Lucien had laughed. “Brad come here? That’ll be the day.”
“Lucky, you hush. I want to meet that young man.”
“Hopefully, he’ll be back in college by then,” I replied. “But count on it, Paul and I will be here.” I was at work when they left, but when I got home Monday, I was aware that the building was diminished, at least for me, by their absence.
The next week I started my goodbye rounds with Charlie Rothstein. When he heard I was leaving, he invited me to lunch to say goodbye. This time, he insisted that I choose the restaurant. So back we went to Oscar’s. “I’ve heard some news about you, Rachel,” said Charlie, as we ate our salads. “Congratulations.”
“I’m honored to be having lunch with a new Vice President of TYH,” I countered. “As for the manager’s job, I haven’t yet decided about it. I’m happy doing what I’m doing, and I’m not sure I want something else, even if it’s a promotion.”
“You’ve got a lot to offer, Rachel. It’s a gift that needs to be shared with as many people as possible.”
I promised to think about it. As we parted, I thanked Charlie for all the things he had done for me, for moral support when I first arrived, for having a great sense of humor, for the example he set for me and others, and for showing me the plant in Sugar Land, where I learned that a strong leader can have a positive effect, no matter what the policies and practices are around him. “I’ll always carry that message with me,” I told him.
“If I give you a hug, would you consider that harassment?” he asked me when we got back to my office.
“No,” I said, “but if you don’t, I’ll definitely complain.” So a quick hug and he was gone.
The next person on my list was Katy. “I’m trying not to feel abandoned, Rachel,” she told me. “I’m taking this personally. I just don’t want you to leave.”
“Please keep in touch, Katy. I don’t want to lose you either.”
“It won’t be the same,” she said. “You’ll have other interests, and you won’t have time for me.”
I would make time for her, I promised. In turn, she said she valued what I had taught her, but she couldn’t promise she wouldn’t fall back if I weren’t there. I didn’t believe her. She would always be bright and aggressive, but she had learned a lot about interpersonal skills, and she was going to be in a training class in two weeks. Another hug. Leaving wasn’t easy.
Alicia brought me a gift, a brightly wrapped package of home made brownies. “It’s because of you I have the time to bake this,” she told me. “I’m out of practice, so if they’re horrible, wait ‘til I leave before you throw them away.” We both laughed. That’s what I remember most about our goodbye.
Tom Gaines took Judy and me to lunch. Afterwards, he shook my hand and wished me luck. I asked him to watch over Justin. “I know it’s not part of your job,” I told him, “but it is part of your legacy.”
“You’ve convinced me of that, Rachel. There’s an old adage in sales. Once you’ve made the sale, you don’t want to keep selling.”
“I’ll remember that,” I promised smiling, “and I’ll remember you too.”
Saying goodbye to Judy was the hardest. She had been so loyal, a quiet but steadying influence on everyone, especially me. I had met her on the first day I was there, and she had represented a sympathetic and kindred spirit from the start. She cried, and I cried. I promised her she would really like Ira. I had already told him what a gem she was, and he was looking forward to working with her.
Two days later, with no more fanfare, I returned to my real life.
CHAPTER 19
Back to the Present
Ah, that a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for.
— Robert Browning
The letter has brought back all these memories. It’s Saturday and I’m rereading it because I want to answer it immediately. I tend to be a procrastinator when it comes to writing, but not this time.
Dear Rachel,
I’ll bet you’re surprised to receive this a couple of years after your brief stay at TYH. I was with a group of friends last night having dinner at Oscar’s, and we got to talking about you. Do you remember what things were like when you came here? Or are you still trying to forget? You called us together. Remember? I’ll bet you weren’t exactly thrilled with our first meeting: one missing, one late, and all of us acting like we were part of a command performance at the home of a spinster aunt.
Rachel, I’d love to have heard your assessments of us when you first got together with the sugar man. He’s a great guy, isn’t he! He was with us last night at Oscar’s and said to tell you hello. Lucky for you, he refused to tell us what you thought after that first meeting. Seriously, I know we must have been a challenge. At the beginning, you really didn’t have much credibility with us. We considered you a caretaker, someone sent by Perry Winkle Enterprises to hold the line until fresh replacements could be sent in. The problem was, you refused to act like a caretaker.
When you didn’t come back that second Monday, I thought we had run you off. Judy was out that morning, but when she came back she assured us, you were visiting the main office. Aha, I thought, plotting! And you were, I think. We all had a good laugh last night when we talked about how outraged you were over the walls. That turned pretty quickly into action, and we were awed, even if we didn’t admit it. Rachel, when you get an idea, it’s fun to stand back and watch. You’re an artist at making things happen. In fact, I think your specialty must be jostling people out of their complacency.
At first you seemed like a dynamo fixing the place up, worrying about the business, focusing on our petty squabbles, sharing your special brand of wisdom. Then, all of a sudden, you stepped back and said, ‘it’s all yours. I’m here if you need me.’ What could you see that we couldn’t? How were you able to pick the right moment? I’m still wondering about that.
