When I planned fundraising events at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, I worked with a lot of volunteers. Kevin volunteered for the largest campaign I worked on, and we worked together for a few months my first year. Later, when I wanted to learn more about getting into public relations, I talked to him because he’d moved from non-profit work to agency work. Three years after we met and one coincidental twist later, I ended up working for him at an ad agency.After six months of working for him, though, I’d had enough. We’d become fairly good friends, but I did not enjoy working with him! I was so fed up with being micromanaged and condescended to and treated like a child. I was tired of being told exactly how disappointing my mistakes were and specific steps to do it better next time. And I was sick of having to put everything into a spreadsheet.
My dad sent me a forward around that time, showing one penguin knocking another penguin through ice into the water. The forward said, “Ever feeling like doing this to someone?” A couple months later, my parents went on vacation and visited a zoo. The souvenir my parents brought back was a little penguin. My mom wrote “Kevin” on the tag.
Eventually, I transferred out of Kevin’s department and have since moved on to other jobs. In that time, I’ve realized that while my friend might have been a difficult manager, he taught me so much about public relations and communication and working in general. He taught me how to interact with people, how to think about what I’m doing (as opposed to just doing), how to see the big picture and ask the right questions, how to be organized and efficient and productive, how to do things right.
I was wrong to want to push him into the ocean. I’m thankful that Kevin has been my mentor.
Since we met in 2002, Kevin and I have become good friends. I still ask him for career advice, and he calls me at least once a month for the answer to a grammar or style question. I’ve even tried to convince Smitty that she could date him. (She couldn’t. He’s sooo not her type!) And this week, I’m praying for my friend and mentor big time. See, he’s having open heart surgery tomorrow, and even though I once wanted to smack the back of his head like a penguin, I can’t imagine my career without my mentor or my life without my friend.
Have you had a mentor in life? In your career?
