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I just quit my job I still can't believe I did that and yes we have a lot to catch up on catch up on Music okay so some of you have probably watched my video that I posted two years ago on what no one tells you about working at a startup and yes I'm wearing
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I did that and yes we have a lot to
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catch up on
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catch up on Music
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okay so some of you have probably
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watched my video that I posted two years
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ago on what no one tells you about
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working at a startup and yes I'm wearing
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that same outfit in tribute to that video and here I am sitting here two years later reflecting on all four years that I spent at the company and I joined notion back in 2019 when we were a small team of 20. and in four years we grew two over 500 employees across six Global
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video and here I am sitting here two
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years later reflecting on all four years
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that I spent at the company and I joined
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notion back in 2019 when we were a small
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team of 20. and in four years we grew
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two over 500 employees across six Global
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offices and I joined ocean for a very simple reason I just love the product and the mission behind the company that's it and I remember when people used to ask me like hey where do you work blah blah I would say all this small company called notion they would be like cool never heard of it but it
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simple reason I just love the product
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and the mission behind the company
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that's it and I remember when people
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used to ask me like hey where do you
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work blah blah I would say all this
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small company called notion they would
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be like cool never heard of it but it
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sounds good now I feel like you can't get away from it you walk outside you see the Billboards you open your phone your favorite influencer is talking about notion and instead of sharing the top lessons I've learned about company building I wanted to share the personal operating principles that guided my time
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get away from it you walk outside you
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see the Billboards you open your phone
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your favorite influencer is talking
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about notion and instead of sharing the
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top lessons I've learned about company
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building I wanted to share the personal
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operating principles that guided my time
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there you know how companies have values that dictate how healthy work these are the beliefs that I've both adopted and applied during my time there beliefs that I will definitely carry with me to my next chapter so I hope you enjoy
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that dictate how healthy work these are
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the beliefs that I've both adopted and
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applied during my time there beliefs
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that I will definitely carry with me to
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my next chapter so I hope you enjoy
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what keeps you hungry so I made a few videos about this but I'm very proud to identify as first generation Korean American but I wasn't always proud of this growing up questions like the following have both like haunted and raised me since I was young questions like if Mom and Dad can't help me with
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videos about this but I'm very proud to
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identify as first generation Korean
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American but I wasn't always proud of
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this growing up questions like the
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following have both like haunted and
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raised me since I was young questions
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like if Mom and Dad can't help me with
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my school homework who can am I the only 12 year old to call the IRS to negotiate a payment plan how can I financially support my parents when I just started supporting myself but I realized now that wrestling through these questions taught me so much about how to be resourceful about the importance of
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12 year old to call the IRS to negotiate
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a payment plan how can I financially
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support my parents when I just started
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supporting myself but I realized now
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that wrestling through these questions
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taught me so much about how to be
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resourceful about the importance of
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delayed gratification and also the beauty in collectiveness mentality which is something that we have lost sight of in this Western World and reflecting on my career so far as I've been a Serial early employee at a few startups now I realized that the environment of my child childhood has somehow followed me to my adulthood specifically in my
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beauty in collectiveness mentality which
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is something that we have lost sight of
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in this Western World and reflecting on
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my career so far as I've been a Serial
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early employee at a few startups now I
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realized that the environment of my
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child childhood has somehow followed me
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to my adulthood specifically in my
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career environmental traits like one being the constant reminder for the need to survive putting the mission first above your self interests third feeling of doing something that's much bigger than yourself something for a collective unit in other words I started to notice these very characteristics that I've experienced as a child of immigrants and
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being the constant reminder for the need
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to survive putting the mission first
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above your self interests third feeling
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of doing something that's much bigger
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than yourself something for a collective
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unit in other words I started to notice
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these very characteristics that I've
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experienced as a child of immigrants and
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also experiences a notion and I call this operating principle find what keeps you hungry because hunger was the primary driving force that drove my time at notion and I Define hunger as it almost like animalistic instinct to survive or you know sheer curiosity or an appetite for Challenge and the said hunger was you know growing up alert
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this operating principle find what keeps
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you hungry because hunger was the
