Brother -
A little over six years ago, I took a trip to Nepal for a long weekend with some co-workers. I had recently moved to Dubai to start working at Uber. I didn't know anyone in the region and was excited to have been invited on the trip.
We ended up traveling in an old bus into a rural mountainous area. We joined with some of my co-workers' friends and rented a small cottage. On Saturday morning, we ate outside as a group as we prepared for a long hike. We took turns using the small washroom inside to get ready.
When it was my turn, I was brushing my teeth when the lights started to flicker. Then I began to feel a slight rumble as I assumed someone turned on a generator. The rumbling quickly turned to a thunderous shake, the floor started to move, and I realized this was something much bigger.
I darted down the stairs as the walls cracked, and I could hear the ceiling tiles start to fall. I narrowly escaped through the ground-floor doorway as the side of the cottage crumbled into the courtyard. As the group gathered themselves, one of them asked me if I was OK. I was standing there shell-shocked, with the buzz of my electric toothbrush going still in my hand.
We had just experienced a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. We were stranded.
Who do you call in this situation? As the hours passed and we started to regain service, I posted to Facebook with a simple message. "Re: Nepal Earthquake. I'm OK".
My manager saw this and commented, asking for help to get our parent's contact information. He then went to the highest levels within the company to organize support for us. They sent us a helicopter.
This extraction was coordinated by a former Dutch Military person who would give our Mom updates every hour on the hour. After more than a day passed, Mom asked if he's slept yet. His response - "I won't sleep until your son is returned home safely."
So what's the moral of this story?
I'm lucky to be safe? Yes. I had a great manager? Of course. The company treated us very well? Without a doubt.
The thing is, brother - I was less than six months into the role, an individual contributor, on a personal vacation. It didn't matter that I wasn't a senior employee and it wasn't a work trip. Uber didn't care. It was clear - get our people out 'safe and sound' at all costs.
This support was something special, and it helped create a deep love for the company in me that lasted many years.
Many of my early colleagues also have stories where their love for the company was cemented. It was a community where you'd welcomed the opportunity to take out visiting employees, and it was normal that company swag filled half of your wardrobe.
As time went on and the company got bigger, this feeling started to fade. Many of those early colleagues went searching for that feeling again. Most failed to find it. It's rare. I don't think it's something you can search for.
We were lucky to be part of it, and I hope one day to have it again. If you're fortunate to find yourself at a company where you have it. Cherish it. It won't last forever.
Let me leave you with a quote.
"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
Dr. Suess
Enjoy the dance,
Nate