With the title of his 2003 New York Times best seller, Po Bronson posed the question ‘What should I do with my life?’ He wasn’t the first, nor will he be the last to posit such a question. However, the past two years have undoubtedly led to a huge increase in people asking themselves the same thing, as seen with the numbers of LinkedIn members changing roles since the start of the pandemic increasing by 25% [1]

In September 2021, I found myself becoming part of the ‘pandemic epiphany’ trend. Deciding to leave a secure, stable and rewarding job, that had provided me with career and personal development was a difficult decision. I found myself breaking the ‘what should I do with my life?’ question down into three components:

1. What do I value, both professionally and personally?
2. What am I chasing right now?
3. Does what I’m chasing fit with what I value?

The answers to these questions all pointed in one direction. It was time for me to realign my professional life to match my values in order to get me excited about chasing the next chapter of my career. That’s when I found ABSTRACT. I knew during the interview and on-boarding process that this was a special company. The questions asked were relaxed yet thought-provoking, but what struck me most was the genuine emphasis on valuing what I had to say. They wanted to learn from me as much as I could learn from them. I felt fully supported before joining and it was clear everyone was gearing up to welcome me into the fold.

Flash forward to February 2022 and I have finished my first week as Head of Product Development at ABSTRACT. In five short days I’ve experienced first-hand the ‘best in class’ approach that all of the ABSTRACT team display in everything they do. I was lucky enough to shadow the founding member of ABSTRACT throughout the week and witness the incredible breadth and depth of business intelligence. I’ve had motivational talks from a rugby legend. Met with potential clients with huge dreams looking for the unique ABSTRACT touch to help them on their journey. I’ve been privileged to sit in with current clients; people at the top of their professions, looking for those nuggets of inspiration to help with their projects. Equally important as the inputs I’ve experienced are the outputs, finalising important client proposals, reviewing current training material and developing roadmaps for the next projects have all been catalysts to start amalgamating myself with the ABSTRACT DNA.

My main reflection over this past week has been the incredible team dynamic I’ve been brought into. Everyone is given a voice. Everyone contributes. Everyone is heard. That’s what makes ABSTRACT so unique, a team of highly skilled people working in unison to deliver life-changing results. Six months ago, I was unsure if I was on the right path. Today, I am confident I have made the right decision and look forward to being part of the new era at ABSTRACT.

 (1) The Great Reshuffle: 10 workforce trends that will shape 2022 | LinkedIn