I went back Kendall Square today, that few block radius where I spent all but the last few years of my career. This is the place I was raised from a business standpoint. It’s where my dad spent his entire career building businesses, and where I took over working at four different companies over the course of 20 years.
The Kendall Square of my youth was a dull, academic, MIT-populated area with nothing of interest to see. The highlights of the trips my brother and I made to my dad’s office as children included digging through his desk for extra school supplies and a chance to play with the copy machine - and a fun trip to Harvard Square on the way home. The area surrounding his office had zero appeal.
Zoom ahead to the 90’s, and buildings started appearing. The Cambridge Marriott was built. The CambridgeSide Galleria popped up and people started building lofts and restaurants in the area. Kendall Square actually started becoming cool as it transitioned from an industrial area to a thriving community. Today it houses over 150 biotech and high tech companies - including the one I work for.
My company is unique in that we have our corporate offices in Back Bay, but one of our development centers in Kendall Sq. I love traveling to our different locations, and getting to sit among the teams, soaking in the flavor of each office. They all share our unique culture and passion, and yet they each have their own independent vibe. It’s a fantastic challenge to figure out how to help us scale with communication and actions that work for us collectively, taking into account the needs of everyone’s differences as we build.
I was reminded of this in Cambridge today. If our offices were on the Myers Briggs scale, Boston is very “E”…super Extroverted. Our Executive team is largely housed here, as is our sales organization. It’s frenetic in pace, and no one sits still. I rarely find a free block in my calendar during the day, and you frequently can’t walk down the halls without hearing laughter or stopping to chat with someone. I love this office.
And yet, I walked into our amazing Cambridge office today, and felt like I was walking into a day spa. We took over the space from a bankrupt venture capital firm, who had spent millions on an incredible build out that we get to benefit from. Our space looks like a tree house, and sits literally on top of the Charles River. It’s spectacular. But more impressive than the space are the people who inhabit it. They tend toward very “I”, or Introverted. They are calm. They are laser focused. They are building incredible products that will carry our company into the future. They are motivating. I love this office.
Our Cambridge office, ironically, is located in the exact building where I interned in college and decided to devote my career to start ups. Somehow, for a girl who is clearly “a Mac,” and limited in her technology knowledge, I have strong roots in the tech-Mecca of the Northeast. And I am extraordinarily grateful for this.
Florence might be where I am most at peace spiritually. But Kendall Square is always where I will feel most at home from a business perspective.
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