Friday, November 02, 2007

Corporate Farewells

Today I sent a message to my [former] boss's personal email account:

Dear [named removed],

I just want to thank you (again and again) for the opportunity to work for you over the past year. You have no idea how much my job here has affected my life in New York. So many of the things that I had hoped for have happened to me already in this amazing city that I now call home. And a lot of those things might have never been possible, or would have happened to me at all, if you and [other boss] hadn't taken a chance on a naive, fresh-off-the-farm (or near it) temp. I've always been more of a shit-happens kinda girl, relying on coincidence as an explanation for most of the lucky breaks I've had in my life, and I can't tell you how many times I woke up in my overpriced, tiny 350-square-foot apartment in Harlem and felt like the luckiest girl in New York because I got to come to work here.

I have admired and appreciated your guidance, compassion and patience with me as I strived to learn about the [industry] and often struggled to keep up in this fast-paced industry. And I hated to see the end of my days assisting you on 42nd Street, but out of all of this comes a small opportunity for me to share something with you.

I was going to save my blog for the day that I would finally decide to leave you and [other boss] here at [celeb-founded company] - as sort of a here's-what-I-really-thought-of-you farewell gift (smile) to our team - but I thought I would go ahead and reveal it to you now.

It's called "Becoming a New Yorker" at http://becoming-a-new-yorker.blogspot.com/ ... From NC to NYC, the Good, the Bad, the Ugly - and even the Boring - of being a New York transplant, in my own words and others

The posts that you might find the most interesting are labeled:
Colleague Convos
Corporate Crux

Please don't tell [other boss] or any of the team about it. One day I will reveal all to them, too, and I hope they will get a good laugh - and sometimes an eye-roll - and look back fondly on the times we've shared. And as always, I hope there are more good, bad and ugly moments to come in this thing we call life ... and I hope to include you in more of the things I write about ...
Much love, Katie

Her response:

my sweet katie,

thank you so much for sharing this with me. i am really touched. you are an amazing woman and i am the lucky one here, that i had your spirit, your humor and your kind heart to assist me over the last year. and oh, yeah, you did an incredible job keep everything together in a volatile environment - not easy!

Just hire ME one day, ok? sending you love, peace and courage,
[name removed]

(and yes you can post this to show all how awesome you are!)

PS - mum's the word on the blog

So I did. See how awesome I am?!?!?!?! :)

4 comments:

Xinefoto said...

Aw, that made me a little teary! I love what you wrote to her and her response was sweet too.

Dina said...

very cool....but I have been curious for soooo long about WHERE YOU WORK ,and whom with!!!! please indulge us soooon

KJS said...

Perhaps I will reveal all when I change companies/careers ... :)

Todd said...

Congrats on the whole 'not burning bridges' thing!