I’ve been working for a long time.
More than 36 years, in fact.
When I look back, it’s hard to believe how much has happened during those years — the jobs, the people, the companies, the trucks, the equipment, the dealerships, the successes, the mistakes and everything in between.
I certainly didn’t have a master plan when I started.
I just kept working, learning and taking the next opportunity that came along.
From Wrenches to Management
My working life started with the practical side of the business.
For my first five years, I worked on just about anything with an engine — trucks, vans, cars and even a boat.
Then I moved into aviation.
I spent the next several years working as a single- and twin-engine aircraft mechanic and working on helicopters, including time at a flight training school.
I was working in aviation before 9/11, and then the industry changed dramatically.
The number of people wanting to become pilots dropped, and that had a big impact on the flight training business. Eventually, I left the flight school and moved to another company in aviation.
I eventually had to leave aviation for another reason.
Dermatitis.
Apparently, washing your hands in Avgas isn’t the best idea.
I’m joking.
Well… mostly.
Let’s just say that after enough exposure to aviation fuel, my skin decided it had other plans.
So I went back to what I knew — trucks, transportation and the equipment that keeps businesses moving.
Looking back, that transition ended up shaping much of the career that followed — and would eventually lead to me emigrating to Canada.
I’ve spent years around trucks, trailers, parts, service departments, dealerships and fleets. I’ve worked with technicians, drivers, customers, manufacturers, suppliers and management.
Over the years, my responsibilities grew.
I went from turning wrenches and solving technical problems to managing people, budgets, customers, parts, service operations and entire fleets.
That transition taught me something important.
You never stop learning.
Every new role brought different problems to solve and different people to work with.
Some lessons came from things that went well.
Others came from things that didn’t.
Probably some of the most valuable lessons came from the latter.
What 36 Years Has Taught Me
After 36 years, I don’t think experience means you have all the answers.
It means you know how to find them.
I’ve learned how important good people are.
I’ve learned that problems rarely solve themselves.
I’ve learned that sometimes the best thing a manager can do is listen.
I’ve learned that mistakes aren’t necessarily failures if you learn from them.
And I’ve learned that your job title isn’t who you are.
A career can end.
A company can restructure.
A position can disappear.
But the experience you’ve gained, the relationships you’ve built and the things you’ve learned don’t disappear with it.
That’s something I’m reminding myself of right now.
At 53, I’m starting another chapter.
I don’t know exactly where it’s going to take me yet.
But after 36 years of working, learning, making mistakes, solving problems and figuring things out…
I’m not ready to stop.
And I’m definitely not done yet.