Create. Connect. Care.

Or, why I do what I do.

Every now and then I run into someone who wants to know how I made the choice to go after the 'startup with a social impact' gig that I'm now on. After all, someone like me is not a fresh young grad just starting a career, but is usually 'leveraging' many years of experience and skills into the next level of one. With my background as an IT exec and an entrepreneur in enterprise software, 'enterprise' should have loomed large in any future plans.

And it did. While checking out options of joining larger companies or startups, I was (and still am) providing strategic IT consulting. I've always had a yen to have my work be more socially relevant (instead of just doing it on my spare time), but I thought that's what I'd do after a few more years of padding the financial cushion. But something didn't feel right and the whole cushion approach was getting uncomfortable (kind of like the old fable about the princess still feeling the pea under her many fluffy mattresses?). When I was talking to a career counselor friend, she mentioned that the discomfort was probably due to me making a choice based on what's expedient instead of what's important to me. It was a good point, I had just gone along with what everyone expected would be the next thing for me.

So, I took some time to step back and get to know myself better. Didn't need a retreat in the mountains or on the beach (though coming to think of it, I should have taken the chance), just a couple of hours of quiet, a couch, and my laptop to write my thoughts. This time around I thought about not only what I enjoyed about work, but also what kinds of things give me a kick outside of it, and voila! I noticed a pattern. There are things that give pleasure, things that give joy, and then the things I find most fulfilling. Fulfillment for me came from things that have three common elements. Create. Connect. Care.

Creating something myself, or experiencing what someone else has created, is exhilarating to me. Creative solutions to problems are a big kick, and so is watching a play. Connecting. I truly enjoy connecting the dots (i.e., understanding patterns and links) as well as connecting with people (and understanding what makes them tick), and even connecting people to each other - fun for me almost always involves some connecting. Caring. This is at many levels. It's not only caring about the big stuff like the climate, or the future of education or elder care, but caring about the individuals and outcomes (on occasion, a little too much). And, most of all, caring is being engaged and involved, not just phoning it in. I'm not good at working just for a paycheck - I can't hold myself back from getting involved, which could be problematic in some situations.

So, this self-awareness got me deciding to not wait for a few years, but to go out and find something now that will help me create, connect and care. And I'm happy to say I did. A chance to create a solution, connect with great people to build a team, and build a company that cares to both help people and make money - create, connect, care at so many levels. And, I get to leverage a lot of what I've already learned.

I made a new friend recently. A smart, successful, aware woman who'd heard me speak at a panel on how individuals can help the education cause and wanted to know more, particularly as she's currently considering bringing more meaning to her career. She asked me about what's driving me and I shared my 'create, connect, care' mantra with her. She very sweetly asked if she could 'borrow' it - and I was amused. I don't own this. No trademarks, copyrights, or any other instrument of ownership. This is not a grand mission statement, or some lofty positioning, and there are no claims to greatness. Just what's driving my choices, with a nice and fortuitous bit of alliteration. Create. Connect. Care.