This is Part 19 of a weekly series on my growth and development at a software startup in Austin Texas. Click here to view the full series or start at Level 1.

Getting a company organized.

Level Nineteen Stats

Weapons gained:

  • Connections +4: Personally, I once again was able to meet new people this week outside of work and these ones I can already feel are going to be strong connections on my long-term journey. Professionally, I was able to get in touch with one decision-maker and schedule a meeting. Not the success I wanted, but still a step in the right direction.
  • Ability +6: My follow-up ability is becoming very sharp and quick. Whereas before it took me quite a while to craft emails and figure out the right words to send, now I’ve become so quick at it that I can do it even when I have three or four minutes in between a meeting. They’re shorter, to the point, and getting more responses already.
  • Knowledge +6: My bosses and co-workers have really been good recently about pouring knowledge and ideas into me as my role is shifting. Lots of suggestions on emails, on how to reach out to people, which ones to reach out to, what not to do. I’m eating it up. I have a lot to learn but they’re constant feedback and encouragement is hugely beneficial in increasing my knowledge of the business.
  • Discipline -2: Had several things come up this week that ended up getting in the way of my normal routines and thus discipline in getting the things I needed to done. Not enough excuses though to completely cover it. I catch myself, especially in the mornings, getting comfortable with taking my time and being lazy. I need to get quick starts in the morning because as soon as I give myself permission to relax in the morning, it transfers over into the rest of my day.
  • Organization +2:  This is still a work in progress, but it’s definitely better than last week was. We are changing things internally with the whole company that I think is really going to help me get more organized.
  • Strength -2: The previously mentioned things that came up held me back in this as well. They were all good things, like going to someone’s house when they invited me or hanging out with someone who needed it, but it caused me to miss some crucial parts of my strength development this week. It’s okay as long as I get back on this week.

Kills: I’ve been knocking out ROI presentations like crazy. It’s a bit of a tedious process, but I’m getting better and faster at it.

Deaths: Was not outside hardly at all this week. It was killer and spent almost 60 hours in the office. I needed to try and catch up, but I can’t do that anymore because it kills my soul.

Outside the Game

Last week I talked about my introverted side coming out by not wanting to be with people and this week I felt like the switch flipped again and I was able to enjoy spending time with people again. I met a bunch of new people and got to know some of the ones I’ve started to get to know better. A great week all in al.

Final Takeaways

I’m really excited about the direction my company is going. It’s helping me a lot in figuring out where I fit into everything. It’s a difficult transition and trying to make sure I’m documenting everything, but I know that it’s going to be so much nicer and easier on everyone in the long run.

Let’s crank another week out!