Recall two or three situations from your childhood or early adulthood that had a formative impact on you. Describe the situations and relate how they impacted you. Pick situations that have affected how you act and feel in an organizational or team-based environment.
1997 – My little sister
Thanksgiving week in 1997, my
little sister was born. I was 9 at the time and I remember my first words to
her in the hospital room, “I will always love you.” Being born 9 years apart
had a huge impact on our relationship because I was just old enough to start
babysitting her so my parents could work. Every summer, taking care of my
sister became my new full time job. While she will always be my little sister,
I have developed a sort of fatherly mindset throughout my early childhood. I’ll
make personal sacrifices to make sure that she is well taken care of.
I believe this affected the way I
approach my relationships within an organization. Any time I’m part of a team
or am leading a team of my own, I always try to make sure everyone is taken
care of. The majority of my time spent at work is on the flight line, where it’s
open to the elements. Depending on who’s expediting at the time, it could mean
that we very well may spend 9-10 hours outside without ever getting the chance
to go inside and eat. I don’t like to see people starve, so I’m constantly
asking if people have gotten the chance to eat and whether or not they would
like to go inside to grab something. I’m more than happy to pick up their end
of the slack to make sure they’re well fed. And if they don’t have food? I’ll
give them my dinner.
Early 1990’s – Punished by my Mom
In the
early 1990’s in my very early adolescent days, I remember getting punished by
my mom for something I did wrong. I can’t remember what it was because I could
have been 4, maybe 5 years old, but I remember it was my fault. What had
happened was my mom had me sit against the wall with my hands in the air, as if
I were reaching for the ceiling, and to shut my mouth and not say a word. Then
she would tell me to not move until she came back. After a while, for a little
kid anyways, this can be quite painful.
After
recently talking to my mom about this event, she told me that she went off to
cook some dinner for the family. Throughout the cooking she heard these little
snivels in the background but couldn’t figure out what they were. Eventually
the snivels became so frequent that she needed to investigate where they were
coming from. After following the noise she discovers that the snivels were
coming from my room! After entering my room, there I was with my hands in the air,
tears running down my face trying not to make any noise while I cried my eyes
out. Only recently did I find out that my mom forgot about me when she went to
cook the dinner!
While to
this day I’m not quite sure why I was so obedient, I do believe this made me
more self-disciplined throughout my life. Even though my arms were in major
pain and my mom wasn’t around to check up on me, I did what I was supposed to
do and followed orders. Within an organization, I’ve taken on the mindset of “you
gotta do what you gotta do.” I don’t waste time complaining, when a job needs
to get done, I get the job done.
No comments:
Post a Comment