Last week’s burning question asked you about which teacher was most influential in your life.
Initially, it was my high school, English teacher, Georgia Riojas. And I think she still is probably the most influential, but I’m thinking about it, there have been many many teachers who’ve been influential in my life. And not all of them have been teachers.
My first-grade teacher, Mrs. McAuley, commented on a short little story I wrote, and even commented that one day she would love to buy a copy of one of my books. I know this because my mom saves everything and sent me a big package of elementary school papers I had written. I didn’t know she had written it. But that was encouraging. I wish I could find her and send her one of my books.
Of course, there were other teachers and coaches that had an impact on my development, but in each case, it was always somebody who went a little bit above and beyond just teaching. They encouraged me. They saw things in me that I could not see.
My time in the Navy was a little bit different because I was not looking for long-term success, it was just a job. But as I came close to getting out, I began to look for people to help. One person who really invested in me, was a guy named Tony Cocove. He was a contract trainer with the Naval Medical Center for Organizational Development. Toward the end of my Navy career, I was doing some teaching in total quality, and he was one of the trainer trainers. Tony really helped me figure out a way to market myself on a résumé based on the collateral duty of training and he helped me figure out the best strategies to find my first job. Some years later, Tony did a workshop for my company as a contract instructor.
In 2001, I worked with a guy named Ron Mueller who showed me how to write and publish a book. He answered all my questions and shared his publishing and cover design resources with me. That is a skill that is relevant even now. I’ve used it to help multiple authors write and publish their books.
I think all of us are an amalgam of the people who guided us to the current stage of life that we’re in. It’s a good idea to go back and think about that. Maybe even more important, if you can, to thank those who helped you grow and develop.
But maybe even more important than that, how involved are we in the development and growth of others? Have we made ourselves available as a mentor, as a coach, as a confidant, or simply someone who gives trustworthy advice? I think true expertise doesn’t mean that you just know stuff, you must be able to teach it, and invest it into others.
This week take some time to think about your own journey and think about the journeys that you are involved with in the development of others. Maybe this week is a good opportunity to put more effort into that. What do you think?
