You Learn More Than Your Business

Bob taught me many things about corporate life that were helpful to a lowly corporate programmer like me. I studied his dress, his suits , and his manner with his colleagues and his subordinates . I paid respectful attention to his ability to get me to respond gladly to what he wanted me to do. I learned that to go to a national conference in Atlanta, where we presented my IBM software product, I didnt need to take ten days worth of clothing (mostly suits). It was news to me that a briefcase and a carry-on bag would suffice, because you could get your suits cleaned and shirts laundered by the hotel and IBM would pay for it. Also, I was using my weekends to fly to conferences; Bobs advice was to fly on company time, and to take a minimum of clothing, because the company really wanted its employees to be comfortable when traveling, and productive. Didnt I know that? Hadnt my boss told me that?

No. It took my mentor to tell me that.