I’ll bet you’re wondering about us too. Well, let me fill you in on the latest news. Katy’ll be moving into PWE’s Atlanta office next month, but I’m sure you knew that already. She’ll have a coordinator’s job, so it’s a nice step up. Last night she told us she was most excited about seeing you again, (since Atlanta is so close to Oakville), and while I am sure she is looking forward to that, I think it’s typical Katy hyperbole.
Tom is still bringing in new customers, and at the same time saying he’s going to retire. I don’t expect it to happen any time soon, but he keeps talking about his “legacy” so I might be wrong. Justin is doing well. Soon he’ll be outpacing all of us. Tom was right. He’s a natural. By the way, baby number two is on the way. Justin says you’ll be getting an announcement in about three months..
You may have heard that Alicia left about four months ago. She and Tomás are also expecting, and she plans to stay home until this one is in school. About a month ago, Ira created a part time job she can do at home. She’s selling products over the internet and, believe it or not, doing quite well. We’ll probably never get her back into an office again. We were all panicked when she left until Judy stepped into that spot. You said she was a jewel, and you were right.
Cindy and I have been married over a year now, and while we don’t have any plans for a family, not at my age, we do have a pair of yellow labs that keep us busy. So that’s almost all the news that’s fit to print, except for mine, that is. I’ve been saving the best for last. Keep this “under your hat” for a couple of weeks; that’s when the announcement will be made. In December I’ll be moving to Sugar Land as Assistant Plant Manager, reporting to Jena Compton, who took Charlie’s job when he became Vice President. And that brings me to what I really want to tell you.
Rachel, I’m not sure you realize what a lasting impression you made on all of us. I know there were times when we seemed to forget the sacrifices you made to come to Houston all alone, far away from your family and friends. And you must have thought we were oblivious to the good things you were doing for us. I confess, I was—at least until ju
st before you left.
So, I’m writing this to say a long overdue thanks from all of us, especially me. You gave me a second chance when I Ieast deserved it. For that, I’ll always be grateful.
Stuart
P. S. We all want to hear from you and please include news of Brad.
News of Brad
When I returned from TYH in late November, I had hoped he would be ready to quit his job, move out of the apartment, and return to college. It didn’t happen that way. Still enamored of his “new career,” he continued waiting tables at the Rainbow Inn. By December, he had customers who asked for him, and he was getting bigger and better tips. In February he became assistant manager. Good move for him, bad news for my plans. While he still didn’t like working late, he told Paul and me he wanted to stay there—my twenty-year-old son and someday manager-to-be.
I was worried, but Paul seemed nonchalant about the situation. He understands adolescent boys better than I do. Two weeks into February, Brad made an important discovery. Assistant Managers don’t make nearly as much as successful waiters. Then there was a problem with some busboys not showing up for work, and Brad’s handling of that crisis was viewed by the manager as heavy-handed to say the least. A performance discussion followed. “I’m not ready for this work, Mom,” he confessed. A profound insight for my son. In a week or so, things returned to normal. In fact, Brad was really excited because the manager was being transferred to another city. With youthful optimism, he applied for the job. Needless to say, he was turned down. Too little experience in management and no education, they told him. Two days later, they brought in a new manager, and Brad asked to go back to waiting tables.
In the meantime, Brad’s roommate Pete was summoned home, his parents making good on their promise to stop the checks if he didn’t raise his grades. We couldn’t cut off Brad’s funding because by now he was paying his half, but I was sure he couldn’t swing the whole rent. To my surprise, he informed us he had spoken with his landlord, Robert Montoya, who had offered him a part time job building sets and doing other manual labor with the little theatre. Montoya was resident director. The pay, together with his job at the Rainbow Inn, would be enough to enable him to stay in his apartment. Strangely enough, it was at that point, early in March, that things began to turn around.
Instead of “hanging out” with his friends, Brad was spending more and more of his free time at the theatre. He ushered, built sets, learned about lighting and before long was attending auditions. He had played the lead in several high school plays, so I wasn’t surprised when he landed the role of narrator in “Our Town.” In June Brad sprang a major surprise on us, although we should have seen it coming. He was interested in acting and film-making, and he wanted to return to college, at least if our offer was still open. It was.
I thought back. Why hadn’t we seen this earlier? It might have helped if we had asked the right questions. I knew of his high school interests and so did Paul. We had supported his extracurricular activities, but when it came to college, we had made some assumptions. Brad needed to get the basics and Westhaven was a good college, even though they had a small drama department. Brad, always a good son, had simply gone along with what we wanted. Maybe I had ignored a silent protest. Yes, I was disappointed too—in me.
Paul told me not to be too hard on myself. Brad had said he wasn’t sure of what he wanted—not until lately, that is. What had made him decide to go back to school? It was Robert Montoya, a man who obviously had the mentoring spirit that Charlie had described for me. When Brad had expressed an interest in a theatre career, Montoya had said “Go back to school and study in the field.” He had even suggested several colleges Brad could attend that have excellent drama and fine arts programs. All of this occurred while I was off at a conference.
