Wisdom: Learning from the Others

True wisdom isn't learning from your own mistakes but rather learning from the mistakes of others. I would expand that to say that wisdom is learning from other people's mistakes and triumphs. I've been working progressively on this matter, and overtime, it has happened naturally. The most salient of these lessons are from how people treat me, and these lessons drive me to treat others better, either from my maltreatment or the grace received. The following are the lessons that stand out on good and bad behavior.

Bad Behavior

At DSC, there was some problems with the sensor. The people in manufacturing weren't sure what was going on. There were five beams, and they were working on calibration, but they didn't have any way to visualize what data came from which beam. I was friends with most of them, and I would take a break to clear by head by chatting with them for a few minutes here and there. When I heard about this problem, I offered to help. I ended up spending one morning trying to see what I could do to help solve a problem close to ten people were looking at.

Then I got the email. Someone up the chain was not happy that I bypassed the normal means of help being requested. I was told the people in manufacturing should have requested my help up the chain to the VP of engineering and back down to my manager (note: the company wasn’t more than 100 people at the time). It was disheartening, and I never fully understood why such a power move was pulled. I still helped them, but I just aimed to not take any credit. I genuinely wanted to help my friends, and I've seen that as key in the work life to make friends because it builds a stronger bond when times get tough.

Again at DSC, I referred a friend from grad school to a position. She got a phone interview with the recruiter that ended after one question: Are you an American citizen? She was not, and the recruiter's response was to end the call as quickly as possible. My friend let me know this, and I was very upset. It felt like someone was shitting on my relationship with her and my advisor from grad school. The reality is that even when a phone interview is going bad, I give the person the time, the experience. That doesn't mean I shouldn't get off the phone or end it sooner, but doing so with grace provides a better experience.

Good Behavior

When I was interning at a manufacturing plant, one engineer would always bring donuts and coffee to the line he was responsible for. Then he would chew on a cigar and fix the machine's programming. He talked and bullshitted with these people all the time, and this could have been seen as wasting time, but I'm certain it lead to better productivity especially because he was very approachable. There was no difference between him and the line workers or the machine repair men. He set forth this idea, for me, that I was on an equal playing field regardless of title or degree. 

When I started on the Apple Watch, the team was very helpful in getting me up and running. One firmware engineer was particularly helpful. I must have asked him the same question 20 times over six months, and he never responded in frustration. He always took me seriously and either cut time out to chat or was able to tell me when exactly he could help. He wasn't the only one on the team so willing to help out without judgement, and it helped me on my journey towards being more helpful and less judgmental. By his example, I saw what the other end was like when someone is so generous and friendly even during crush time. 

A few years ago, I heard from the grapevine that one of my VP's had started to make a splash because of taking on some really crappy work twenty years ago. It was the launchpad of their amazing career. It was a piece of software nobody would touch because it was a complete tire fire. This piece would not be recognized by anyone, and it was all under the hood. My VP had success, and it seems their career was defined by instances of taking on hard problems few others were willing to take on. This example has helped fuel my fire to say yes to projects even when the prospects of fame and glory are slim.

When I switched to Video Engineering, I felt like a fish out of water culturally because I was very outgoing and extroverted and most of my new team was the opposite. I reached out to a high level exec to ask him to pick his brain on the topic for a few minutes. He met with me for 15 minutes, and he was so warm and compassionate. It really struck me that he took time out of his day even though he has a packed schedule, and he didn't have to. He got nothing out of it aside from helping me. So I should return the favor of those coming up behind me. How do I help them in the same ways that others helped me?

I also reached out to my previous manager, my previous director, and another VP. I asked if they had a few minutes to pick their brain about the issue, and they both showed warmth and compassion and shared with me their own experience. They also both told me to be me, and not worry so much about fitting in. I’ve since aimed to insure I always make time when other people ask for help. I freely give of my time to pay forward how others have treated me with their time. 

These examples of character are so important to me because they show me how to be the best I can be or at least show me the alternative.