Leadership Lessons

Thinking back about the leaders that I have encountered in my life, I realized that there are many people that have impacted my views about leadership. Apparently I was pretty observant even early in my career and noticed the good, the bad and the ugly from the leaders that I passed along the way to where I am now. Starting back in the early years, Eugene Street taught me that when you hire teenagers to run the concession stand in a movie theater, they must participate in inventory control. Mr. Street made us count the cups (popcorn and drink) every night to make sure that we were honest and not wasteful. However, as a consolation, he allowed us to eat as much popcorn as we could hold. The lesson--accountability is essential. My first office job was in a workers' compensation claim center--typing workers' compensation claim checks. The office was set up like a "news room," no cubical walls--just a large open area of workers. Dorsey Walker--the supervisor--practiced management by walking around. She would stop and peer closely at the task you were completing to ensure that you were doing your job. Dorsey's lesson was a combination of "young workers cannot be trusted to do their work" and "the best way to keep the workforce honest is to intimidate them by being present." Fortunately, I moved on from there and met Clay Hicks. The lesson from Mr. Hicks was that supervisors can be kind. I worked very hard for Mr. Hicks. The next job took me to places that represent the ugliest days of my working career. The lesson learned from that supervisor is workplace boundaries must be enforced. The picture turned brighter in the next job. Mr. Pearson was terribly disorganized, but working for him was pleasant--albeit challenging. The lesson from him was to look for every opportunity to make a difference--even the less obvious ways. The next leader was also very kind--like Mr. Hicks and Mr. Pearson. He showed confidence in my abilities and I felt confident. That job was the launching pad for my current job, which I nearly didn't apply for.

These experiences helped me form good work habits, self-confidence, flexibility, and ambition.

Although some experiences were better than others--I am deeply grateful for the impression that each leader left in my life.