I have been writing this article for almost a month; bits and pieces at a time. I wanted to finish it before December 26 th, on what would have been my father’s 84 th birthday. Joel Bussell was the most important mentor in my life. I have had many people who have influenced me during my journey into middle management. Supervisors, department managers, coworkers, and even direct supports have helped guide me through numerous challenges. However, my father was the first and most significant mentor of my entire life. An engineer, and later an attorney, he was not ever a C-suite executive or a world-renowned leader. To those he taught in his classes or hired and developed in his 40-year manufacturing career, and 15 years as an educator, he was an invaluable mentor. As I look back on my life, I can visualize many of the times my father advised me. It was his idea for me to spend my summer mornings as 14-year-old, selling donuts door to door in office building
Most of us will spend a majority of our career in Middle Management. Instead of dreading it, embrace it for what you can glean from living in the ultimate squeeze play.