This week was our Sales Kickoff for the Americas.
I am always involved in behind-the-scenes production.
It's a massive production with about 8 million moving parts.
Of course it is a fight against chaos from all sides.
My role is handling last minute changes for the presenters.
I am basically a fire extinguisher and an emergency safety net.
And I bailed out pretty much everyone last-minute.
I have been up at 4am to be downtown at 7am.
It's down by the World Trade Center... I had to take a picture every day.
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I am Under Cybersecurity Arrest!
Its true and while it is hopefully and probably not a big deal and people will cover for me, I got in trouble at work with the Cybersecurity team.
I had to send something to a contractor who asked it be sent to his @me.com address not the corporate one because I guess he has trouble with it. He also has a TON of internal-only stuff and it's been a common thing for a couple of years so I didn't think anything of it. Next time I will though.
Anyhow I got a Really Scary email with an open case describing the data I compromised and 10 questions to answer--- and I can't actually answer all of them. My manager helped me with it this morning. He said I'll get another Very Scary email in response threatening severe consequences or something but not to worry about it.
I absolutely DO NOT want to be red flagged in any way for any reason at work!!!!!
Although I discovered that several other people who are way more important than I am have also been under cybersecurity arrest and they said it isn't a big deal.
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A Very Valuable Lesson
As I mentioned, my role in our sales event- which is a Very Big Deal to the organization- is to be a fire extinguisher and an emergency safety net for the presenters. I handle the presentation decks and all the (many oh so many) last-minute changes. I take this really seriously and I have an excellent system for version control. It basically goes nonstop from rehearsal day until lunch on day 2. There are over 30 presenters. I have to be really paranoid about the decks because the presenters are counting on everything to flow smoothly- including getting their speaker notes to display properly in the confidence monitor. The speaker notes were a big thing this year. (Better than last year when everyone had content changes...)
My excellent system for version control is ridiculous until it isn't. The Day 2 PM deck did go completely corrupt on the morning of Day 2. Un-repairable, un-openable. It set me back about 5 minutes. Because I am always ready if/when the system gremlins show up.
So... wrangling powerpoints doesn't sound like a big deal.
In my head it isn't a big deal.
It's a low-technical skill and I think it's easy.
On the other side of that I made sure people were completely taken care of even last-minute, and I fixed pitfalls they didn't know about that I did know about.
Talking care of the presenters is just my job, I don't see anything particularly outstanding about it.
That's why I am there.
People can throw things at me and I'll catch it and it doesn't bother me.
I don't even find it to be particularly stressful or difficult. I take it in stride.
A lot of people remarked- this year and last- at how chill I am with all the demands thrown at me.
And I learned from my excellent co-worker and teammate Timothy that I am not seeing my value.
After the event Timothy- who I respect IMMENSELY- said,
"You worked so hard, you did so much for people, you saved so many peoples' asses out there."
He said "You were VERY popular."
Wow, I had no idea!
He said "You are so valuable."
I didn't know quite how to process this because like I said before, it wasn't anything high-level technical and it's easy for me and not stressful.
Timothy said "That's because you're good at your job."
He said it's not about the technical skill involved, or how hard you work, it's about the value you bring.
And he pointed out that value to me.
For someone like Timothy to say that to me means so much.
It is touching a deep part of me that doesn't see my own worth to others because I think what I do is easy or replaceable.
I forget that others don't think it is easy or they simply need someone they can trust 100% to get it done properly.
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I'm really trying to think of any other time in my life that someone has taken the time to observe what I do, look me in the eyes and say "You are so valuable." And see value that I am not seeing and tell me about it.
I can't recall.
This is something I fall short in, I do have a tremendous professional skillset but sometimes I lack confidence in knowing my worth beyond that technical skillset. Powerpoint is so hokey and dumb- and I'm missing that that's not the value. It's being able to handle the situation.
I'll get it done for people, maybe this is why I get great performance reviews and they have kept me around for almost 18 years.......
I have to remember that I bring VALUE.
It is a good feeling.
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Danielle (Timothy's wife, also on my team) and I took a bathroom selfie. I love us!
She lives in LA.
Me and my Best *insert-company-name-here* Bestie
She lives in London.
My favorite part of the sales event is seeing everyone and making connections I otherwise never would.
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Our keynote speaker, Jim Lawless, had presentation changes right before he went on.
I took care of him.
Didn't think it was that big of a deal.
Timothy said "That was a REALLY big deal."
Jim asked me if I like tea. (He's from London)
I said I have tea in my veins instead of blood.... and he pulled a tin of the best, most posh, very expensive tea out of his suitcase and gave it to me.
I am ridiculously happy about it and I'm not sharing with Daya.
