Today is my last day at Accenture, fka Headspring. I’ve worked here for 11 years; near a third of my life, near the length of a primary and secondary schooling. And what a schooling it was.

Headspring was the foundation of my career, and more than the first few floors of building, too. I am privileged and grateful to have had some the brightest and most talented in the biz as mentors, managers, leaders, and peers. I’m forever indebted to them for their time, patience, guidance, and support over these years and will miss working with them dearly. To those of y’all reading: Thank you.

The individuals from Headspring are amazing, but as a sum we were so much more. The culture we cultivated was of excellence, autonomy, and ownership, and it ran deep. We were empowered to make decisions and drive change, and encouraged to be honest and to support each other. It was an amazing environment to grow in, and its best elements shaped me personally as much as they shaped my career. Here is an oversimplification of exchanges which impacted me in ways beyond number:

“It’s OK you don’t know this, you will learn.” · “You’re interested in management? Well it’s a little early, but let’s see if you can mentor some of our new junior hires.” · “Morale has been a little low. Why don’t y’all get together for some fun and take a chunk of the weekly company meeting.” · “I think you’re ready to lead this project, so I’ll take a backseat. I’m here when you need me.” · “You want to get into speaking? Let us sponsor you at this conference.” · “How about a podcast?” · “Hiking the Appalachian Trail? Let’s figure something out. We’ll see you in the fall!”

It wasn’t perfect, and I know at times I benefited greatly from preference and privilege. I take for granted the confidence with which I can say “I made an impact on this company” in more ways than contribution to the top line. But I also know I am far from alone among Headspringers to have had that autonomy, opportunity, and impact, and that that is uncommon in the grand scheme.

When Headspring was acquired by Accenture it became obvious how special it was to have stumbled into a company whose values were specific, compelling, and fell so neatly into place next to my own. This past year I have felt the friction of those values against the ambiguities and operations which enable corporate hyper-capitalism. It is hard to say goodbye to the people I am leaving, but not to the place.

What’s next for me, you ask? A break. A long one. Circumstances have aligned that my partner and I can give in to our wanderlust for a while. But we also need to eat, so I’ll be back this winter… probably. Till then, subscribe to my blog (loudandabrasive.com) for updates akin to the ones from my time on the Appalachian Trail.

See you soon,

Patrick