When Opportunity Knocks

I realized a while ago, actually before I had kids, that my current job would be a stopping point for me career-wise.  I also realized while I was pregnant that switching jobs then probably wasn't the best idea.  When I returned to work, I was too frazzled to even think about searching for a new job, although I applied for a few jobs here and there.  Fast forward to now (2+ years later!) and I finally am switching to a new job.  I did some real thinking and soul searching in the late fall and figured out a direction right after Christmas.  It felt great to finally know what type of position I was looking for because I had been sort of without a direction career-wise for a while.  I started searching figuring that it would take a while, which it did, although I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't take nearly as long as it could have.  I guess I sort of lucked out because I contacted a friend of mine to catch up and see if he knew of anyone who was hiring and he pitched me a job for his start up company.  In short, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I knew that not taking  a leap of faith would mean that I'd look back and wonder what if.  I'm excited to see where this opportunity leads me and I'm even more excited that I will once again have a lot of control over my schedule.  I will be working hard and a lot, but I will be able to more easily meld work and family.

Ironically, I will be working on many HR initiatives for my new organization.  I've been reflecting on needs of the organization vs. my individual needs/wants.  I posted a week or two ago about the CEO of Yahoo and how she is under fire for making some tough choices for Yahoo.  I said then that I can see both sides and now I can really say that I see both sides!  I am sure that Meyer would have made different choices if she was making the decision solely to serve what she wanted or needed.  It is clear that her decisions are rooted in what will be best for the long term viability of the organization and while some people "lose", the organization wins.  I'm hoping for a win-win!