Written on May 5, 2010 by Charlie in Career, Employee Engagement 
Most of you know that I’m out in the job market. 2.5 good years with my most recent employer ended only after a long drawn out bankruptcy and capital restructuring effort. As with all experiences, I am thankful for my time there – learned a lot along the way. As I contemplate my next move – a task I’m taking quite seriously – I’ve begun to inventory those things that would bring meaning to any new role I pursue. This seems to be an important exercise. And here’s what I have so far. I want a job where:
- I can say whatever to whomever whenever;
- I am allowed to take one or two “do-overs” a week without penalty (I’m tired of learning from mistakes and would just as soon erase them);
- I avoid ever having to be on a conference call that lasts more than 15 minutes;
- my boss sits down with me for 1/2 hour every month just to talk about ME and MY performance…without being asked to do so;
- I spend more time hanging out with people than I do sitting in front of a computer;
- I am less experienced than most every one in the room;
- paid sabbaticals are required from time to time;
- people care about their physical, mental, and spiritual health;
- there are no “sacred cows”;
- I can challenge the status quo without fear of my political demise;
- titles and reporting structures mean less than what you actually bring to the table; and who’s at the table has less to do with what your title is or who you report to;
- one is permitted to use a cricket bat to whack egregious jerks on their heads;
- I get to work in the great outdoors from time to time;
- I travel enough to get a break but not so much that I miss out at home;
- people are better at fixing the problems than they are talking about them;
- one can get a cold beer from the soda (pop) machine;
- backstabbing, drama, gossiping, and immaturity are terminable offenses;
- I get to work with people outside of the US often;
- people smile and say good morning and genuinely care about what’s going on in your life;
- most people are there because they want to be, not because they have to be;
- most people don’t look like I do or come from the same place as I do;
- forms, policies, procedures, and protocols are there only as they absolutely and positively have to be;
- the base compensation is fair and reasonable, yet making a ton of money for extraordinary contributions is not an impossibility;
- retention is an outcome, not a program;
- we laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh…
This list will continue to grow – of that I am sure. But even as it stands, I really don’t think I’m asking for that much.
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