Life Lessons of a Wild 40+ Year Ride

Today I’m very excited to start my next great adventure - early retirement! As someone who started working at 13 years old, this is a huge change. But it’s what my husband and I have planned and worked hard for. In my 40+ years of bosses, direct reports, colleagues and customers/clients/partners, I’ve learned some very valuable life and work lessons.

1. At the end of the day, all you really have is your reputation. Make it a good one.
2. Life isn’t fair, nor is business. Don’t take it personally?
3. Mistakes and failures happen. How you handle it is what really matters?
4. When you make a mistake, admit it immediately. Trying to hide screwups makes things worse and doesn’t allow you, and those who around you, invaluable time to mitigate damage. Getting it out in the open will also mean you’ll sleep better. As the old saying goes, you cannot hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
5. We are all humans doing the best we can. Own it - good and bad and start each human interaction knowing the next person you interact with might not be ok today.
6. “You bet, no problem” is a great response to a request to complete a new task or take on additional projects. So is “I really don’t have the bandwidth for this” or “Can a few of us tackle this together?” Over-promising can undermine the final work product, increase burnout and degrade your own efforts to shine.
7. Careers are not made in a week, year or even a decade. Consistency over time goes a long way to solidify your value and build a strong reputation.?
8. It’s better to regret the things you did than to regret the things you didn’t do. My favorite mantra had always been “Jump and the net shall appear.” Don’t be afraid to jump.
9. Don’t let mean, small people undermine your accomplishments or self worth. The likelihood is that they are lacking confidence in their own ability and feel better by tearing others down.
10. Do not be that mean, small person. Celebrate your colleagues’ accomplishments and try to learn from their successes to increase your own.?
11. Humility is the single best quality we humans can demonstrate. Even if you’re the most successful and best in your field/industry, even when you think your idea is the best thing since the internet, be humble. People respond to and respect humility while arrogance almost always means automatic mental shut down when people hear your ideas.
12. If you are lucky, a few times throughout your career you’ll find that colleague who changes your life. Embrace that while you have it, it’s a special gift that won’t last forever and is indeed rare (and the handful of people who are “my tribe” - you know I’m talking about you).
13. Make your de facto persona always nice. Nice gets you everywhere, no one ever got what they wanted by being mean. Well maybe mean people steamroll others,but just don’t. Being nice is so much easier than being a mean & nasty human.?
14. If you have a sick feeling in your gut on Sunday nights and Monday mornings more often than not, it’s probably time to find something else to do with all of your passion, ideas and enthusiasm.
15. The ride seems long, but it goes by in the blink of an eye. Dream big, work hard and appreciate every day you’re given to not only earn a living, but to? impact people and, yes make a difference no matter how small.

I’ve had one hell of a ride in multiple industries over the last 4 plus decades. Many, many people helped me in my successes. I want to shout out to John Wernke Jay Clark Geoff Chretien Nicole Kershaw Fiona Volmrich Jeffrey Volmrich (posthumously) Maria Fernanda Bravo and Ludy Morales Dunning who have left an indelible mark on my professional adventures and made me a better human. You’re the best there are and I’m honored and very, very lucky to have been influenced - and made better by each of you, and to call you friends!?