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primary driving force that drove my time
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at notion and I Define hunger as it
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almost like animalistic instinct to
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survive or you know sheer curiosity or
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an appetite for Challenge and the said
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hunger was you know growing up alert
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behavior that helped me help my parents help me survive it almost like primed me very well to thrive in like very early startup environment and looking back I saw how this theme of hunger has brought me to notion helped me Thrive at notion and is now calling me to leave notion so in other words when I first
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help me survive it almost like primed me
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very well to thrive in like very early
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startup environment and looking back I
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saw how this theme of hunger has
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brought me to notion helped me Thrive at
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notion and is now calling me to leave
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notion so in other words when I first
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wanted to join the company I cold emailed this person I tried like three variations of their email one went through that landed me an interview while I was at notion I initially started in Customer Support doing like 100 tickets a day and throughout my four years there I eventually ended up building my own team and leading the
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emailed this person I tried like three
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variations of their email one went
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through that landed me an interview
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while I was at notion I initially
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started in Customer Support doing like
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100 tickets a day and throughout my four
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years there I eventually ended up
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building my own team and leading the
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startup program which focuses on capturing as many startups to use notion and now a big proponent of why I'm choosing to leave notion is the same element of hunger which is moving me to take a bet on myself and one thing that I will say is that I've since realized that tending to this hunger is best when
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capturing as many startups to use notion
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and now a big proponent of why I'm
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choosing to leave notion is the same
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element of hunger which is moving me to
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take a bet on myself and one thing that
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I will say is that I've since realized
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that tending to this hunger is best when
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it's an intentional Choice versus accepting it as just like your default way of operating and it's most definitely a privileged choice and it's a choice that I am very proud of thank a choice that I am very proud of thank you the second operating principle is adaptability wins so quick story I feel
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accepting it as just like your default
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way of operating and it's most
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definitely a privileged choice and it's
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a choice that I am very proud of thank
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a choice that I am very proud of thank you
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the second operating principle is
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adaptability wins so quick story I feel
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like every you know notable startup has like a book worthy origin story and notion is like no exception so back in 2015 notion nearly almost died our Founders were either faced with two decisions one they either fire everybody and start all over or two they just shut down completely so obviously the founders chose option number one they
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like a book worthy origin story and
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notion is like no exception so back in
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2015 notion nearly almost died our
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Founders were either faced with two
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decisions one they either fire everybody
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and start all over or two they just shut
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down completely so obviously the
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founders chose option number one they
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ended up laying off their entire team and moving to Japan just to like really hunker down and build notion from scratch the reason why these founder origin stories are so fascinating it's not necessarily just like the tenacity and courage to go through all of that it's also the adaptability that is required for them to almost die come
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and moving to Japan just to like really
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hunker down and build notion from
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scratch the reason why these founder
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origin stories are so fascinating it's
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not necessarily just like the tenacity
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and courage to go through all of that
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it's also the adaptability that is
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required for them to almost die come
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back and like be in the running to win I feel like early employees in particular have so much stir up a very similar kind of strength and from my perspective I really think early employees have three end games one scale with a company two you either fall behind or three you
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feel like early employees in particular
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have so much stir up a very similar kind
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of strength and from my perspective I
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really think early employees have three
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end games one scale with a company two
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you either fall behind or three you
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either move on which door you choose to open very much depends on your ability to adapt so in other words if I had to choose one trait that predicts like the success of an early employee I would say it's adaptability and notion was an absolute master class and cultivating that skill and I Define adaptability in
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open very much depends on your ability
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to adapt so in other words if I had to
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choose one trait that predicts like the
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success of an early employee I would say
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it's adaptability and notion was an
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absolute master class and cultivating
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that skill and I Define adaptability in
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two factors one is your ability to reinvent your value over time and two is your ability to optimize your impact amid constant change and in a hyper Growth Company there is so much change going on that the company just looks different every 36 months there's new people there are new rules and you just
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reinvent your value over time and two is
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your ability to optimize your impact
