Editorial: Pay it Forward

Look back at the people who have helped you, and you’ll want to help the next person.

By Mary Boltz Chapman, Editor-in-Chief -- Chain Leader, 5/1/2005

With 2,400 attendees, the Women’s Foodservice Forum leadership conference in April was a tough place to network. It was difficult to run into somebody without preplanning. Many people form a plan of attack for networking at cocktail parties and breaks, determining whom they want to meet or reconnect with. But at WFF, even if a certain executive you’ve wanted to meet was there, you might not have seen her the entire time.

That scenario is frustrating to many people. But sometimes it’s better not to plan ahead for that cocktail reception. There is great value in meeting different people. First, you might get lucky and run into the person who will be your next boss. Or your next new hire. There’s the benefit of knowing people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives and the lesson in finding common ground. Importantly, it’s an opportunity to give back to the industry.

Remember When
Those of us who have a lot of experience, be it years of attendance at WFF or working up the ladder to run a company, sometimes forget that there are others who want to learn from that experience. Of course, we want to meet and talk to the people that we think we should. But we also need to be available to those who want to meet us.

None of us got where we are by ourselves. Look back at the people and opportunities that brought you here.

I look back and see Ms. Jemison. She was my fourth-grade teacher, and she was mean. She told me I was lazy right to my face, and she told my parents, too. Ms. Jemison said my penmanship was terrible and suggested to my mother that I squeeze a tennis ball every day. (My mean mother made me do it.) She didn’t just say I wasn’t “working to my potential,” she wouldn’t accept less from me. I hated her, and I didn’t know why she hated me so much.

I look back and see Jim White, the aging hippie who ran the youth ministry when I was in high school. He saw something in me that I didn’t and put me in charge of the activity committee. The fifth of six kids in my family, I had never led anything. Planning dances and retreats with a bunch of teenagers was a sink-or-swim situation, where thankfully I learned quickly about management and motivation.

I look back and see Jacqueline Rance, my supervisor at Restaurants & Institutions, who taught me the importance of details and deadlines. Like Ms. Jemison, she demanded my best work and would accept nothing short of excellence. She enabled and encouraged me to keep learning new tasks, even those that fell outside my job description, unaware that she was starting my editor-in-chief training.

Share the Wealth
When I think about these and the many other people who have helped me become the person I am, it’s easy to see how I can help others: by being honest even when it’s unpopular, looking for and developing skills in people who don’t realize they have the potential, demanding the best and encouraging even more.

Reflect on the people and situations that got you where you are today in your career and your life. Then look forward to the people in your family, community, office and even the next industry event, and you’ll see why it’s your job to work toward helping them become who they can be.