This is part 3 in a series from Atlassian’s support team, for more information, check out the introduction to the series.
My working life started early… my first job was as an assistant in a health clinic when I was fourteen. It was just a job. My second job was an internship in the University Internet lab, which let me work with technology, which I was studying.
Then I started as a supporter in an IT solutions provider in Brazil, focusing mostly on network support and Internet infrastructure servers for contract customers. I loved it! Working in support, I felt like a part of a new business every day. I got to meet incredible people representing all these interesting companies that we call customers. In support, my customer’s goal became my goal. My customer’s team became my team and I felt I could make the difference between whether we achieved our goals or not. It’s a powerful, incredible feeling! Having the opportunity to be a part of your team is awesome!
But… I love trying new things. It’s part of my personality to need a challenge as much as I need air. So I decided for a change: I changed my job, my home address, my language, my IT area. I tried development, sales, marketing… and even became an IT teacher full time (I still love doing that part time). As much as these new areas taught me a lot and kept me engaged for a while, the excitement would eventually go away.
I missed the support experience. I missed that awesome sensation of being part of a different company´s team everyday and leaving an impression on their business. I missed the new projects, the tricky investigations, the neat solutions. I even missed the problems. But mostly, I missed the connection with you!
So I came back to support and started looking for a company that shared my values. A company that really, truly, honestly cares about you and is willing to go the extra mile to make you awesome. Luckily, I found Atlassian. Here’s my take on our values:
- Love What You Do: Having fun at work is the rule here. In Atlassian support, you can be who you are. You meet people from everywhere who are also being themselves! And you know what you discover? Despite the distance and cultural differences, we all have a lot in common. As an example, even though the traditional Brasilian Barbecue and Malaysian Nasi Lemak are very different, both contries have the exacly the same traditional drink: coconut juice, drunk out of a green coconut with a straw. We also “play as a team”, which means each of us is part of a we instead of being a lonely I, which makes all the difference.
- Fix the Damn Thing: I’m currently on a secondment, working for three months in our Amsterdam office. This means moving into a new apartment and learning where everything is. The thing is, there have been a dozen other people from Atlassian who have lived in this apartment. Whenever I wonder if we have a kitchen tool, a map, spices, my roommate says “You work with a bunch of very smart people Morgana! I am sure someone has thought of it before”. He’s right. Each person who’s come before has not only thought of it, but fixed it, made it better for the next person. In Portuguese, we say o mostrar o caminho das pedras, we “draw a path through the rocks” for the next person.
- Take Responsibility: When you are a supporter, your customer’s business is your business, and you can make a huge impact. Every day, I can be part of a new video game project, speed up (or slow down) the development of a new car, help put rockets in space. That is a big responsibility!
- Challenge Yourself, Challenge Each Other: Innovation is in the air here. It’s all around, and it gets into you. It makes you want to take action, to make things better.
We get to do all of these things, and best of all, it’s our goal to make you awesome! (Can you believe this is my job description? This is my dream job! )
Right now, I’m working on improving our support processes. I need your help. How can our team (your staff and ours) work together better?
Please get in touch and let me know.