Josh Foreman ist nun 12 Jahre bei ArenaNet

According to LinkedIn I’ve been at ArenaNet, Inc. for a dozen years. I thought I started on the 20th, but maybe my official hiring date was the 13th. Either way, it’s been a great ride. I was employee number 32 or something like that. I love it here. It ain’t perfect, but no place is.
I want to start this ramble with a quick anecdote that will set the tone for my appreciation of Anet. When I moved back to the Seattle area from Michigan my life was in tatters. My wife had left, spent all our severance pay that THQ graciously gave us after shutting my last company down, (Did I mention I had just been laid off?) and I had two young terrified boys. Anet paid to move my stuff over here, and at some point in my first week here the office manager gets a call from the movers telling her they can’t move the stuff because they found illegal narcotics in one of the drawers.

So I got to have a nice chat with one of the founders about how, for the safety of my children, I had to keep evidence of my wife’s drug use in case there was a custody battle. I have no idea how he made the decision to believe me and keep me on. I can’t say I would do the same. But I’m forever grateful. Aaaand then a week or so later my lawyer told me my wife’s next likely move would be to file a domestic abuse claim because that’s what HER lawyer would advise her to do in order to help her case to get the kids. (Isn’t using children as pawns wonderful?) So I got to go BACK into Jeff’s office and tell him that there was a good chance the police would be showing up to arrest me that week. And for some crazy reason they STILL kept me on. (Thank God the arrest never happened)

Besides keeping such an obvious risk employed, this company has given me the chance to grow in so many ways. I got to pitch a new product, (Super Adventure Box) pick a team, develop it, and release it. I’ve learned so much about design and leadership here. I’ve learned about community relations. (Mostly by getting in trouble) I’ve learned a lot about how to integrate work from so many departments and how to communicate between them. (Often by failing at it.) I have a super cool, laid back boss who’s been to my wedding, helped me out on various personal art projects with tools and advice, and his wife even gave me some of her precious fossilized ivory so I could carve a cameo of my wife for my wedding ring with it.

One of the coolest things about Anet for me has been how flexible they are in helping us find our niches. I’ve always been an artist, but I’ve also always been just as drawn to design, so it’s been great that I’m accepted by both disciplines and feel like I have made valuable contributions to both. I’ve already talked about my great art boss, let me gush about our design leadership now. I’ve never known anyone who is both extremely excellent in their field, while simultaneously being humble, open to new ideas, and most amazing of all, totally committed to raising up new leaders and empowering those around them. This is truly a rare thing, and yet it defines the design department here. I’ve had several experiences where Colin or Mike Z have approached me just to ask how I was doing… not the project, not the tracking or the design. Just me. My feelings. And they honestly wanted to know if they could help in any way. Overtime is always discouraged as the leadership understands that a VITAL element of quality work is a good work/life balance. On top of that, every time I have a question about future leadership opportunities the answer from everyone is always „How can I help you?“ Incredible. And inspirational. Someday (In the far distant future) I want to run my own company, and I’m taking so many lessons from the people I’ve worked with here as foundational to that endeavor.

Anyway… that’s my story about ArenaNet, and I’m sticking to it.