On the move

During my first year as a Happiness Engineer at Automattic, I focused internally — on live chatting with WordPress.com users, on supporting my co-workers by training, by cheerleading, by sharing knowledge amongst us about live chat support.

This year, quite by accident, I’m lifting my eyes a bit and am seeing the bigger world. I’m still live chatting and loving it, and I’m also doing more. I’m travelling this week to the Virginia Wine Tourism Conference, where WordPress.com is a sponsor, and where I’m excited to connect with the blogging community there and to give away lots of WordPress goodies.

Next month I’ll be speaking at WordCamp US, to talk not about the technicalities of WordPress software, but to talk about writing, and how we can all build it into our lives. Beyond that, into 2016, I hope to volunteer at WordCamp Europe. Maybe even apply to speak there.

And in super exciting news, I’m helping organize a Support Driven conference focusing on building careers in support. I’m realizing, as I branch out, that being an outstanding customer support provider is about not only helping the customers who use your product, it’s about interacting with and supporting your colleagues, your product-developer and end-user communities, and your broader customer support community.

Growth and improvement in any career includes putting your head down and doing your job — practicing so that you hone your skills — but it also includes lifting your eyes. It means looking up and around, to engage with the broader world, to learn and share, and to bring your new ideas back for when it’s time to put your head down again: this time with more depth, with more perspective. Maybe even with some wisdom.

For the month of November, I will be participating in NaBloPoMo and plan to publish every day of the month. Usually, I will publish a 10-minute free write, initiated by a prompt from my prompt box. Minimal editing. No story. Just thoughts spilling onto the page. Follow along with the tag #NovemberDaily.