What to Know When Working for Robin Greenfield
What to Know When Working for Robin Greenfield
In 2022, I asked one of my teammates who had served as my assistant to write a letter that I could share with potential future assistants. The purpose of this is to help people who are interested in working with me to have a better upfront understanding of what it might be like. Sharing this letter publicly is a way to practice transparency in my skills as a manager and leader. This also serves as a tool to find ideal matches in teammates. And it helps people to avoid working with me when they can see that this is not a situation in which they would want to work.
This is what she wrote:
Working with Robin was an experience that I am happy I had! I learned a lot in the time I worked with him. I developed a deeper understanding of the natural world, running a nonprofit, and also about myself. A lot of this work situation is very different from what most people are used to, so it is important to be aware of a few things going into it to make sure it is the right fit for you.
• Robin is highly intelligent. His brain works very efficiently and logically, yet this also sometimes means gratitude and sensitivity do not come naturally. This is something he is aware of and has made progress in. He desires to keep growing in this area in order to support those around him.
• Robin has a very direct form of communication and people often misunderstand his tone. He doesn’t sugarcoat his words or beat around the bush. What may come off as irritation is often just him trying to be straightforward with his words. It is important to not take what he says personally. He will tell you directly if there is a problem, so there is no need to assume.
• Robin is very busy with his projects and, therefore, is frequently late for meetings. It is good to have tasks to work on with you before a meeting so you are able to be efficient with your time if you have to wait.
• Robin respects the work/life balance and wants to make sure the team has ample time to relax, yet the living situation can make this challenging. Since there are no set work/life hours and we make our own schedule, there is often at least one person working in the common space all throughout the day. I found this made it difficult for me to feel I actually had time off.
• There are many house rules which help keep the house in order. While each of the rules are justified, I found it difficult to fully look at the house as my home, more so as I was just visiting.
• I found it difficult to have the manager and the team living in the same house. As the manager, it made me feel like I was always working.
While these are important factors to consider, working with Robin also means:
• Doing work that uplifts many people in need in a meaningful way.
• Learning about many different aspects of environmental sustainability.
• Living in a house with a team that is also dedicated to the care of the planet.
• Opportunities for growth through training and events.
• Having a flexible work schedule.
• Access to a book library, seed library, a garden, community bikes, and more.
• Having a boss who cares about your wellbeing and the wellbeing of the community.
This can be both an empowering or challenging work situation depending on each person’s individual needs and work ethic. This dynamic is ideal for people who:
• Are self motivated and unaffected by lack of outside encouragement.
• Are good at time management. This is very important when making your own schedule.
• Are good communicators. It is important to be able to understand direct communication, as well as communicate your own needs and feelings.
• Thrive in group settings, as there will always be at least four people living in the house.
• Find joy in doing tasks on the computer.
• Like to keep their living spaces organized.
I believe it is a great opportunity to work with Robin. His connection to the Earth is inspiring and his desire to support the community is truly beautiful. If any of the above notes feel like they could potentially be issues for you, I recommend discussing it with Robin. He is happy to have transparent discussions about the work and living dynamics. (:
From Me:
I’d like to make the note that this teammate was working in a shared house with a team of about five people, myself living there at times as well. I found that this was not an ideal scenario, given my limited management and compassionate communication skills. Since 2022, I have continued to make improvement in these areas, but it is still very much a struggle for me. I do not feel competent to live with and manage a team, or to manage a co-living environment. I feel that, in general, I struggle with managing teams.
I write on this in more depth in A Letter of Mourning and My Experience with Nonviolent Communication (NVC) / Compassionate Communication.
In July 2022, I wrote “I have gotten feedback that it’s not what I say, but my tone. In my NVC notebook, I have written “How do I improve my tone?” I can’t hear the tone, so unlike most of my flaws that I know how to improve, this is one that I need to do more research and self reflection on.”
The following is their resignation letter.
I share this because it reflects what many others have felt.
Sunday, June 26th
First, I want to acknowledge the internal work you have been doing to be the best boss, friend, and human you can be. This past week especially I have noticed a huge shift – and I think that is a big deal and worth celebrating! Thank you! Your words of affirmation have felt really supportive and I love the thought you have put into bringing us joy. You offering a solution for the food situation is a great example, that one decision brought the three of us great excitement!
While I am so grateful for my experience with you and the organization, I have decided my time on the team is coming to an end.
…
I want to be very clear with you, so I have a feeling this will end up being a bit wordy. I just want to make sure by the end of this, you have a better understanding of my reasoning and experiences. So to begin, I am very happy I moved out here and took this job. I learned so much through work, relationships, and my internal experience. I am leaving with a heart full of love for everyone on the team.
Coming into the experience, I was very excited. I strongly support the missions we are collectively working towards and so excited for all of the learning that would come along with it. I was having a hard time being on a computer 35 hours a week, yet felt excited about what we are working towards, which helps. That is why I was able to successfully do a lot of computer work at my previous job as well.
