I was in a 6 hour long meeting today. It was supposed to be 8.

I can't tell if my proudest moment is the two big laughs I got out of the crowd, or when I got to whip out my super accurate and precise Reg E knowledge straight from the back of my wee lil brainy-kins: "If the transaction does not post, then there is nothing that can be disputed. Disputes cover errors in transactions; no posted trsx, no dispute. Or that's the guidance the lawyer gave us" (what I didn't say: yeah the guidance the lawyer gave us sometime like 2 years ago in one hour long meeting where we discussed like three different reg e scenarios, aka, BUT I REMEMBER). Or the one piece of Reg E disputing timeframes trivia. Or the other piece about implied authority vs. theft or fraudulent possession of an associate's card.

Don't fear for me; there were definitely times I multi-tasked and fell to the back of the call and let others speak a lot. I'm pretty confident I didn't overdo it and acted in the capacity of my role -- but someone who's very good at her role and knows every in and out of what the fuck she is doing in the regulatory space she's testing. A true SME, if I will. I shined, I let others shine too.

That call? I was excited for that call. I knew I'd enjoy that call. I just really found the discussion we were having all of really important ,really interesting, and offering both learning opportunities as well as plenty of spaces that would benefit with my (and everyone else's input). I told a coworker about it and apologized for not inviting her. Haha. She did not mind at all.

And I wasn't the only one who got a couple big laughs out of the room; one of the people on the call with whom I work closest also has a great work attitude and the ability to make people laugh and have a better time at what they're doing. He got several as well.

It was honestly an amazingly pleasant meeting for a group of people who have often been, definitely much more so in the past but still occasionally now, combative when they have to put their heads in a room and agree on certain findings. It was great.

At the end of the call they were thanking everyone and saying bye and they know meetings like this are tough so they appreciate the engagement and here's how I got my second laugh, as the goodbyes began to chorus at a lull point I said "OK so, same time next week then?"

Last year on my end of year review I made a question asking everyone I was seeking feedback from if I'd made them laugh in the past year as we worked together. One coworker (who I generally admire) completed the feedback. In his response he openly asked how this was relevant to my work performance.

I think success at work is 50% doing the job and 50% getting along with the people. If you're strong in one you can get away with being weak at the other. But good people who care about their work are impassioned, and that means if you want to get them to work with you you are going to have to massage the conversation a lot of the time. The best work is done with people who want to work with you. It's also the most pleasant, even though yes it can be frustrating to tone down and put into polite words the issues you see clearly before you.

A person who laughs with you is a person who wants to work with you.

Tying back to whatever i said to klein about coworkers weeks ago thematically i guess

I passionately passionately believe this.