After thirty-six years at Boston Scientific, today is my last day. Thirty-six years at a single company—not the usual career path these days.
I recently heard on a podcast by Daniel Steinberg (DimSung Thinking) ten pieces of advice from Lyrissa Barnett Lidsky. Right at number one is this: "Institutions don't love you back; if you disappear tomorrow, the institution will go on." I have often repeated something like that to my colleagues. And, I don't think that my absence will be noticed after a few days.
That's OK with me. I've seen a lot of people come and go over the years—I miss many of them, have forgotten most, and some I was glad to forget. Some I'm still trying to forget.
We do a survey here every year, and one of the questions is: Would you recommend this place to others as a place to work? Most say they would, and I agree. It's a great place to be, and the reason is number six on that list by Lidsky:
"There is no greater pleasure on earth like the pleasure of working on a great team. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts."
Over the years, I've been a member of—and a few times, led—fantastic teams. Teams of awesome people who you trust, admire, respect, learn from, and sometimes argue with. I look back now and think of some of those great teams, and I miss them. I don't miss the projects or the stress, but I miss the people.
Being at a company for 36 years means you've seen a lot of people come and go. Many are gone forever. But the memory of the teams and the results are still there, and I cherish that.
This wasn't always Boston Scientific. It started as a division of a large pharmaceutical conglomerate where our connection to headquarters was non-existent. When we were spun out as a separate company, it became fun—we fought for market share like it meant something. And it did. It meant our existence. Those teams were brash and fast and not something you'd want to join every day, but I learned a lot. And we had fun.
Then came the acquisition, and for a time, the fun went away. But the teams were still there, and it's what got me through to where we are today: a place where I enjoy working, and where the people are exceptional.
People are misunderstood and sometimes aggravating, but grace seems abundant. It's a good thing.
For thirty-six years I've come to the same address, the same building. The walls move every few years, and the furniture changes, but the great people have always been here.
I've been a jerk, a hard person to work with. I've not trusted others, and they haven't trusted me. I've not listened when I should have, and I've done a lot of stupid things. Maybe I've mellowed. Who knows.
What I do know is that when I walk into Boston Scientific and see the familiar faces—well, I know I will miss that.
It's about the people. It always was.