Rediscovering the Art of Playing Outdoors
Trading the boardroom for backpacks and breathing fresh air again
I recently started a job that is a departure from what I’ve traditionally done in my career. In fact, it’s a complete 180. I find myself here partly out of necessity, but also simple interest in getting my hands dirty and connecting with my local community in a field I love and respect.
This new job is decidedly NOT corporate. In fact, I might even call it borderline anti-establishment. My small band of colleagues is a mish-mash of ages, genders, education levels and interests, and driven by an owner--a former employee--who leads it all with his heart.
They show up every day, work hard and are as joyful and happy as any work team I’ve been around in my history.
But they all have one thing in common that runs paramount in each of their lives: An undying love of the outdoors.
For some, it’s manifested in long trail runs. Others are dawn-patrol backcountry skiers, putting in uphill laps at zero-dark-thirty in order to be in the shop when it opens. Others spend their free time scaling local crags rock climbing.
One of my workmates is a former executive who tired of the grind and is now focused on doing what he loves, mainly skiing. The current job allows him free time and provides a pathway paved with gear incentives and other benefits that get him into the mountains as much as he wants.
His passion story is similar for nearly everyone here and it’s refreshing.
One colleague has an advanced degree in mechanical engineering. Another is a former high-school teacher and yet another was a professional-soccer-player-turned-longshoreman from Northern Europe in a previous life.
But they choose this work life because they love it. A place where office respect is not measured by second houses and boats, but rather miles traveled and untamed places explored.
When was the last time you were in a work environment where your colleagues were there only because they were stoked? Not for the money, not because it will look good on their resume and certainly not to climb the corporate ladder.
Most likely, never.
Where we choose to work and why we do it is a complicated discussion, of course. And let’s be honest, money most certainly plays a large role in that decision. It’s true that a fat paycheck can often make up for bad situation at the office.
But the opposite is true as well—that a quality work environment with people who are genuinely happy to be on the planet and celebrate its amazing nooks and crannies, can make up for the lack of a large payday.
And while my teammates are a pleasure to be around, there’s another bonus to this new work: creating joy in customers.
And by joy, I don’t just mean being satisfied with helping them find what they need. I am talking about unbridled smiles from ear to ear as they walk out of the store with a new pair of skis and boots—that fit properly-- anticipating the upcoming season’s first big snow fall.
Pleasing customers should be the goal of all business and should be strived for tirelessly, but the fulfillment that comes from pleasing the VP of Marketing at a multi-million-dollar tech company doesn’t carry the same ‘joie de vivre’ as helping someone create their next big adventure.
How long I will stay at this new job is unknown, but for the time being, it’s an enlivening change to be in a world that doesn’t suffer drawn out, stress-filled spreadsheet reports and blind forecasting. Gone are the meetings with people that don’t care to be there, replaced with laughter, tall tales over topo maps, and the plotting of future grand odysseys. A world view that’s wider than any Zoom screen can offer.
But most importantly, it’s a workplace that has reintroduced me to something I’ve always known but had pushed down to another part of my psyche: That the world is a wild and fascinating place and the magical wonders it offers should not be missed.
Interested in pursuing your own business dream? Join Generation Next and sister publication Cento at Second Act Community, a virtual community for professionals, including coaches and creatives, who are pivoting from the corporate world to build businesses they love. We’d love to see you there: Second Act Community