Goodbye Stranger

It was an early morning yesterday
I was up before the dawn
And I really have enjoyed my stay
But I must be moving on
– “Goodbye Stranger”, Supertramp

Friday was my last day of work at Previred. It was twelve years, which means I was part of that organization for more than half of its life.

I had never stayed that long in a job. The years went by so fast, and I was having so much fun with what I was doing, that I didn’t notice.

Keep in mind that this blog is a little over fifteen years old, so a large share of the reflections I’ve written here came out of my work at Previred.

I told a summary of my experience in the last articles of the series I called “The End of Agile”.

Like a king without a castle
Like a queen without a throne
I’m an early morning lover
And I must be moving on\

Making a decision like this isn’t easy. After all, in these twelve years of work I built teams, helped improve processes, helped introduce development practices, and even had to merge teams that came from different styles of work. For a good long while I had a lot of freedom to innovate, and I had great professionals alongside me. We pulled off changes that were astonishing and almost unthinkable.

But those who know me know that I’m very restless, intellectually and professionally.

Now I believe in what you say
Is the undisputed truth
But I have to have things my own way
To keep me in my youth

Everything has its limit, or its end. There come moments when you no longer feel the same harmony or the motivations you used to feel. Organizations mutate, they evolve, and not always in line with your individual ideas.

Someone wrote that corporations are living beings with a consciousness of their own. After all, our legislation grants them personhood. They are organisms whose collective mind follows certain guidelines, and those guidelines change.

Over the last two years I felt worn out, tired and sometimes bored. But it’s not that it turned into an unpleasant place to work. I will never say that about Previred. Nor was it free of problems and disputes; I think all of that falls within what’s normal for any human organization.

It just happens that a moment comes when you don’t feel aligned with the rest of the organization’s leadership.

That’s when you start complaining, and I’ve told you before what I think about complaining. The organization has its truth, and I have mine, and as Supertramp says, I have to have things my own way, to keep me in my youth.

Like a ship without an anchor
Like a slave without a chain
Just the thought of those sweet ladies
Sends a shiver through my veins

Sometimes, without you looking for it, the solution shows up at your door, as a generous offer. As a beautiful challenge. A voyage of rich adventures, of new courses to chart. You want to be part of something great, something you admire. Something new to discover, because you’ve already drawn the map of a territory that’s fully explored.

You want to make your way like those Portuguese explorers of the sixteenth century, who ventured out to draw new charts of unknown and mythical territories. You want to go in search of the unicorn, or the mythical chimera.

And I will go on shining
Shining like brand new
I’ll never look behind me
My troubles will be few

So a few weeks ago I had a conversation that matters a great deal for the rest of my professional life. It started with a direct message to one of the great Chilean software engineers, Osvaldo Mena. Those conversations settled into the decision to join his ranks, on “the beautiful journey of delivering avocados”.

That’s right, I’m joining the Cornershop team.

Sweet devotion (Goodbye, Mary)
It’s not for me (Goodbye, Jane)
Just give me motion (Will we ever)
To set me free (Meet again)
In the land and the ocean (Feel no sorrow)
Far away (Feel no shame)
It’s the life I’ve chosen (Come tomorrow)
Every day (Feel no pain)

Today I need to feel young again. To challenge myself. To find a new beach where I can plant my flag, burn my ships, grab my gear and head inland to explore.

I’ll be taking on very interesting new challenges, and I’m sure I’ll tell you about them. I’m joining a great team and a great project. I’m happy, I feel free and motivated. I hope I’m up to it.

Goodbye, stranger, it’s been nice
Hope you find your paradise
Tried to see your point of view
Hope your dreams will all come true\

Go and believe it
I’ve got to go