Change, Change, and More Change

I found out today that I will be taking on a new role in our organization early next year. I've actually known for awhile that I would likely change, but wasn't for sure until today and what that role will be. I'm actually happy and excited about it. During the meeting I went to a few weeks ago in Michigan we talked about the changes and what boxes where going to go were on an organizational chart, but didn't put any names in any of them.

At the time, my new boss asked me to decide if I wanted to stay doing what I was or change. I told them I'd like to think about it for a few days and did and ultimately told them I could go either way, but would prefer to change. I told them if I stayed doing what I was, I would only want to do it for another year or two. I told them go flush out more of the changes and then lets talk. I know how hard it can be to get all the dependencies figured out in a change as big as this one will be to our team. So, I told them I could and would be flexible as long as they didn't give me something that would include a lot of overtime or being on the road much. One of the big reasons I wanted to change has to do with this big work thing work deliverable I've been complaining about. It is not hard, just a lot of work and the deadlines on it are very short. It was bad enough when it was once a year, but they moved it to twice a year. It is very administrative in nature and involves all the things I don't like about being a leader. Plus, they are moving the reporting of my current role down two layers in the organization.

There were a few other positions that interested me slightly more that I thought I would be good in as well, but they also have more responsibility and a lot more work. The role I'm going to will be such a cush job that includes all of the things I like in a role, with very little of the parts I don't. I'll be going from between 40 - 45 direct reports to 0. I still will be a leader, but will not have any direct staff, just matrixed staff. As defined and explained, it actually would not be enough work to keep a person 100% busy, which I mentioned. But, I'll pick up special projects and kind of float to help out where needed for the rest, which is fine. Probably, I would have been just a tad disappointed had I not known I was pregnant, but since I do and am feeling somewhat hopeful and confident that this pregnancy will last, I'm actually good with it. I'll get paid a nice salary, for a job that will come easy to me, have tons of flexibility, but still is needed for the team.

The irony is that I'm glad to have the job knowing I'm pregnant, but even more glad it was decided without any of them knowing I'm pregnant. There will probably be a few people I'll tell sooner rather than later, but likely won't tell everyone else until at least the 2Q08 like April or May and the dust has settled on this organizational change. So, as I plow through these things I've been working on, it is with a little more enthusiasm knowing it will be the last time I'll have to do it. It doesn't seem quite as painful that way.

In other news, my new camera came today, but sadly it is still sitting in the box and I haven't even had a chance to look at it yet. I moved my second beta from tomorrow afternoon until Friday morning. I took another pill to try to bring beasty yeasty into alignment (you know, my 50k yeast infection). And, I finally got the Christmas cards I wrote back before Thanksgiving in the mail today.

Sometimes change can be good, sometimes change can be bad, or at least feel that way. This change is actually feeling okay. I'm sure that there will be plenty of other changes this year physically as the pregnancy progress, but I think there will be many other changes as well. I think my new role will evolve and I can make it into what I want. The good and the bad is that it will be really nebulous and unstructured and undefined. All considered, it is probably the best job for me this next year.

Change, change, and more change. That's life. And, all of this change seems good. Like all the puzzle pieces falling into place on a big ole puzzle that has taken years to work on and complete.