One year in: relationships change everything
It wasn’t the plan. It was the people. One year in, the biggest shifts came from real conversations, honest feedback, and unexpected care.
This past year, I’ve grown more than I expected. Not because of a new title or better tools, but because of the people around me.
We talk a lot about strategy, execution, and performance. But none of that happens in a vacuum. The people you’re surrounded by shape everything. Not just your results, but your mindset, your energy, your confidence, and your values. They influence who you become.
Growth doesn’t happen alone
You can improve your skills on your own. But the deeper changes - the ones that shift how you think, how you lead, how you listen, how you show up under pressure - those come through people.
Over the past year, I’ve been surrounded by colleagues and teammates at Anchor who did exactly that. People who offered perspective. People who gave honest feedback. People who believed in me when I needed it, and challenged me when I got too comfortable.
Those relationships didn’t just make me better at my job.
They made me a better person.
They helped me lead with more clarity. They reminded me to pause and reflect. They shaped how I show up for others.
Culture lives in the in-between
We like to talk about company culture as if it’s something fixed. Something that lives in a deck or a mission statement. But in reality, culture shows up in the space between people.
- In how we give feedback
- In how we navigate friction
- In how we celebrate without ego
- In the pauses between meetings
- In the texts sent just to check in
The small gestures matter. A quick thank-you. An unexpected message of encouragement. A genuine apology. That’s where real culture lives.
This past year, I’ve seen how powerful that can be. Not just for building trust but for driving actual results. Because when people feel connected, supported, and safe to speak honestly, everything moves faster and stronger.
Who you work with, shapes who you become
We don’t just mirror the people around us. We evolve with them.
The right people stretch your thinking. They raise your standards. They help you lead with more integrity. They remind you what you’re capable of.
If I look back at the moments this year that moved me forward the most, they weren’t driven by plans. They were sparked by people. By conversations I almost didn’t have. By unexpected encouragement. By challenges I didn’t see coming.
Because the people around you aren’t just part of the journey. They are the journey. And when those relationships are real, meaningful, and rooted in trust, everything else tends to grow around them.