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amid constant change and in a hyper
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Growth Company there is so much change
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going on that the company just looks
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different every 36 months there's new
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people there are new rules and you just
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have to adapt in order to survive so in other words like the skills that made you really valuable to the team and you're making a lot of impact when there were 50 people for example won't always transfer over when there are 150 people and I think this factor is very much more true especially if you're not
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other words like the skills that made
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you really valuable to the team and
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you're making a lot of impact when there
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were 50 people for example won't always
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transfer over when there are 150 people
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and I think this factor is very much
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more true especially if you're not
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technical like me so in the early days I made the most value and impact do the sheer dedication of my output and I think there's a reason why people say that strong generalists just made very good early employees because you have to simultaneously write and execute against your old Playbook and you just have to
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made the most value and impact do the
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sheer dedication of my output and I
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think there's a reason why people say
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that strong generalists just made very
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good early employees because you have to
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simultaneously write and execute against
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your old Playbook and you just have to
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do it like there is no excuse or no other option so you just gotta rise to the challenge and do it right but what I learned is that over time as the company has scaled I could no longer just put my head down and work in fact I realized that now the shift in value that I
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other option so you just gotta rise to
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the challenge and do it right but what I
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learned is that over time as the company
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has scaled I could no longer just put my
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head down and work in fact I realized
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that now the shift in value that I
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carried especially as an early employee was the context I am asked or the culture I carried or the company values that embodied I needed to infuse all of this into new cohorts of employees to new cohorts of leaders in my ability to influence people regardless of whether I was a people manager or not became that
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was the context I am asked or the
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culture I carried or the company values
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that embodied I needed to infuse all of
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this into new cohorts of employees to
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new cohorts of leaders in my ability to
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influence people regardless of whether I
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was a people manager or not became that
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much more important and it honestly it was so easy to feel lost I did many times you know new departments are spinning up you're getting your third manager in a span of six months but honestly it is during those moments where I've learned the most so the third operating principle that shaped my experience was ultimately look
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was so easy to feel lost I did many
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times you know new departments are
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spinning up you're getting your third
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manager in a span of six months but
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honestly it is during those moments
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where I've learned the most
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so the third operating principle that
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shaped my experience was ultimately look
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inwards so I would say notion especially in the early days did a lot of things differently compared to other startups for example we took our shoes off in the office and everyone wore house slippers we had this reputation of Turning Away VCS to the point where they would leave cookies at our door and every Friday we
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in the early days did a lot of things
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differently compared to other startups
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for example we took our shoes off in the
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office and everyone wore house slippers
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we had this reputation of Turning Away
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VCS to the point where they would leave
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cookies at our door and every Friday we
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had life stories and life stories is one of my favorite Traditions at notion basically every Friday one person presented their life and why they are the way that they are today and I remember like so many Fridays you know we're just like huddled around this one single carpet laughing you know
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of my favorite Traditions at notion
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basically every Friday one person
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presented their life and why they are
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the way that they are today and I
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remember like so many Fridays you know
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we're just like huddled around this one
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single carpet laughing you know
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sometimes tear dies and just like a lot of feels because it's so rare when you get that vulnerable in a work setting right and really understanding like why is this the person the way that they are and I think that really brought early employees like very close together and like that inevitably if impacted the
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of feels because it's so rare when you
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get that vulnerable in a work setting
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right and really understanding like why
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is this the person the way that they are
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and I think that really brought early
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employees like very close together and
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like that inevitably if impacted the
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work that we did together right and I think it's like little quirks like this that really gave notion it's like soul and now reflecting back I really think what made Notions special not just as a product but just like as a company is that it really originated from you know an unwavering Vision you know the the
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think it's like little quirks like this
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that really gave notion it's like soul
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and now reflecting back I really think
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what made Notions special not just as a
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product but just like as a company is