As my relationship with you shifted a bit, I found myself anxious and overwhelmed. I would mentally prepare myself before each meeting, then would take a long break or nap after to ground all of the anxious energy I accumulated from speaking with you. It wasn’t the fact that you are direct that I struggled with, it was that sometimes things you said felt rude and inconsiderate. It felt like I disrespected myself for putting up with it. Yet I did not feel safe to express this often because when I did say something, I felt I was met with defensiveness and not fully heard. This has not been the case as much lately, yet for a while it had me questioning how long I could work for you due to that. I began to develop an awareness that our energies didn’t align as smoothly as I had expected.
I began to feel hard on myself – asking why it was taking me so long to get grounded. In my past experiences, I have been proven to be very adaptable. I have moved more times than the average person my age, as it is something I enjoy. This goes for traveling as well. I began to realize it was because my nervous system felt under attack for a variety of reasons. I had the experience of living where I worked at my previous location, yet it is much different here – harder in my opinion. Here, I feel like I am always working as long as I am in the house. Someone always seems to be asking me a work question. Even if I say I am not working and want to talk later, just the mention of it brings it into my awareness and puts me into work mode. As well as hearing other teammates talking about work while in common spaces while I am off of work. I find myself doing this as well and I do not like how much space work occupies in my mind when I am off of work. Yes, I can wear headphones – yet it is unpredictable when someone will mention something, and I don’t want to have to wear headphones every time I am in a common space to avoid this.
Plus, as my role as house/team manager – I am basically always working when outside of my room. Looking to see if things are in order, etc. and that is not time that can easily be counted during my hours. In addition, I do not like the concept of living with the people I manage. It is a difficult situation and makes it challenging to switch out of work mode when, as you said, I am their manager before I am their friend. I am not saying these are problems that need to be fixed. I am just noting that these situations do not feel good for my nervous system.
Another reason it felt challenging to get grounded is because I do not feel like this is my home, yet more so like I am staying at a friend’s house. I completely understand why the rules are in place. Yet some do not feel good for me and it is challenging to feel at home when I do not have a full say in how I am living. I am aware that this was made very clear before I started, so I am not saying you are in the wrong for how you operate the house. I underestimated how it would feel to have these specific rules in place. It makes it very challenging to relax when I am outside of my room, it feels like I am living in force rather than flow.
Spontaneous meetings are another reason I have a hard time relaxing. It is common for you to be late to meetings. You did mention this in your first week, yet I didn’t realize that you meant it was more common than not. It made it challenging for me to plan my day, always wondering. Multiple times you would finally call and it would be in the middle of my lunch break, yet I would take the call because it might have been my only chance to talk to you. I know you had a lot going on, yet even setting a time frame (ex. “we will meet between 12-3 pm”), instead of being three hours late with no heads up, would have been great. It felt like my time was not seen to be important when these containers weren’t honored.
I mention these things to explain that my anxiety and overwhelm wasn’t because I am weak and can’t adjust to a new environment. When I always feel like I am “on,” it doesn’t give time for complete rest and parasympathetic nervous system recovery. So the mix of not feeling grounded and having a difficult time with your energy had me questioning if I could stay. I was crying a bit from this frustration, which is new since I moved here, I was not a crier. I did not share this with you because I felt I would be judged and not met with compassion. I really wanted to make this work. I told myself I would stick it out for at least a year.
Because I was having a hard time emotionally, it made the work even harder. I do not like staring at a computer for 35 hours a week. When I feel like my work is valued and appreciated and I am doing meaningful work, it is much easier for me to do. Yet this was not the case, which made it challenging.
Being given a large amount of new tasks at once and expected to think critically in areas I have no or little experience led to mistakes and not being excited about work a lot of the time.
I tried my best to focus on the positives because I knew it was the only way I could make it work. So this is what you and the team often saw. It wasn’t me being fake, I was just really trying to look at the bright side of everything. I would keep reminding myself that you meant well, my work is meaningful, and that I was doing a good job. Yet it didn’t feel like it. It felt like I was creating more work for you than I was helping you. I know it is my responsibility how I feel, yet a little more gratitude from you would have made a huge difference and doesn’t feel too needy. I am very happy that lately you have been expressing more gratitude – thank you!
The past week has been the happiest I have been since I moved here. I feel like our relationship is much healthier, how you talk to me feels much more respectful, the team feels more comfortable with you, I am at a good place with work, etc. Since you have been back from California, SO much has shifted within us all and it has really been beautiful. I felt hopeful again.
….
Working 35 hours a week in front of the screen leaves less time that I would like to grow in other ways. Yes, 35 hours is not a lot relatively and when creating a good schedule, leaves plenty of free time. Yet I have found that computer work feels much more draining than other work. By the time I am done, I have a hard time finding energy to put into my other goals. Also, sitting/standing in one place constantly is very hard on my body. When I nannied 40 hours a week for three kids, I found I did still have the energy for these other goals. So it is important for me to pay attention to what gives me life force and what takes life force.
….
This past week has felt so smooth with work and the team, and I feel like huge things are happening with the organization. So, the fact that I was still considering leaving even when things are getting much better was a sign to me that it is time.
I have many gifts and this role isn’t fitting for them to be used. In certain cases, they shine through, yet overall I feel I am not the best person for the job. I saw the applications and believe many of the people who applied would do this job much better than me. I want this organization to help as many people as possible, and I think it would be more successful with someone else in this role.
….
