Back to the Future -finding my calling late in my career.

Hello LinkedIn,

It's been a long while since I posted here. Actually, it's been a long time since I logged into LinkedIn or any social media platform for that matter. After a minor profile update, I noticed some new verification system, tried it and hit a snag. My passport had expired, and I didn't even realize it.

Five years. First, there was a pandemic lock down, then I got married and had two of my three kids in the past 8 years. My wife also got sick, so it was a roller coaster that didn't leave me a lot of time to pursue socials -online and in the real world.

At the same time, Next Spike experienced unprecedented growth; I had to devote more time to it and had to give up a lot of side hustles and passive income sources.

Working as a project manager at Next Spike and its associated brands, I did the usual things within my core competencies: processes and efficiency. After spending some time on that, I was tasked with focusing on the "man" part of the Ishikawa diagram.

I didn't expect the Psychology course I took 30 years ago to be beneficial knowledge. Glad I still remember it -I honestly did a lot of refresher courses.

After a long time working many jobs, doing this and that, I never thought that working with young team members and mentoring them could be so rewarding.

During the same period, I had an epiphany. As a Gen X'er, I have a traditional view of work and career. Do the job to the best of your abilities, stay professional, and keep work and emotions separate.

However, the directive given to me is to implement "modern management" principles. The touchy-feely ones that I thought blurred the line between business and personal. Things like open communication, focus on employees' physical and mental well-being, and ensuring work-life balance.

To my surprise, it worked! More on these in future posts.