been at the top of my list. The quote “Not shipping on behalf of your goal of changing the world is often a symptom of resistance. Call its bluff, ship always, and then change the world”, from that chapter has always resonated with me, so here we are at that precipice once more, and it’s time to ship.

·      Lastly, the famous Wayne Gretzky quote “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” is so true. Here we go, we’re taking a shot!

Casey and I are new to this and excited about the possibilities to come, and how we will be able to help leaders and companies outside of one singular company at a time. It seems important to document the journey in writing as it happens, so here we are. The initial post for Intrinsic People. Hopefully the first of many.

Why did we choose Intrinsic People as our name? In searching for the “perfect name”, TheBobs.hr (think of the outside consultants in Office Space) kept running through our heads. While that’s still on the table (to keep Casey happy), we wanted to be taken seriously while still keeping humor as a cornerstone. The definition of intrinsic which we liked the most is as such: in.trin.sic: (adj) Essential and inherent to the core of a person, thing, or concept. Intrinsic qualities or characteristics exist within and are an integral part of the entity, rather than being added or imposed from the outside. Qualities often seen as natural and inherent, contributing significantly to the entity’s identity and function. So to us, intrinsic fell into 3 pillars: empathy, integrity & humor.

So far, we’ve had one quick project, and another client, working on a longer project. To both of you who have taken initial chances on us, THANK YOU! As I have read somewhere in my massive knowledge absorption “If you have at least one person willing to pay for your products or services, you’ve got a business” – I am sure I am butchering that, and I will come back and find the real quote and give credit where credit is due.

I look forward to what February brings, and all the ups and downs that will be forthcoming with this journey of betting on myself and betting on Casey.

Cheers,

Gillian