So, I haven’t done a work update for quite some time. Here’s the latest:

This job never gets boring. Honestly – there are extremely few dull moments in this program. There are some very long days, but I think every job has those. There are tough moments, but, again, I think every job has those, too. The thing is, things are constantly moving, there is constant room for improvement, so it just doesn’t get boring. And that’s my kind of work environment.

We did a work personality test for the team about a month ago. It’s a variation on Jung’s work – kind of takes things up a notch, if you will. Instead of the letters that Jung’s personality test uses, you have colors. The idea is that everyone has every color in them, but, at work, you might naturally lean towards one over another. The colors: red (fiery red; will make decisions on the fly, plow right through the project); blue (cool blue; needs information to make decisions, analytical); yellow (sunny yellow; always about the team, getting everyone involved); and green (all about the individual relationships, the mentor). As one might imagine (and probably hope – after all, we’re market researchers), there’s a very strong element of blue on our team. I, however, was the only person on the team to be predominantly red. As I read my in-depth review to Rich, he said, “You should tell your manager that they didn’t need to hire someone to tell them that about you – I could have easily come in and tell them that!” Among some of the more descriptive phrases: tends to be argumentative; needs to remember that there are other ways to accomplish a goal than just theirs; needs to stop and smell the roses.

There are phrases on these building blocks we got, too. Red’s? Be brief, be bright, be gone. We all agreed that was a little harsh!

This team is very sugar-powered. That’s part of the reason for so much baking. We have cupcakes about once a month – and will find just about any excuse to get them. We have a team lunch every other week – we just get together and chat. It’s not like we don’t do that anyway, since we work in an open workspace, but it’s nice to have a “formal” get-together time.

The people I work with around the world are amazing. The past six months, I’ve learned a LOT about working with a truly global team, including cultural issues that may affect how you work with people. It’s a fun ride.

So, there you have it – a little update on work life. I can’t believe I’ve only been here for six months – it really feels like it’s been a lot longer, though in this case, that’s a good thing.