My Dad - My Inspiration
Amy Russell FInstAM ????
Reducing the overwhelm for busy business owners ? Bookkeeping, Office Management, HR Admin, Social Media ?? parkrun addict
For a job interview many years ago, I was asked to do a short presentation on what had influenced my career. It was to be part of a full day of interviews, group activities, etc.; at the end, all the candidates would deliver their presentations to the whole room.
My presentation was scheduled for last. I listened to the other five candidates deliver their presentations and my heart sank.? I feared I made a massive cock up – my whole presentation was different to everyone else’s.
They talked about their careers, the jobs they had, etc. But it was too late to change anything, so I stood up and delivered my presentation as planned when my turn came.
Why did I think mine was so wrong?
I chose to focus on “who” had influenced my career, not what.? My Dad.
You see my dad left school when he was 15, with no qualifications, and ran away to join the RAF without telling his mum and dad.? The first they knew was when the recruiting officer went round to see them to confirm his identity!? I can imagine their shock!
He spent 23 years in the RAF, working his way up to being a respected sergeant and engineering instructor on some of the most expensive and top-of-the-range fighter jets the UK had at the time.
But he knew his career in the RAF wouldn’t last forever, so he went to night school, learned about business and economics, and eventually qualified as a teacher.
When he left the RAF, he became a lecturer at Loughborough University (where he would have met my future husband, but that’s a blog for another day!).
During his time in the RAF, he spent a long time away from us as a family on training exercises and active duty in the Falkland Islands conflict.? The time he spent with us was precious, and as a father, he was incredibly supportive of me and my younger brother.
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He taught me the importance of good manners, respect, and hard work.
He also showed me that it is important to love those you are close to and choose your friends wisely.
His untimely death from a heart attack at age 47 reminded me that life can be short, and you need to live it to the fullest as you just never know what’s around the corner.
At the presentation, I showed them his Good Conduct Medal, which he was immensely proud to have received. Whenever I have had a wobble in my career, I look to this medal. It reminds me that if you find a career you love, you will have it for life. If you work hard, you will be rewarded, and the right career can provide you with rewards that far outweigh the salary you receive.
I’ve been incredibly lucky to have found the career I loved when I was 18 and that my dad got to see me start that journey before he was taken from us. I wish I had been lucky enough for him to meet my own family and see the success I achieved later in life, but I know he would be very proud of both.
You will be pleased to hear that despite my initial worries about that presentation being wrong, I DID get the job! They told me they loved the personal touch I had shared with them, and so I try to retain a personal touch in everything I do, just as my dad would have done.
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