I’m sitting here with a knot in my stomach, wondering what to write, hating the fact that I’ve become that most cliché of clichés, a person frozen at the keyboard. Even more cliché is the reason why I’m here in the first place: because one colleague/friend/innocent bystander too many said, “honestly, you should write this stuff down.”

Well, perhaps.

In my too-many-to-want-to-count years of employment, I’ve worked with some amazing people – many in an “I’d give you my kidney in a heartbeat” kind of way, others in a “how on earth do you make it through the day?” kind of way. Each kind taught me a boatload about how I wanted to be, as a colleague, as a supervisor, and ultimately as a person. What if I used this space to tell some stories, share a take-away message that might help someone else tweak their collegiality, their supervisory ability? Yes? Maybe?

I’ll give it a try. I commit to you that I am not out to mock anyone – if I do, let me know. Also tell me your experiences (and tell me if I can shape them into little stories with take-away messages, too). Give me some time to find my sea legs – this is all very weird to me – and let’s see where we go.

Tomorrow: Answering the question behind the question.