The Power of Intention - How Atlassian Summit has impacted me as a person, not just an employee
I want to start this article by thanking every person who has ever been a part of my life. Yes, even those who have thrown obstacles and barriers in my path. Every single one of you has had an effect on who I am today, just as those I cross paths with down the line will undoubtedly shape the person I will become. Thank you for sharing your time and perspective on the world with me, it is a gift I can never repay, and one that all of us give each other every day.
I am sitting in my hotel room, in San Jose, after an amazing Leadership Kick Off event - one of the many amazing opportunities provided to me since joining AppDynamics several years ago. It struck me how much my life has changed since I made a decision to be intentional and take charge of my career. While I always believed in the power of intentionality and force of will, sometimes change has a way of masking exactly how we manifest our will against the noisy backdrops of our daily lives. It was sitting in this room, looking at the landscape of San Jose, that I realized my intentionality had come full circle.
A few years back I was attending my first Atlassian Summit right here in San Jose. I was exposed to an amazing set of cultural values and beliefs that were radically different than what I had previously been exposed to throughout my career. I had found other like minded individuals who were passionate about connecting others and improving not only business productivity, but genuine human happiness. I was surrounded by people who understood that through teamwork and support, and by intentionally valuing the human experience over corporate profits or business productivity, that companies could actually be incredibly successful and build a positive culture of change for the entire world.
It was in this moment in my hotel room in San Jose, where I decided that I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wanted to be in a position to lend my experience and skill set in service of happiness. Not in service of KPI’s, or SMART goals, or OKRs, but to be genuinely concerned about the impact I can have on a person - as a person. I embarked on a journey to get myself into this position. As with any period of growth, there is change. I was fortunate to have been contacted by a company who shared my values on creating a great place for passionate people, and I officially joined AppDynamics as an individual contributor.
AppDynamics immediately followed through on their commitment to ensure my experience as an employee was one of high engagement and support. I moved through a variety of team configurations finding ways to identify pain and discomfort, understand it’s source, and use anything at my disposable to eliminate or reduce that pain to improve someone’s day.
This week I found myself back in San Jose for yet another demonstration of AppDynamics’ commitment to providing me with opportunities to help others, as well as training on how to increase the impact I am capable of. This year, AppDynamics held their first ever Manager Awards to recognize leaders who have had a positive impact across the organization, and I was chosen as one of the first recipients of this award. This means more to me that I think anyone could understand.
I am sitting in my hotel room, in San Jose, acknowledging that through hard work, confidence, and conviction, I have accomplished my original goal which I set for myself in this very place years ago. Without realizing it, I had found myself in the position I wanted. The ability to use my experience and skills to positively effect the lives around me. I am in awe of realizing the true power of intention, and the ripple effects it has on those around us. I am thankful for my entire team who nominated me for this honor. This award is evidence to me that through the simple act of choosing to do the right thing, we can all work together to leave this world just a little better than we found it.
While this award may have my name on it, it is only a reflection of the amazing spirit of those around me who have either joined my cause, or invited me to join theirs. Together, everything is possible.
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Jeff Tillett
About this author
Director, Agile Developer Tools
Cisco AppDynamics
Knoxville, TN
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