I’m a first time Dad.  Yep, that little bundle of joy I anticipated for years has finally arrived and it’s been an adventure.  Diapers, feedings, rashes… you name it, the first month has opened my eyes to a whole new world.

News of our new addition back in January was exciting.  I remember going through a range of emotions from self-doubt to great pride in my upcoming role.  After all, it’s a big responsibility and one that I had never experienced before.

I’ve downloaded just about every single app available on baby topics – from name selectors to iPregnancy (tips, pictures and diary tool).

As I quickly found out, technology and pregnancy enjoy each other’s company.

We bought the books.  We wandered around Babies”R” Us.  We asked for advice from friends and family.  We researched online.  10 months is a long time to ponder.

Finally, on September 16^th, baby Sophie arrived – 7lbs 5oz… healthy, wide-eyed and beautiful.  What a blessing!

We spent the next four days in the hospital under the watchful eyes of doctors and nurses.  The epidural caused a couple rounds of spinal headaches that had to be fixed.  My wife was a trooper through it all.  You’re a star Kelly!

No matter how much advice and research you do, nothing prepares you for the ride home and what comes next.  It’s been an overwhelming month of sleepless nights and worrying.

But, this post isn’t entirely about our new arrival.  The reason I’m sharing this story is because I witnessed one of our Core Values at work and it impressed me.

Relatively speaking, I’m pretty new to Rackspace.  In fact, my official hire month was March.  Once inside, new Rackers notice how much emphasis we put on our core values.  It’s a big deal here!

What you don’t hear about are all the different ways the values are embraced.  In part, that is the purpose of Racker Talent – to share the stories.

After we arrived home from the hospital, I received an email from my team announcing that they wanted to help us through the first rough patch of parenthood.  As a group, they got together and organized to deliver food to our house two nights a week.  Wow!

A few days later, my Wife’s team (Rackspace University), joined in and committed to two more days a week.  Wow, Wow!

Needless to say, we were impressed!  Thank you to both teams for your support – it’s been awesome!

Time and time again, I have had the privilege of hearing stories and witnessing our Core Values at work – from donating ETO (vacation) to a Racker in need to fundraising to help a Racker (or family member) out.  It’s really something special to witness.  It’s something I’ve rarely seen elsewhere.

We take “Treat fellow Rackers like Friends and Family” seriously here.  It’s part of what makes our work-life special and something I’m grateful to be a part of.

Thanks team!

In 2010, Michael joined Rackspace Hosting in San Antonio, TX to head up global employment branding initiatives.  Since becoming a “Racker,” Michael launched RackerTalent.com and has brought together internal bloggers from five continents to share the authentic culture of the organization.

Michael is a graduate of Georgetown University with a degree in International Relations. He has lived multiple years abroad in both Guatemala and Argentina. In his spare time, Michael enjoys guitar, photography and exploring the social web.

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