In Joe Kelley’s junior high school English class, Fridays were our favorite day. The class would often begin with Mr. Kelley rubbing his hands together briskly and saying, “We’ve got a lot to do today!” Invariably someone would pipe up and beg Mr. Kelley to tell one of his “Crazy Dan” stories. Our favorite was the one about how Crazy Dan frightened the daylights out of a group of his friends by dressing in a vampire costume and waiting patiently on the ledge of a hotel window until one of his guests thought to open the curtain.
The students viewed the stories as killing time, avoiding work, and postponing the inevitable. Years later, it’s possible to understand some of the lessons we learned: that our teacher valued our time enough with us to make it enjoyable; that learning should involves some laughter and relaxation; and that story-telling is a great way to capture the imagination of an audience.
My first job was as editor for a small publishing company. My boss was a veteran of the publishing industry. Karl loved to lean back in his chair, smoke his pipe, and tell stories from his years as a traveling salesman and later as an editor. Some of the stories were racy – one guy tricked a colleague into sharing a hotel room on a business trip; she climbed into her bed and found him there!
Other stories were just plain funny. One time, a copy editor came in for a meeting with Karl, and she threw him off his game by sitting in Karl’s own chair. The next time the woman visited, Karl made sure to be sitting at his desk when she arrived. She took the guest chair, commenting as she sat down: “You’ve rearranged your office!”
I can trace much of any “savvy” I may possess to things I learned from Karl during my first two years in the workforce. Here are just a few:
- Your vendors can be your best teachers. Always let them buy you lunch.
- Writing with too many exclamation points is weak and makes you sound breathless.
- It doesn’t pay to be vindictive, but it can be kind of fun.
Some of these things I learned by listening to his stories, and others just because he was always generous with his knowledge and I was eager to learn.
I’ve read LinkedIn posts advising older workers not to share advice, stories from the “old days,” or anything that might make them seem old or dated in a youth-oriented workplace. I believe this is a big mistake, especially as retirement ages are creeping upward. Experience and wisdom have intrinsic value, but only if shared.
(Postscript: Mr. Kelley is now writing pretty darn decent fiction.)
NaomiSpot 