This Site is Dedicated to My Random Thoughts and Opinion
Reader Be Warned: My Opinion is NOT the "norm"
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Storytime…
When I first changed careers from a manager in real estate, I accepted a role as a program manager in higher education. While I had limited classroom experience as an educator, I had years of experience as a corporate trainer and manager. Thus, my transition into this new management role was great. I was responsible for the hiring and training of two groups of instructors, business and general education. I found that while I was able to find full-time business instructors, it was more challenging to place full-time general education instructors. Most people who taught general education courses also had full-time jobs in their fields. I loved that they continued to work in their fields, as they were able to add real world, real-time experience to the education environment. I only had one full-time general education instructor. She was so eager to learn and always available to do more. My third year as the program manager was the start of me drafting my dissertation. I had returned to school to complete my doctorate degree. I let it be known that I planned to step down from management so I could concentrate more on my writing. The one full-time general education instructor was the first to ask that I groom her to fill my position when it opens. I was more than willing. I even “inspired her to return to school and finish her doctorate as well. So, I groomed her over the next few months and then made my transition. I actually ended up resigning from the position and the institution. The instructor I groomed for my position got the job! Let’s call her Shelia moving forward. After I resigned, Shelia and I agreed to stay in touch. We exchanged numbers when I was her manager. We also connected on professional social media platforms. We text each other updates on our new career choices. We even had lunch a few times and would talk on the phone on occasion. I genuinely enjoyed our conversations. She was always inspiring and often talked about career growth. I was always rooting her on. She was the first person I knew professionally who would openly say she wanted to see other Black women win – no matter who around to hear her. Two years later, Sheila and I both completed our doctorate degrees. She completed hers in the spring term and I finished that summer. We continued to celebrate each other. Soon thereafter, Sheila applied for and obtained a new position within the company. She was now over the general education program for all of the institutions’ locations. I was so happy for her and proud of her. She was a rising Black woman winning in her career growth. I even went back and worked as an adjunct instructor on Sheila’s team. One day she called me and said she needed an emergency hire to fill a position. She said I was her first call because she knew I was qualified to teach the class. Of course, I accepted the position. I was helping a professional friend with a need, while also earning some extra income. It was a win-win for both of us. It was funny how I was now a direct report to someone I once managed. We would both chuckle about it. Now that we were working together again, we would have lunch more frequently. During one of these lunch meetings, Sheila confided in me that she was looking for a new position outside of the company. She felt as though she had reached the ceiling there. I voiced my support and told her if she needed any help, let me know. She stated she needed a letter of recommendation (LOR) from me as she had already been scheduled for an interview. When I made it home from work that day, I drafted and sent her the LOR. As her former manager of three years, I knew enough to write her an amazing letter. I even sent her a copy in case she wanted me to modify it. She was pleased with the details and asked that I forward it directly to the potential employer. I did so without hesitation. She didn’t get that position, but it didn’t discourage Shelia from applying to other positions. I loved her determination. Several other LORs requests followed, and I more than happily obliged. After a year or more, she finally stopped applying for outside positions and decided to accept yet another position with the institution she was working for (the same one I left years before). In her new position she will no longer be my manager. We still agreed to stay in touch as we had built a strong professional relationship over the years.
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AuthorThe author of this blog decided to take her "abnormal" thoughts and opinions to the web. This will begin as a 30 day trial. Let's see where it goes. Archives
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