The Best Job I Ever Had
The best work isn’t always in the job description. It lives in the moments of shared trust, silent pride, and the space leaders create for others to thrive.
I was asked yesterday,
What was the best job I ever had?
It got me thinking. Not just about where I’ve been,
but about what makes any job truly great.
It had nothing to do with titles, perks, or applause.
It never showed up in a job description.
Perhaps you know the feeling:
A trust so steady it doesn’t need to be announced.
Hands carrying weight together.
Hearts that give more than their share.
The lift builds quietly, not directed, but earned.
Until everyone can feel something meaningful taking shape.
I’ve felt it in a fire-direction center.
The headset crackles: “Fire mission!”
Boots shift. A map flutters. The new guy holds his breath.
Then, “Splash, over.”
Even early on, I could feel it.
That unspoken rhythm you only find in teams that trust each other.
I’ve heard it in the command under the dim red glow:
“Outboard personnel, stand up,”
and sixty-four pairs of eyes locked in,
then vanished one by one into the night.
No hesitation on green. Just trust, gravity, and go.
I’ve sensed it in the final pressure test before opening a well—
fluid flowing true downhole.
A testament to an army of planners, supervisors, operators,
and engineers moving as one.
The dozer on the mountainside,
the excavator digging the trench.
The skill of the operators—precise, steady, unspoken.
I remember the crack of a high five
after a million-dollar tool was rigged, transported, and set in place.
Aligned, secured, no incident.
And I’ve known it in the silence that follows a great hire.
When the right leader is in the seat,
and the whole team can finally exhale.
The best job I ever had was never about being in charge.
It was about being responsible.
About making room for teams like these to do what they do best. Together.
And maybe that’s the whole objective.
That’s what I keep coming back to.
The throughline beneath it all.
The best job I ever had wasn’t just one.
It was every time I was lucky enough
to be part of a team like that.
It never showed up in a job description.
I still look for it.
Maybe you do too.
And if you’ve ever had it,
you’d recognize it anywhere.
So, what was the best job you ever had?
You’ll know it.
Not from the plaque or the pay.
But from the feeling that never left.
Have you ever felt it?
Are you building it now?
And who’s counting on you to make it real?
-Brandon
Shared as a reflection from years working alongside great teams, from the front lines to the boardroom.
