A Week in the Life of a PD Team Member

Character-building lows and celebratory highs
Team & Culture

/ 2022.10.27 / 3 minutes read

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Are you curious about what it’s like behind the curtains at Pixel Dreams? Are you interested in joining our team and wondering if we’d make a good fit? This article aims to give you a glimpse into the life and culture of a PDTer.

 

 

 
 
 

A Week in the Life of a PDTer

 
 
 
A week at PD resembles an episodic comedy show that packs in suspense, drama, heartache, and victory. Every episode (week) starts with the best of intentions. Team members catch up on their weekends, establish goals, and enthusiastically get to it.

 
Q1
What do you look forward to?
 
You Answer
Crushing it!
 
 
Q2
What’s on your mind?
 
You Answer
How I’m gonna crush it!
 
 
 
 

And then it happens…

 
 

Never skipping a beat, Weird Cousin Disaster 👹 visits you from out of town and decides to sleep on your couch. 🧳

 
 
You start feeling a bit… not-so-great. 😔

 
 
TUESDAY!
You have a rough conversation with a teammate, followed by a tough conversation with a client. Out of left field comes a new request: you’re asked to hit a distanced target in an exciting (aka heart-racing) timeline. 🎯
 
Your concrete plans for the week are tossed in the air! New priorities are dumped in your bowl. 🍜 A teammate tells you to, “slurp it up, muster the courage, and stay disciplined!”
 
You feel the pressure. 🥵 You doubt your abilities. 😬

 
You ask, “Is this the right place for me? Am I cut out for this team? Are these people insane? Am I?” 🤨

Steven Pressfield calls it Resistance with a capital R.
Ryan Holiday calls it The Obstacle that needs to become The Way.

 
— And Captain Picard shouts Red Alert! 🚨

 
 
Whatever it is, it’s not what you planned for, it’s not what you imagined, and it’s not what you (think you) want.

 

Your emotional spaceship is under attack!
Warp-engines are down!
Shields are failing!
And hull integrity is about to buckle!
 
 
🚀
Is it time to get into your escape pod and eject?
 
 
 

And then…
some other things happen.

 
A teammate comes to your aid. Then another comes to your rescue. 🛟
 
Your workload seems almost attainable. There is a faint light at the end of your tunnel.
 
What’s this? → 📧 →
 

A client sends you an email — CC’ing your team…
 
“Dear You, thanks for crushing it. You’re the best, and I love working with you and your team.”
 

Love,
– Client –

🥰

 
Later that Wednesday, a bunch of inside or offside jokes are shared in your afternoon stand-up. 🤣
 
You laugh so hard, ☕ spews out your left nostril and leaves a trail on your ⌨️.
 
Thursday morning, you attend your scheduled one-on-one meeting with your team lead.

 
You learn more about your client, the work, and gain a little more wisdom and confidence about yourself. 🎖 Your leader ends the meeting with a strange,
“See you later. Love ya lots!”
 
 
Is that normal? 🧐

 
Friday rolls around… and somehow, strangely, the most important work needing done… gets done. ✅
 
It’s 3:30 pm, and you attend this shindig called: Friducation. What’s this? Oh, Education on Fridays. 🤦‍♀️ Duh.
 
A team member presents a worthwhile topic. Then another.

 
You transition from presentations into your Weekly Wrap-up gathering.
 
The team sings someone a horribly-tuned and not-in-sync happy birthday. 🎶 You’re embarrassed for them 😳, but also kinda impressed by your team’s light-heartedness.

 
Each team member takes a turn giving shout-outs to peers they were proud of and appreciative of. Your name is mentioned several times. 🥲
 
You secretly die — from love.
 
Everyone’s taken a turn, including you. In an awkward teenage-boy kinda way, people try to say their goodbyes, “No, you hang up first! No, you!”
 
The week ends with smiles, laughter, cheers and celebrations for making it through another great week of character-building lows and celebratory highs.

