Some things never change

I don't write here when I'm feeling bad.

Especially if I don't want to elaborate.

That is all. 

We had snow today. It is the day before April, God! C'mon, man!!

There's a lot going on.

Which camp do you fall into?

            OR ...

Not sure if there is any in-between right now. 

Out of the mouths of ..

Walking across the parking lot at preschool - headed to the car.

4 yr old granddaughter: "C'mon Grandma! Let's jump!" as she proceeds to hop on both feet quickly across the asphalt while pulling me by the hand.

Me:  "I'm coming Honey, I don't jump real well these days. I'm a bunch older than you, it's harder for me." I do a modified hop/skip to the car.   

4 yr old granddaughter:  "Grandma? Were you this old when you were born?"

Me:  "Well no, I was a baby when I was born, just like you were!"

4 yr old granddaugher:  "I was born on my birthday!" Big smile.

Me:  "I was born on my birthday too!"

The thoughts hop around as quickly as her feet do! I have trouble keeping up with those too!

Once upon a time ..

I worked at a place, where there was a VP of the department I worked in, who was known for taking calls on speaker while leaving his office door open. I skyped someone once and told them - hey - Sam has your call on speaker with the door open and we can all hear it. So wrong.

Sam (as I'm calling him) regularly made people cry, berated people in front of others, and pushed people so hard they quit.

But he was making progress with projects and moving things along successfully.

Behind the scenes, his boss had hired a manager coach, to see if he could be taught to deal with people differently. None of us knew that, but we did know to stay out of his path if we could. 

One day the president of the company called those of us who were onsite into a conference room, and pulled in others by conference call, to announce that Sam had been let go. She told us that although he was successful at the things he had been asked to do for the company, the way he treated people was unacceptable and could no longer be tolerated.

We were shocked. I was hugely shocked. The president (I will call her Sheila) told us about the coaching, about how many months had gone into trying to improve his ability to manage people. But in the end - other employees and their well being meant more to Sheila than one man who was a bully.

I was still fairly new at this company, and wasn't sure Sheila even knew who I was. I had no idea if it
was appropriate for me to email the president of the company but I didn't care. When I got back to my desk I emailed Sheila to thank her. I was near tears as I typed. I explained that the previous place I had worked - Sam would have been promoted, such was the toxic culture of that employer.

I needed her to know how much it meant to me, personally, that she had taken the stand she did, and how happy it made me that this was the atmosphere in the place where I was now employed. It mattered then. It still matters to me now.

Sheila is retiring. I will miss her leadership but more than that - I will miss her heart and her simple goodness. Those are qualities sorely missing from much of corporate America.

In a world where you can be anything, be a Sheila.