It was 3:00pm on a sunny Tuesday afternoon and I was walking to a job interview. I was nervous but relatively confident in my well honed skills and experience from a previous role in the coworking industry. After a short tram trip, I arrived at the address only to find the building not only had a door frame with no door, but plaster with no paint to boot. When I peeked inside, the only people visible in the space were construction workers and tradesman all skilfully plying their various crafts.
I took a deep breath.
Was I in the right space? Did I get the address right? I’m pretty sure I was interviewing to be the Community Manager of the coworking space and not the Chief Electrician of a building site!
After getting in touch with Rob, the conversation that followed was one of the most comfortable yet empowering interviews I have attended. I got a tour of the construction site that is quickly developing into a coworking space. Rob showed me the architectural plans for the space and asked me for my feedback on some of the proposals and ideas that had been brought to the table.
Most profound was his urge for me to dream, to dream about what the space could become and what it could provide the people who get involved. Furthermore, to think about how I would make my mark on this massive project that was quite literally coming together before me. To share my ideas on the types of people that would occupy the space and the various activities and initiatives that we could build into the physical structure and daily schedule.
I left the interview feeling excited, empowered and engaged.
I can proudly say that I am now Employee #2 at CoWork Me. One of the motivating factors for taking the job was the real feeling of being able to not only help with the finishing touches of a building, but also to create a culture and to cultivate a community from the ground up.
While most start-ups are not in the business of physically building, every start-up is taking a new idea, building it, and sharing it with the world.
Often, we have the tendency to put our best foot forward and only reveal the highlights or the finished product of our hard work. My experience at CoWork Me so far has demonstrated that we shouldn’t be afraid to show the work in progress.
Don’t be scared to get someone’s thoughts and find out what theories, strategies, or ideas they can execute to make your product and your team better.
Instead of scaring them away, it might lead to a new way of generating ideas and continuing to build together.
Isaac Newton famously said, “We build too many walls and not enough bridges.”
As I begin my journey at CoWork Me I look forward to working with you to use the physical structure we have constructed as a platform to build strong, new bridges between the amazing people that will join us in our space… or have already.