 
 
Weekly Wrap-up is done.
 
 
Your 📷 is off.
 
 
You sit for a moment, look into your screen,
and wonder, “what did I just experience?”
 
 
You have this funny feeling in your 🫀.
 
 
A silent voice inside you says,
 

“I can’t wait for next week!”

 
 
 
 
The End
of week 01

1/23

 

 

Cadence

🪖
MONDAY
Put on your big-boy-big-girl pants. Roll up your sleeves, soldier. Let’s get going!
 
 
 
 
→
🥳
FRIDAY
Celebrate an epic week with your team. Laugh, drink, blaze, and be merry!
  • First day of the week
    It’s Sunday, the first day of the week. Wait, did you think Monday was the first day? No, no. Sunday, you get prepped and ahead, ready to minimize distractions and crush goals. Losers start their week on Mondays, and you’re no loser.
  • Monday Morning Meeting at 8 am
    MMM, Monday Morning Meeting!
    This is your opportunity to catch up with your team about the weekend, declare your goals for the week, and report on your last week’s goals. Some key questions:

    • What are your health goals?
    • What are your reading and studying targets?
    • What do you look forward to?
    • Is there anything on your mind?
  • Wednesday Goals Check-in at 9:00 am
    It’s mid-week. Time to report on your week’s progress.

    • How are you doing with your goals?
    • Do you need support?
    • Do you need to adjust targets?
  • Friducation Presentations at 3:30 pm
    Friday + Education = Friducation
    One or two team members present on a topic. Sometimes a guest speaker, sometimes a panel. Sometimes we have clients and community members in the audience.
  • Friday Weekly Wrap-up at 4:30 pm
    This time is dedicated to you. Stop. Smell the roses. Give thanks to those special team members who helped you crush it this week.

    • How was your week?
    • Who are you proud of and/or thankful for?
    • Who do you want to shout out?
  • PDA - Periodic
    PDA = Pixel Dreams Academy
    This is a learning session typically led by our CEO or one of our company’s elders aka advisors and mentors. Topics vary widely, it could be extreme ownership in teamwork, or paths to financial freedom, or overcoming the Resistance. Have a topic you’d like to learn more about?
  • Team & Department Huddles
    Team leaders provide training, coaching, and mentorship. Be prepared to welcome homework. Be ready to present at your next gathering.
  • 1:1 = One-on-ones
    Meetings between you and your leader(s). This time is precious, allowing you and your leader to catch up, share ideas and feedback both ways, and provide you mentorship and coaching.
  • Coaching Sessions
    Meet with one of our elders, aka advisors and mentors, to get world-class coaching. Our elders are creative leaders with audacious accomplishments and courageous humility, who provide our team with ongoing wisdom and coaching.
  • Journey Docs
    This is a living digital document required by team members to keep up to date. Your JD houses your journey at PD from newbie to veteran to retirement. Your Journey Doc is the important place for you to capture essential milestones, wisdom, discussions about pay and career opportunities, and much much more.

 

 

Sentiments

 

  • A week at PD often feels like an hour at people’s old job.
  • You will learn more in three months than you can possibly imagine.
  • Study like your life depends on it. You are a Knowledge-Worker.
  • Work out, take care of yourself, and be healthy. You are an Olympian.
  • Hustle hard like there’s no tomorrow.
  • Speak up, debate, and make your point.
  • Shut up, listen, and understand different points of view.
  • Here, it’s WE over ME.
  • Have your Ego in check. Letting ego run wild here would have it shattered.
  • Discomfort and pain are catalysts for insight and enlightenment. Embrace the process.
  • Amateurs have excuses for lack of training and under performance. Professionals show up to training to drive higher performance. This ain’t a little league.
  • Laugh out loud, be merry, be light. Life is short. Don’t take yourself too seriously.
  • Uphold PD core values: Improve health. Seek wisdom. Cultivate teamwork.
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