Trusting People

Four years have passed since I decided to leave the corporate world, yet the memories of my previous employers are still vivid and clear. Some of them left the world unexpectedly with their untimely death, some can be searched in Facebook and others are hopefully soaring in some part of this world. As I have said in one of my old posts, having the opportunity to work with the President/Chairman/CEO of a company (not once but twice) was a huge privilege. Today, as I run my own micro business I now consider that experience as the biggest highlight of my professional career.

They are the people I look up to as a source of inspiration to hold on to my dreams in spite of the many barriers. As I grow old and continue to strive in my current field, I am beginning to see some things in a new perspective. For one, it is so hard to find someone who can act as the face of both the employer and the customer at the same time. I mean, every employer would like to have somebody who has the compassion to help your business reach its goal and not just somebody who would report for work so he/she can have something to put in the table. I know. To earn a living is the primary and the most rational ground why people look for a job. But for the employer, he can only wish that the applicant’s objective when applying for a job is more than usual. Nonetheless, an employer must delegate tasks. And therefore he must learn to TRUST.

In the early stage of doing business; of managing people particularly, my patience used to run thin over small matters. But It is in my nature to suppress my feelings specially when I’m weary and gnashing my teeth.  Just like GMA News “Think before you click” campaign. I think before I speak. Well, I try to, at least most of the time. I opted to give sermon in a lovingly manner over and over. Surprisingly, while doing this I find myself changing day after day. I have learned to see the dedication and honesty of my people. I just realize that I can never have an ideal employee but at least I can have people to trust. This realization gives me more reason to be grateful to my previous employers.  And it got me thinking “What kind of employee was I, really? Maybe, I was not far from my people. When my past employers hired me, they did not know exactly what they will get from me...if I can be an asset or a liability. But, the bottom-line of the story was they hired me regardless of my shortcomings and uncertainties. They trusted me and that explains why the experience of serving others were all worth it.

I value my bosses even up to this day. And now that I have a good fortune to manage people, I can only wish that my employees feel the same...