My largest client, SkillPath Seminars, gives me a tremendous opportunity for surprise and adventure. It begins with an email that asks, “Are you available to go to such-and-such a city on such-and-such a date?” Then I answer, “Sure.” It’s only then, when I’ve committed to the work, do I find out who the client is. This has been fascinating. It’s how I found myself teaching a writing course for the largest manufacturer of carrots in America. Or communication skills to the people who make lab equipment called “pipettes.”
Then there are the clients who fire up my curiosity for other reasons. Like when this pacifistic seminar leader (me) was asked to work on a military base. Or when this green-centric public speaker (again, me) was asked to give a course at a gigantic oil firm.
And so with my biases professionally packed away in my suitcase, I am welcomed into the inner world of organizations I might not choose for myself. And what do I find again and again? Kind people, creative people, good people. People struggling like the rest of us to make a life, to make a difference, to find our place, to do the best we can.
It’s not as easy to judge an organization after you’ve seen goofy Halloween photos of their staff.