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that it really originated from you know
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an unwavering Vision you know the the
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courage to be different and the ambition to be a generational company all of those factors those are all things that I think are best derived and sustained from within so when I think about what makes notion notion it really inspires me to look inwards and as I've been reflecting on my time I realize how that
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to be a generational company all of
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those factors those are all things that
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I think are best derived and sustained
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from within so when I think about what
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makes notion notion it really inspires
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me to look inwards and as I've been
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reflecting on my time I realize how that
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influence to always like look from within versus letting all these external things make our decisions and impact our behaviors so for one I really learned to hone my business sense and find that intersection between intuition and curiosity but also like what makes sense for the business and it was also by
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within versus letting all these external
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things make our decisions and impact our
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behaviors so for one I really learned to
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hone my business sense and find that
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intersection between intuition and
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curiosity but also like what makes sense
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for the business and it was also by
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looking inwards where I felt like I was able to scale with a company honestly during the early days I felt like I was just like hanging onto the rail and just like flailing about as this rocket ship was going up now you know near the end of my time there I
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able to scale with a company
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honestly during the early days I felt
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like I was just like hanging onto the
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rail and just like flailing about as
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this rocket ship was going up now you
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know near the end of my time there I
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really felt like I was sitting in the front seat you know buckled up like even for the ride and I have more control and agency over my experience and I think I was able to do that because by looking inwards I learned the importance to like keep your ego in check the importance of
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front seat you know buckled up like even
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for the ride and I have more control and
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agency over my experience and I think I
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was able to do that because by looking
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inwards I learned the importance to like
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keep your ego in check the importance of
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regulating your emotions so that you can better ride the highs and lows of hyper growth and now by looking inwards I was able to kind of like recalibrate with my inner compass and really land on what is the kind of impact that I want to make for the rest of my career and which is
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better ride the highs and lows of hyper
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growth and now by looking inwards I was
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able to kind of like recalibrate with my
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inner compass and really land on what is
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the kind of impact that I want to make
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for the rest of my career and which is
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now why I have left
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many Reflections that I have on notion working there as an early employee for the last four years now and I'm sure you're wondering like what's next what are you up to Jenny so this year is going to be quite interesting for me and I hope to like share my journey and
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working there as an early employee for
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the last four years now and I'm sure
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you're wondering like what's next what
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are you up to Jenny so this year is
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going to be quite interesting for me and
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I hope to like share my journey and
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learnings with you along the way but uh for what's next I am going back to my roots in healthcare and I want to explore building a company in this space and it's something I've been wanting to do for a while something that I never felt ready for because I was always you
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for what's next I am going back to my
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roots in healthcare and I want to
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explore building a company in this space
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and it's something I've been wanting to
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do for a while something that I never
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felt ready for because I was always you
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know focused on giving 110 to my experience that notion to my team but now it just like felt very much the right time any of you are curious about you know the different factors that led me to actually leaving notion and how I came to that decision happy to make another video about it let me know down
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experience that notion to my team but
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now it just like felt very much the
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right time any of you are curious about
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you know the different factors that led
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me to actually leaving notion and how I
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came to that decision happy to make
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another video about it let me know down
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in the comments I also recognize is such a privileged position to be in especially in the midst of recession and the layoffs and everything and I like seriously don't take it for granted I guess like my last parting words to you would be listen to what your wiser more courageous self is saying to you and
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a privileged position to be in
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especially in the midst of recession and
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the layoffs and everything and I like
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seriously don't take it for granted I
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guess like my last parting words to you
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would be listen to what your wiser more
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courageous self is saying to you and
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consider you know what would it look like if you were to honor what that voice is saying so thank you so much for watching and I hope you will follow me along throughout my journey along throughout my journey Music
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like if you were to honor what that
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voice is saying so thank you so much for
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watching and I hope you will follow me
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along throughout my journey
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along throughout my journey Music
