Tag Archives: coding

Your Success Is Built On Trust

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Whee!  I got a new job!  And is seems, I may have found the best employer in Utah.  I kid you not.

First off, let’s start with a picture.  Welcome to your new job, here’s 48″ of workspace:

My workspace

This is my desk at DigiCert, an SSL encryption business.  Go check out the website!  See how high they rank on Google if you search for “ssl certificates“  Their motto is “Your Success is Built On Trust”.

I’ll tell you now, I’m expecting that I’ll be happy as a clam for many moons to come.  That’s not what I want to say here.  I’m sure I’ll be saying plenty later.

There is a mantra at DigiCert — treat the customer like they’re your mother or grandmother.  And they’re serious.  There is a book that everyone reads, called “Win the Customer, Not the Argument” and it’s all about true customer service.  The executive staff have completely integrated this philosophy into their operations.  Completely.  And they recognize that the employees are the ones who interface with the customer, and if they’re going to treat the customer with respect and care, then they (executive staff) must treat the employees with respect and care.  I haven’t seen it firsthand yet because I’m new and haven’t yet won this level of trust, but I’d dare to say, based on what I’ve seen so far, that the staff even love the employees.  Not as a body, but as individuals.  And if you feel that in your workspace, you’ll pass that to your customers.

My VP said something when I was meeting with HR that really struck home with me.  I didn’t write it down, so I’ll paraphrase: “We need you to be happy here.  If you’re having a bad day, go home, tell your wife what you did, get it out of your system, and then come back here and be happy”.  How spot on is that?  Every time I’ve been having a bad day, it’s because I’ve done something stupid sometime in the past, near or distant, and it’s eating me.  Worse if it’s something I did to or against my wife.  Tell her, ask forgiveness, get input, and you feel better.  The truth will set you free.  And then you can get back to being happy (assuming you’re a happy person).  Pretty wise counsel.

I’m back to web development.  I’m happy.  I’m not looking for advancement, or a title, or anything.  I’ll let everyone above and before me do what they do best.  It really looks like it’s all rolling pretty smoothly.  I’m just going to lean forward and code.  Yeah, I’ve been managing people for the last couple years, so I’m a little rusty on my code.  But I can get back up to speed pretty quick.  My VP is aware of that.  And I hope he knows I’m committed.  I’m in this for a very long haul.

And here’s my little promise:  If they truly are what they seem to be, I’m going to buy in 150%.  This could be just like the company I envision myself running (see my earlier post, Who Am I To Judge).  If it’s a facade or a farce, and down the road I find I’ve been deceived and this is just another company with a greedy, self-serving medusa at the head, it would break my heart.

Time to check in

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I really am a crappy blogger.  Not the worst, just really bad.

It’s nearing Christmas.  I like it.  We have no discretionary funds this year.  Less than we’ve ever had before.  Ever.  Oh well.  The kids should do ok.  Nothing for the groan ups.

Our microwave died a couple months ago.  We’ve been cooking from 1983.  It hasn’t been too bad, just can’t nuke something up and have a quick snack.  No microwave popcorn.  Life rolls forward, yes it does.

So I was recently teased with a new band opportunity.  But after a few months of rehearsal the plug was pulled.  Chaos!  Confusion!  After the dust settled, it looks like the original band members wanted to lose the keys (me), the female lead, and the original guitarist.  I talked at length with a couple of the guys, and it was just that the band wasn’t going where they wanted.  Rather than talk about it, they just killed it.  Weak.

So I’m making my own.  I found contacts through this opportunity that should yield fun, well-paying gigs.  Should.  I’m banking on them.  I’m excited as anything, and I’m doing my best to keep my head on my shoulders.  A lot of planning.  Organization.  I’m coding again, trying to make a site for us to share music on.  And later for clients to contact us and book us.

Coding again.  It’s been over two years now.  It makes my head hurt.

My team at work has changed a lot.  They had to decimate us at Halloween for overhead budgetary reasons.  We were cut just a little too tightly, and we have been having a hard time keeping above water.  I was told this week that I’ll be able to hire two new programmers, so there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

For the first time since we were married, I’m below my marriage weight.  275-277 (depending on the day).  For over 12 years I’ve been at least 280, and I recently got as high as 298.  I’ve resolved that I’m going to lose weight in 2010.  It will take a long time, but I want to get down to 240, even better, 220.  I can’t imagine what I’ll even look like down there.  I was 240 on my mission.  It will be cool.

Ok, it’s time to end the post.  Later!