At the beginning of April, I put out a post promising to shave my head if we could raise 2k for a friend’s breast cancer treatment.

In about 2 1/2 weeks, the money had been raised.  So, without further ado, here is the video of me going bald.  Special thanks to Veronica Ludwig for her constant support of great causes (including this one) and to Kelly Mitton for stepping in and shaving my head!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICclUIn5PzU

Stay strong Kimberly!

I clearly remember the day I swore that I would never again work for another person or company for the rest of my life. *Clenched fist*

How does that saying go?  Never say…

So what happened?

Back in September of 2009, I started working closely with a San Antonio based technology organization called Rackspace.  For those of you from San Antonio and the surrounding areas, I’m sure you are already familiar with this gem of a company.  If you are from further away, you may not be… yet.

This short description may help:

Fanatical Support® has made Rackspace the world’s leader in hosting. We deliver enterprise-level hosting services to businesses of all sizes and kinds around the world. We got started in 1998 and since have grown to serve more than 70,000 customers, including over 51,000 cloud computing customers. Rackspace integrates the industry’s best technologies for each customer’s specific need and delivers it as a service via the company’s commitment to Fanatical Support. Our core products include Rackspace Managed Hosting, The Rackspace Cloud™ and Rackspace Email & Apps(formerly Mailtrust). There are currently over 2,800 Rackers around the world serving our customers.

In essence… really great and cutting edge technology, people (Rackers) who have a passion for what they do, and, if that weren’t enough, the organization has an amazing commitment to servicing clients.

What I’m up to

When I started working as a consultant for Rackspace, we began exploring concepts and approaches for creating a more authentic candidate experience.  Social media, as a tool for sharing and connecting with a variety of communities, seemed like the most promising route for establishing this piece of the talent acquisition arm.

During and after our initial conceptualization, I worked closely with the Director of Recruiting (Paul Norman), to design and create an employment portal (I like “Talent Portal”) that would serve as more than a simple stopping point to read bullet points and apply for a job.

We wanted to create something that would allow future Rackers to peer through the window and gain an understanding around what the culture at Rackspace really meant.  The hope being that once they had a chance to see it, they would be more inclined to engage in dialog about potential opportunities.

It takes a culture

While the above outlined goal was great, it takes more than a good idea and some planning to make something like this work.  I can tell you now (with a high level of certainty) that the culture of the organization matters most when attempting this sort of task.

Without the spirit and support of the many Rackers who have helped us along in this process, it would have been impossible to establish a system for sharing the authentic employment experience at Rackspace.

Fortunately, Rackspace is a company that takes great pride in being transparent and allows employees to engage in social media freely.  At last count, I’m pretty sure there were over 600 Rackers on Twitter alone.

As the months progressed, we engaged with Marketing, Communications, Legal, HR, Sr. Leadership and many others to establish a plan and level of understanding around what we were about to do next.  Everyone showed a huge amount of support for the project and so we pushed forward.

Further, the Recruiting team at Rackspace has been amazing!  I have never before worked with a group of individuals more committed or passionate about what they do.

Birth of an employment a talent portal

As of March 11, 2010, we launched our new talent portal and I accepted a permanent position with Rackspace to head up the efforts as we push forward.

With the help of the many amazing Rackers involved, we hope to share and engage talented individuals around the globe who are interested in working for an organization unlike any other I’ve witnessed.  For me, Rackspace is more than a company – it’s a way of doing business and a commitment to serving.

Just take a look at the Rackspace Core Values.  NOTE… these were not concocted during an executive retreat in the hills – they were created by the Rackers themselves and they truly reflect the spirit and commitment you will find when you walk through our doors.

• Fanatical Support in all we do.
• Results first, substance over flash.
• Committed to Greatness
• Full Disclosure and Transparency
• Passion for our Work
• Treat fellow Rackers like Friends and Family

I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining Rackspace and to have once again regained my faith that a company like this actually exists.  It’s refreshing!

I encourage you to stop by “Racker Talent” to see what we’ve been up to!

So, the original plan was to cross into Canada to see Niagara Falls.  Unfortunately, and fortunately, the U.S. Border Patrol is pretty strict about having appropriate documentation.  After an hour of questioning, we were finally able to get back into the U.S.

The great news is that I finally saw Niagara Falls and it was amazing!  Here is a short video from in front of the falls.  I wasn’t sure what to say – I really just wanted to share what I was seeing.  Enjoy!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYlTS4jsdPM

Apparently, I forgot how cold it gets up North.  Lesson learned.  I’m now the proud owner of new gloves and a Buffalo Bills hat!

I never liked wearing suits…

Shortly after graduating college, I remember going to the men’s clothing department to peruse the various fabric selections for my future professional wardrobe – I knew in the back of my mind I was going to hate wearing a shirt and tie in 110 degree Arizona heat.

Four suits and seven months later, I found myself in the uncomfortable pattern of gearing up for my daily jousting match with professional protocol.  The ritual never felt quite right.

When I started Red Recruiting just over a year ago and transitioned my way into the realm of social media, I quickly recognized the opportunity to leave my corporate plate mail behind.  It became increasingly apparent that my professional character was decided not by the quality of fabric on my back, but by the creative thoughts in my mind, commitment to authenticity and desire to spur change.

The other welcomed adjustment was the clear expectation to stay consistent both online and off. Converting to this new mentality was not easy, following years of big business etiquette. I made the commitment to be myself, despite the internal battles that come with new levels of transparency.

One of the greatest challenges along this newfound path has been balancing what I’m willingly able to disclose with the information that can potentially impact the confidentiality of others.

Being transparent is about taking risks. Ultimately, the only person who knows your true commitment to this concept is yourself.  It’s easy to recognize the fact that we all have different levels of comfort in being ourselves openly.

*gulp*

I’m in the process of going through a divorce.

Many things have changed and evolved over the past 13 years and the time has come to embark on separate journeys.

There is more to this situation than I currently feel at liberty to disclose, as the full story impacts the personal privacy of others.  The bottom line is that I feel at peace with the decisions that have been made and my future direction.

No situation of this nature is ever easy.  Emotions, logistics and a desire to keep things simple have more than lessened my social noise of late. A large part of this silence has been a result of coming to terms with yet another level of transparency.

I am personally challenged with owning an authentic voice comprised of only partial reality and experience.  Therefore, this post is my attempt to move forward.

The filters of our lives are what ultimately create our unique perspectives – mine, at this juncture, are shifting in new directions. It is my hope that by pushing through the uncomfortable act of making this situation public, my true voice and personality can once again return.

I’ve often found myself in social media debates about compartmentalizing personal and professional.  The perspectives detailed above in combination with my current situation have reinforced my belief and tested my commitment to online character consistency. I understand that this path is not for everyone, but I have found it to be the only path for me.

It always felt great to finish up a long, hot day by removing the jacket… the tie… the dress shirt – what a relief!  Albeit difficult at times to lay down our shields and expose our vulnerabilities, this choice will always lead us closer to the inner peace we deserve and the authentic relationships we aspire to cultivate.  While making these strides towards personal transparency are crucial, it is important to take them at your own pace.

I’m lacing up my new red boots… to hell with suits!

Photo Credit, puresolitude

Fast recap from Day 3 – Time is short… video is quick

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSwwNZ1JDzI