Enjoying a bit of sunshine and smiling because of a conversation that brought joy. A woman was doing a service by picking up recyclables the county doesn’t pick up.
Ahem – clamshells.
She mentioned she used to work for the US post office which was a nice segue. I told her of people I know who used to work for the post office and a friend who currently does.
A friend who has been a mentor to me since I met him 36 years ago – in corporate.
After a wonderful back and forth she went on her way and I was left with my thoughts. I couldn’t help thinking how throughout my life I’ve had the benefit of mentors.
People who shared and passed life wisdom to me.
I speak to this in my podcasts.
As I considered how fortunate I was to have not just one but multiple people in my corporate environment take the time and energy to mentor me I thought of the flip side to that.
What’s Axed is What’s Lost
I was in my early 20s when the Midwest went through yet another in the every ten years we go through a recession fun.
Not.
The thing is I hadn’t been through it in a way that drove a stake into my empathetic heart before then.
I watched as in the name of cutting costs people with incredible knowledge and experience were the first to go while those of us who were just starting out were kept because we were cheap labor.
I later learned I was being underpaid by $18K.
I was not only devastated watching colleagues let go because they apparently earned too much I told management we were losing a precious resource.
We needed their experience! Their wisdom! You can’t put a price tag on that!
I don’t think the powers that be got what they were going for. After the senior consultants were let go a large number of customers dropped us as a trusted vendor/advisor.
They had a history with these consultants. They trusted them.
When I showed up at an OEM site to address a critical issue the customer looked at me and said “Why you don’t look any older than my granddaughter. What could you possibly know about this problem?”
In other words don’t worry my pretty little head about it?
I pasted a smile on my face and proceeded to assure the customer I could indeed fix a problem that had pulled the systems offline.
Costing millions of dollars an hour.
Inside I felt like jelly but I did get them up and running.
And chewed my mentor out all the way back to the office for putting me in a position I was in no way experienced enough to handle.
His response? “Did you or did you not fix their issue?”
Life Circles Round
I know that mentor – who is a beloved friend after all these years – will read this and remember that day.
And my panic even as he assured me he believed in me 100% and knew I could fix the issue and get them back online.
How did it turn out?
After they were up and running they took me to lunch to celebrate.
And raised glasses to the fact I indeed got them up and running so the car doors could once again roll off the line.
We need to tell our stories.
We need to mentor.
Be well
Elizabeth Maxim 