What Would They Say About YOU?

 The sudden death and funeral service of a coworker last week got me thinking a lot about my space in the workplace and on this place we call earth.  Those of us who worked with my coworker all thought highly of him.  To say his death was a shock to all of us would be a gross understatement.  It was so refreshing to hear some people who knew him as “Cool Daddy” also speak well of him. They also viewed him as a person with a big heart, a person with a big personality, and a person who maintained his head in all situations.  As I began my ride back to Raleigh from Henderson I began to wonder what my coworkers, friends and family will say about me when I make my transition.

I’ve always said privately that I want to live my life so that when I die someone would name a building after me. Might be a tall order but it’s something to aspire to.  I think about different jobs I’ve had and how I thought people I worked with might think of me.  I sometimes wonder how I managed to never be fired from a job.  I feel pretty confident that I’ve always done my job well but I have to admit I’ve always had a LOT of MOUTH! (I Just Gotta Say it) I think of some of the ways I’ve challenged those I’ve supervised as well as those who’ve supervised me.  But, I seriously believe that the least any of my current or former coworkers and colleagues could say about me is that I’ve been good at my job.  I laugh to myself when I think of one of my former employees who paid me a great compliment one day.  The CEO told me, “You’ve brought us from a ‘Sanford and Son’ operation to a real corporation”.  What a compliment, right? Well, the funny thing was that he was also handing me a R.I. F. (Reduction In Force) letter letting me know that my position was being eliminated.  Talk about good news and bad news!

Regardless to what positions I’ve held, I think my coworkers and the people I have come in contact with professionally would say good things about me.  I’ve always had a reputation of being a person who is always laughing and acting crazy at work.  Most often, teams I have supervised have taken on the personality of their leader; me.  They tend to be wild and crazy but committed to getting the work done.  When I make my transition my coworkers will probably say, “He was crazy but he was good at what he did”.  At least that’s what I think they would say.  I think my friends and family would probably say just about the same thing about me when I die. Family and friends might say, “He was crazy but he was a good son/brother/uncle/nephew/cousin/friend”.  Whether or not any of them would erect a building in my name is questionable.  I just hope that when I make my transition, somebody would be able to say with confidence that I made a worthwhile contribution to planet earth and its inhabitants.  What would they say about you???