I glanced at my phone during a meeting, and to my surprise…

I broke my own office rule, the one with no cell phones during meetings. Usually our meetings are short and efficient, but when we lose control to an external visitor, they become forced labor.

So when my phone beeped during one of those meetings, I gave in to temptation. The text that appeared before my eyes left me in awe, as did the sender. In just a few seconds, I was transported back to the year 2012.

July 23, 2012 - Chicago ??

I stepped into a high-rise office in Chicago with a fantastic view of Lake Michigan.? A young executive, let’s call him Richard, greeted me with a smile and a cup of coffee. He explained that they needed my consulting services to replace their project director who had recently quit and their client is asking for a replacement.? The client in question is a multi-billion dollar international corporation, and the stakes were high.?

Without wasting any time, I hopped on a flight to meet the client.

At the client’s office, I endured an unexpected and excruciating meeting where all their accumulated frustrations poured in one sitting.? I quickly grasped that the project wasn’t going well and that there was a significant problem conveniently left out by Richard during our initial conversation.??

But I am not one to back down from a challenge; in fact, I thrive on them.? So, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work.? Months of long days and nights followed, with flight across borders, project plans created and re-created, committees and executive meetings.? The project was getting back on track, and the client was satisfied.

But my young executive, Richard, was not.

I had heard of bullying but had been fortunate enough never to encounter it firsthand until I walked into Richard’s office for one of our management meetings related to the project.

The words he used to undermine my efforts, the accusations of siding with the clients against our team, his dismissive and insulting demeanor when I explained that there was no “them” and “us”, just one project with shared success and failure - it was surreal, to say the least.

The more I tried to reason with him the more hurtful and insulting he became. I had to stop him mid-sentence and politely ask him to change his “abusive” language. I left his office that day feeling numb. What had happened seemed unreal.

The next day, I submitted my resignation along with my invoice for the last four weeks of work.? I received a response from Richard that the invoice would not be paid. After consulting with a lawyer friend, I decided it wasn’t worth the effort.? I let go, moved on, and learned my lesson.

Present day, meeting room

Fast forward to last month, when I found myself staring at my phone during a presentation.? The text was from none other than Richard, from whom I haven’t heard since our last memorable encounter, and it started with,

“Hello Jeanine, do you remember me?

I realize I am dropping on you out of the blue after so many years.? I am reaching out to you because of how I treated you over a decade ago.? I am at a place in my life where I want to make peace with myself and with the people I hurt.? You did not deserve how I dealt with you and I wanted you to know that I treated you unfairly.”

See, these are the things that break through the monotony of our days and provide a deeper purpose to our endeavors. We operate within a professional setting, governed by rigid rules, dos and don'ts, written and unwritten social codes. But at the core of it all lies our human side.

As I stare at my phone, I read a message that will stay with me forever for the profound lesson it carries—a lesson about the capacity for change, from misusing power to embracing vulnerability, and how significantly this demonstrates both personal growth and social harmony.

You might be thinking he's in some terminal stage. That isn't the case.? It is simply a story that change is possible, that a more compassionate and empathetic approach to leadership transforms relationships, builds trust, and fosters a culture of accountability and respect.

And so, with gratitude to Richard and the lessons learned, I share this tale, a tribute to the enduring spirit of growth, the boundless capacity for change that lies within us all, and a testament that extending an olive branch knows no bounds of time or distance.