First Lessons in Management

I have a theory.  There are people in this world that have been placed in the direct path of your journey whose sole purpose is to help guide you. These people show up when you least expect, and often are there during the important crossroads in your life.  For me, it was Phyllis Adams, and she was an angel sent by God to help me start on my life journey.

My first job in high school was working as a busboy at a local family restaurant.  Phyllis was the manager of the restaurant and most of her employees were my fellow high schoolers; she often referred to us as “her kids”.  The role of busboy was to clean off the customer’s tables, wash all the dishes, scrub kitchen pots and pans, and perform any other tasks involved cleaning something.  It was a gross job.  

What made the job worse, the busing area was a sauna; the source of all the heat and humidity was the Hobart Industrial Dishwasher, Model AM-12. The busboys called the dishwasher “Hobee”, and we treated him as another employee (he was sometimes complicit in our gags).  To properly sanitize the dishes, the water had to be over 180F which was the source of the heat and steam.  Large (and loud) exhaust fans were used to extract the steam.  A cheap 8-track stereo system (blaring Freebird) was used to drown out the noise.  It was a strange combination of disgusting sights, nasty smells, loud sounds, heat, and humidity; for some reason, it was one of the best jobs of my life.

Fast forward to the 21st century;  I am now a professional with a good career, super large family. One day I am attending a potluck dinner at church, and someone asks for help in the kitchen.  I walked into the cleaning area, and there he stood - Hobee!  The dishwasher was not quite the same as MY Hobee, but we connected quickly.  After a few hours in the kitchen that evening I realized two things.  First, I REALLY wanted to hear Freebird blaring from a crappy stereo system. And second, I was performing the SAME job as I had in high school (and this time I was not getting paid).

Not too long after my reunion with Hobee, I traveled back in my old hometown in Pennsylvania and managed to find and meet with my old boss, Phyllis. She had the fondest of memories about her old job and still referred to us as “her kids” (and I’m convinced that I am her favorite - but most of us felt that way).  We shared stories and laughed for hours.  She also tells me that she has cancer so the visit turned bittersweet.  A year or so later she passes away.

The team back in my hometown is honored Phyllis on her 70th birthday last year.  I think of her often and about all the things that she has taught me.

• Work is never about work - it’s about the people and relationships that you make.
• We were allowed to fail, as long as we remembered to learn from the experience.
• Work is meant to be fun - crank up the music!

Phyllis also had “that look” - which all of us kids (and customers) recognized when we were expected to fall in line and do what was expected of us. I adapted this look and my kids call it the "dad look".

The last (and most important) lesson that Phyllis taught me was how to care for and manage people. During our last talk, she shared the responsibility that she felt for all of us, not only to keep us safe, but also to help us learn & grow.  I discovered how she helped us when we had problems at home, when we were in abusive relationships, or had other deeply personal issues that weighed on us. She did much more for us than I realized. 

We should all be so blessed to have at least one Phyllis in our lives.  We should also strive to be more like her too.

♪ ♫  If I leave here tomorrow … will you still remember me? ♪ ♫ 

We all love you and miss you deeply Phyllis.