My Watch Has Ended
I’m rescuing this to remember it.
My goodbye note to my friends at The New York Times.
September 6 2017
Dear friends,
After almost 4 amazing years here at The Times, it's my turn to get off the bus.
I've been incredibly fortunate to work with some of the most inspiring, dedicated, knowledgeable and hard working people I've ever met, and am so proud of the Real Estate team and what we've been able to build together. It's something everyone who leaves this place says in their parting words, but only because it's so true, and this past week has been really tough.
I am so thrilled that we were able to take a product and return it to growth, both in audience and revenue, to transform the working practices and digital health of a desk in the newsroom, to produce some truly beautiful marketing efforts, and to create best-in-class documentation and process around what we do and why we do it.
But I'm most proud of the team we built, and how we did all of this.
Without a doubt, our team of Katherine, Cory, Soo, and before them Jess, Jordan and Karla, have been the reason I came here for the past 4 years. The best team I ever worked with, and it's genuinely heartbreaking for me to walk away from you guys. In real estate, we believe that the only shortcut to success is kindness, something that runs deep in our team's DNA.
There’s an old saying that got me thinking about our time together. A saying very true to life at The Times. “Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends leave footprints in your heart.” And what you all leave is not only a wonderful footprint of incredible work, but a memory of how lucky we all were to have been able to spend time together. I love you, and will always think fondly of our time.
But in moving on, it's time for me to invest in and build something more important, my family. As many of you know, I have an almost 4 hour round trip to work each day, and that's caused me to simply miss far too much of my 7 year old daughter growing up. I'm also still slowly recovering from a serious illness I had right before I joined NYT. I'm looking forward to fixing these with my new role as Chief Product & Marketing Officer for Inman News, which allows me to work from home on a permanent basis. It also allows me to focus on where my professional passions really are, helping brokerages and realtors through one of the most disruptive and exciting times in the real estate industry's history, and sharing the stories of how the industry adapts and changes over time. I'll also be taking on an advisory role at Rutgers University as part of their awesome Design Thinking course.
I truly believe that storytelling is at the heart of communities, families and cultures, but importantly it’s also at the heart of memories. And as a passionate advocate of real estate brands, products, and building things to make the process more enjoyable, I believe it’s in the DNA of what it feels like to own a home. I've loved sharing those stories here at The Times, and I'm looking forward to telling more of those stories in the future. I have wonderful Times memories.
So here’s to The New York Times, who I love. You won’t need it, but I’ll always be the wind in your sails, cheering you on. I was so incredibly lucky to work with you all, and as a kid from rural England, I still can't quite believe my dream came true. The care and love you pour into building beautiful products will last for years, but your real legacy here will be the memory of what awesome people you all are. Be excellent to each other.
We'll be having drinks tomorrow night at Tir Na Nog, but for those who'd love to keep in touch, I'd really love that too.
