TOUCHING, AWARD-WINNING LETTER!
Received an email from a leaving soul at my workplace..and I was at a lost of words....that moment, as I was reading this email, I saw a different side of this person, a side which I only knew for a short while; that first few months here..after that, that side turned uglier, and uglier as time flew by and was gone...till today......
First and most important, I want to express my appreciation for the two of you. You have been a real blessing to me, B, for the last 8 months or so, and Emilia, for the last 3 years(?). I may seem to only find fault because I speak only when something goes wrong or when something is not done quite right. And I want to clarify now that for every one thing that you have not done quite right, you probably have done a thousand things very well that I have not opened my mouth to praise. I am not very good at showering praise and that is my fault. However, please know that
I am every bit proud of the two of you and for what you are that set you apart from many other workers in the Division.
I wish I could have spent more time mentoring the both of you. Being the pretty non-communicative person I am who prefers to spend my time banging away on my computer keyboard, I realise that I do not make a very good boss in that sense. My mind is always on a thousand and one things at any one time and I probably
have neglected that sort of communication. This e-mail is possibly the first formal lesson coming from me:
One thing that you always have to keep foremost in your mind is this - ALWAYS BE AN ASSET. Be it in life, as a person, as an employee or as a matter of principle. And even in situations where you cannot be an asset, never be a liaibility. Once you are a liaibility, you will not add value and when that is the case, then there is no point for your being around. I remember before Emilia was selected for her position, Ben and myself interviewed a couple of people. I had alot on my tray and we could not find a
suitable candidate. After one of the interviews, Ben's advice to me was to take the applicant. Otherwise I would have alot of work to handle and no one to help me. But because I didn't feel that the person would be capable of the job, I had firmly told Ben that I would rather not have anyone than to have a person who was a liaibility. YYY, my assistant before Emilia came in, was a liaibility and it made my job worse than if I had been alone handling everything.
So be assured that both of you were selected because I thought highly of you, and was certain that you would be assets. And I was not wrong. Continue to grow and learn - and you will become more and more valuable as you chalk up experience. Don't be afraid to make mistakes for that's where the best lessons always come from. *** had never blamed me for the mistakes I made and in turn, I've always been conscious of not holding you to the mistakes that you've made. I might have been annoyed sometimes, but never kept the episodes stashed away in my memory.
Having said that, be also aware that you need to be discerning when offering your help. You may have every good intention. And I know that if there's something in common between the both of you, it's that you are too kind. To be successful at your job, you will have to learn how to say 'no' to people sometimes. And you
must know when to say it. Helping people and letting them step all over you are two entirely different things. In any particular situation, think of whether what you do adds value to everyone. Or does it only serve one person?
I've learnt through time that in many instances, there is really no right or wrong in the way you do something. There are different ways of doing things and experience may teach you a better way (although sometimes not). For that reason, I have always given you minimal guidance, leaving you to find the way for
yourselves. Emilia, you have been working for a couple of years now and you have started to develop the skills nicely. As for B, you have tremendous potential - just be patient - you must allow time for those skills to develop. Considering your short
working experience, you are already doing alot better than I was at your age.
Gosh! I really dunno wat to say...i dun wanna be sarcastic or anything like that but all these after 3 loooong years?!!!....hmmmm......tat must have been a loooong thinking process to write something sooooo touching, emotional and inspiring!!...
But after all that has been said and done, it ain't changing my thoughts of this person!..the "damage" has been done..the hurt and heartache still linger..i'm an emotional nut-case so i've been scarred...hence i forgive but i can't forget.....
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