“What’s goin’ on? How are you doing? What are your pain points today?”
During my 2.5 years at TrustWorkz, I heard these questions just about every day from James. And I’ve been thinking about this particular aspect of my job there a lot lately.
At the time, I had no idea how these daily questions were shaping the foundation for what I ultimately wanted to do with my life. I just knew that it felt nice to be cared about as a person and employee in the way Richard Branson preaches about. It made me feel closer to my team, and as I grew in my role, I tried to stretch that feeling of “work family” to them as well.
James understood that, at the end of the day, his people were people first, and employees second.
I don’t think I ever articulated just how much I appreciated him checking in every day. Truthfully, at the time, I didn’t realize I appreciated the checking as much as I did. I’ve realized how much weight they had for me, and how much I’ve missed them at subsequent positions.
Now, as I find myself looking for another career opportunity, I’m thinking about finding an environment where I can find or be a mentor. Ideally, I would love to have both. I’m naturally drawn to creating an environment of community, and I hope to take that skill to a new environment that will allow me to help grow the team.
Have you ever had a mentor in your career? What were some of the lessons you learned?
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