No one works at Lucid forever
Photo by Brett Duke | 2014 The Times-Picayune
by Patrick Comer and Erynn Wood
When I started Lucid in 2010 my goal was to create the sample marketplace, but that’s only half the story.
7 years ago, Lucid was a one-man band: I was the accounting, technology, and marketing functions all rolled into one. I needed help, and so Lucid invested in two recent Tulane MBA grads. At first, they only worked part time but we made sure every hour we spent together counted. Not in hours but in the quality of our time together. As the number of Lucid employees doubled, tripled, and quintupled we never lost sight of how a seemingly small investment in the success of our employees pays off: for everyone.
We built our brand around quality products, but what you don’t hear is that our quality is fueled by our employees.
No one works at Lucid forever
That’s a bit of truth that may seem somewhat radical to hear aloud your first day at work. However, most jobs and industries are transitory in nature. In fact, my longest tenure with one entity is with Lucid — now more than 7 years (since March 2010). Previously, my longest stint at one place was 5 years, with OTX. I was a dedicated, successful, and passionate employee and leader for OTX that helped create a ton of value for the organization as well as implement change. But alas, when that company was acquired by Ipsos, it wasn’t in the cards for me to carry on.
Lucid obsesses over numbers, so let’s look at some data. When one factors in college education and software industries, the average employment tenure looks like this:
In hindsight, I realize that quantity of years does not speak to the quality of your job experience. You may stay at a company for 10 mediocre years or 5 influential years. Quantity without quality is the antithesis of what Lucid believes in, for our employees and our customers.
One could choose to ignore these statistics or embrace them. I must be realistic: I don’t want people to leave, but I also recognize we can be conduits to the future. Therefore, I choose to celebrate our time together and focus on contributing to your growth professionally. I think it’s extremely important to recognize our experience and time together is limited and part of a larger journey. Understanding how Lucid can impact your career and professional development is vital. So, clearly discern what you are looking to get out of your Lucid experience. It’s important to have those goals clearly defined and articulated so we can help you achieve them.
How to enhance my future at Lucid?
Strengthening your experience starts with defining what you want to accomplish. Begin by establishing strategic and succinct goals. Clearly communicate them to your manager, peers, and senior leadership and document your progress in your annual reviews. Seeking out a mentor and attending one-on-one weekly meetings are sturdy building blocks in your career. Finally, align your goals with the values of Lucid and understand how your behaviors and performance align with the company.
It’s important to frame your goals with respect to Lucid as a company, not just as an individual. To genuinely enhance the quality of your experience at Lucid you should engage your peers, garner multiple perspectives, and embrace the opportunity to build relationships across the organization while executing your goals. The reward is two-fold: you will have been thoughtful while achieving your goal which enhances the end-result and you will have also built a network of your peers which you can leverage wherever you go in your career. The most prominent objective of any manager is to develop the next generation of leaders in the organization. At Lucid, we all invest in one another’s success, but only you can determine what kind of legacy you leave.
At Lucid, we all invest in one another’s success, but only you can determine what kind of legacy you leave.
How do I transition to new experiences beyond Lucid?
We recognize that companies and employees may start to define quality differently as they grow and mature. Some people thrive in the “chaos” of a start-up environment, they may feel stifled as processes become better defined and a certain unavoidable level of bureaucracy gets introduced. There may be a moment in the future when you feel it’s time to move into a different phase of your career. In most cases, this is a normal and good occurrence that you should not shy away from or feel shame about. Ignoring the realization that there may be a moment in the future when you’re ready for something new can hurt your career progression.
It’s often said that the way you do anything is the way you do everything. Lucid hires quality employees who are professional, thoughtful, and driven. We expect the same from you even if you’ve decided to move onto other experiences and adventures. The key is learning how to leave an organization with grace — don’t burn bridges.
Practicing professional exit behavior is crucial to your long-term career.
Practicing professional exit behavior is crucial to your long-term career. Although you may be leaving a job, you may not be leaving an industry. People tend to remember rude exits or being left high and dry. I’ve messed up that process on several occasions and rue those days as those poor decisions that had serious long-term consequences.
If you are ready to pursue other experiences, talk to either your manager or People early in the decision-making process. The sooner we know the sooner we can help ease your transition as well as offer advice and support. Consider the numerous client, supplier, partner and vendor relationships connected to Lucid that we can help you leverage. Make sure to respect yourself, Lucid, and your new employer by offering the appropriate time between roles for a transition.
Lucid is forever, wherever forever may take you
I don’t want people to go, but I also recognize we are building bridges to the future, and we are collectively investing in that future vision together.
Lucid believes that if we commit to bring quality to your work experience at Lucid by giving you the tools you need to success in your career, that you’ll commit to the quality of our customers’ experience. However, I recognize that quantity of time is finite and that one day our time together may end.
It is important to me that you know how seriously Lucid takes our employee onboarding, off-boarding, and every single moment in between. The Lucid one-man band is a thing of the past: our network and support system will only continue to grow and your role in that network cannot be replaced. We want to keep you at Lucid forever, but we’ll invest in your success for wherever forever may take you.
We also take pride in knowing not only do we offer support during your Lucid experience and beyond, but we understand we are nurturing a long-term relationship.
Just realize that we intend to support you along the way. There’s a certain comfort level knowing that in the long run we are constructing an extended network that lives beyond Lucid’s walls. Like a Krewe — once you’ve ridden on the Lucid floats, you’re always a part of the parade. So throw me something!
Like a Krewe — once you’ve ridden on the Lucid floats, you’re always a part of the parade. So throw me something!
Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com on June 27, 2017.
