Summer funemployment

Since finishing up at Shopify in June, I’ve been taking it pretty easy. It’s the first time in a decade that I’ve taken this much time away from a job and, honestly, it’s been pretty great. The days have been full of family, travel to the beach and mountains, and a lot of time lounging by a pool or the sea, iced coffee in hand.

Pretty ideal, really. Except for that week mid-summer where my son had Covid. And then another week later in the summer where I caught it myself. But those were just speed bumps in the scheme of things. A few plans had to be changed, but the overall scope of the summer remained the same.

My primary goal this summer, besides spending time with my family, was reflecting over the last 10 years, deciding what lessons I want to carry forward from that time, and thinking about how they shape my goals for the next 10.

Do I have any answers yet? Vague outlines, maybe.

I found a hint in an unexpected source: the story of how Linkin Park reformed late last year. After running into some videos about their new music, I tracked down all the interviews I could find with Mike Shinoda telling the story of how the band had effectively dispersed after Chester Bennington died. Then a few years ago, some of the members started getting together to just be creative again.

They didn’t set out to bring back Linkin Park, but the work that took them there was guided by friendship and creativity rather than business decisions. More so, in the interviews, you can see how Shinoda is an amazing leader — putting his imprint on everything, to be sure, but also making room for everyone else to put theirs.

It’s the kind of work environment that I want to be part of, or even make. One where leadership means both shaping a vision and creating space for others to contribute their best. Intentional positive-sum creativity that leads to something interesting. It aligns with what Rick Rubin wrote in The Creative Act: “The recognition of abundance fills us with hope that our brightest ideas still await us and our greatest work is yet to come.”

As summer starts to fade, I’m off to play in abundance and see what I find.