Over the past year, my life has been a bit of a roller coaster. In the fall, I found out I was having a new baby. Then in the winter, we found out that baby had Down syndrome. In the spring, she was born 2 months early at a mere 2 pounds wearing a diaper the size of a credit card. I’d be lying if I said that the culture at New Signature didn’t see me through that time.
Some of the ways in which our core values affected me were external, from my team members and the corporation, while some of the ways that the core values helped me were from me, from the development of those values in my life and being inspired by the people I work with to embrace them.
- Human
New Signature allowed me to be a human. I was enabled to be a human, to have struggles and was not penalized for it. My voice was heard, I was encouraged and allowed to have bad days. More than that, I was inspired by that respect and encouragement to keep going and to overcome my challenge.
- Generous
During the weeks after my emergency childbirth, the New Signature team offered everything they could to assist me. From team members swooping in take over my tasks and cover me in my absence and providing me with all the paperwork I needed for maternity leave and other human resources needs to sending cards and well wishes, I was able to be a human, rest and be there for my daughter for eight weeks in the NICU.
- Innovative
Through the past year of ups and downs, I have been able to push myself mentally and broaden my horizon with the education and understanding that I have what it takes to be a special needs parent. That I can apply the same work ethic and determination and creativity that I have at work to raise my daughter. I research, I learn new physical therapy techniques, I network with other parents of children with Down syndrome. All these activities I have honed while working with New Signature. It’s how we operate every day. Always learning, always innovating and always encouraged to be a community.
- Authentic
At New Signature, we like to say that we deliver the truth with kindness. Sometimes, we meet challenges. Our customers come to us because they, as an organization, are facing challenges that they are looking for expertise to address and overcome with them. It was never a question if having a child with Down syndrome would be a challenge; that was a given. But the encouragement I received from New Signature, along with the lessons I’ve learned as an employee is that a challenge is not always a problem, but an opportunity to grow into a more authentic self.
Last week, I met my daughter’s physical therapist for the first time. She asked me what I do for a living and I said, “I’m a writer for a Microsoft partner called New Signature.” She replied with, “Oh, do you write code?” First, I was totally complemented that someone would think I was akin to the technological geniuses with whom I work. I answered her by telling here that “no, I just write regular words”, but followed up by telling her that that’s a code, too. I help to translate the highly technical to deliver what we know to the masses, to educate our clients, and to express who we are and our values to the community.
Beyond translating code to actions and words to understanding, New Signature transforms the people who work here–professionally, creatively, and as humans.