“So what now?” I wondered that evening in June when Paul and I discussed Brad’s future.
“Subject to our approval, Brad is going to visit all three colleges and see about picking up his studies in the fall. In the meantime, he has accepted Montoya’s offer to be his production assistant. It doesn’t pay much, but they are doing some work with Public Television in Atlanta, producing a play, and that will give him some exposure to television.”
“And what’s most important is he’ll be going back to school and doing what he really wants to do.” But I worried that he might have some problems being admitted. “Last year’s scholastic record was mediocre, Paul. I hope he’ll get in.”
“That’s more good news, Rachel. Montoya knows the chairmen of Drama Departments in all three schools he recommended, and that should help. I think our son found himself a mentor.”
“Do you think Brad read my letter to him?” I asked.
“I think so, Rachel. I gave it to him. It was a good letter. I know he kept it, and I kept a copy too.”
It didn’t matter. I was thrilled. Brad had a new level of enthusiasm, and as for me, I decided I’d either wind up going to the Cannes Film Festival or attending some super plays in little theater. Either would be fine. The most important thing was that Brad would be doing something he loved.
Tough Calls
It may come as a surprise that I turned down the Human Resources Manager’s job. I thought about it for a few days because it was a wonderful opportunity. In the end, I knew it wasn’t for me. I chose instead to continue as an internal consultant and devote my efforts to creating a culture of mentoring at PWE. Elroy was not pleased, and for a short time our relationship was distant. Finally, he came to understand that I was less interested in advancement than in the continuing opportunity to make a difference in other ways.
I had gone to Houston for two reasons: first to see if I could help the Marketers and second to get material for a workshop. While there, I came to understand that mentoring is more than a workshop, more than a program, more than this year’s initiative. It’s an ongoing commitment for every business, large or small, that hopes to survive. The Charlie Rothsteins, Robert Montoyas, and Elroy Grants believe this and act upon it. They embody the spirit of mentors. But the burden cannot be carried by a few. Organizations need to embrace the policies and practices that encourage and reward mentoring. I wanted to help make that happen at Perry Winkle and at To Your Health, and through my story in your company as well. That is why when Elroy tried to convince me to take the manager’s job, I told him the story of the starfish. He said, “But Rachel, the starfish that are thrown back into the sea will probably find themselves stranded on the beach with the next tide.”
My response was, “Elroy, that is the difference between starfish and people, for when we teach someone what we know, he is forever changed.” And so I remained in my consulting job.
Eventually, Elroy forgave me, and several weeks later invited me to lunch to thank me for Houston. I waited until we were almost finished before I brought up something that had been on my mind since my return. “I hope I didn’t disappoint you,” I told him.
“Disappoint me? What do you mean?”
“Remember when you first asked me to go? You said you wanted to see if I could make the tough calls. I guess I let you down when I asked Stuart to come back.”
He smiled and responded. “That depends on how you see ‘tough calls.’”
Elroy has a genius for saying the right thing.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Block, Peter. The Empowered Manager. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc, Publishers, 1986.
Heider, John. The Tao of Leadership. New York: Bantam Books, 1985.
Mails, Thomas E. Warriors of the Plains. Tulsa: Council Oaks Books, 1997.
Spence, Gerry. How to Argue and Win Every Time. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1995.
THE AUTHOR
Shirley Peddy is author of two business books, Secrets of the Jungle: Lessons on Survival and Success in Today’s Organizations (1996) and The Art of Mentoring (1999). Secrets is already selling internationally and is in use in Fortune 500 companies, volunteer organizations, government agencies and educ
ational institutions. An award-winning trainer and training designer, Dr. Peddy has addressed numerous conferences and has conducted workshops all over the United States and in foreign countries. She is a recognized authority on mentoring. She has been on nationwide radio and television and is widely quoted in newspaper and magazine articles.
Dr. Peddy is Managing Director of learningconnections, a business consulting firm established in 1994 and based in Corpus Christi, Texas. learningconnections focuses on mentoring, communication, and teaching the unspoken rules that help people prosper, even in today’s challenging organizations.
Her organizational knowledge is grounded in almost twenty years of experience as an internal consultant and leader of a training organization within Exxon U.S.A. where she consulted with a world-wide advisory committee of executives and managers. Her communication background includes being on the faculty of Louisiana State University where she taught honors English and serving as Chairman of the English Department at Dominican College in Houston.
Dr. Peddy’s work is (1) to help people achieve power over their lives and satisfaction in their work from having a clear purpose and taking responsibility for their choices and (2) to encourage organizations to help people succeed by rejecting the idea that people are disposable in favor of building a culture that rewards mentoring.
Peddy’s educational background includes a B.S. Degree in Education from The University of Texas, an M.A. in English from University of Houston, a Ph.D. from Louisiana State University and professional certification in organizational development from National Training Labs.
The Art of Mentoring Page 23