It was 2 years ago this month that I left the company where I had been working for 21 years and joined The Mandt System faculty. As I think back on that decision, I can honestly say that I have no regrets. With all the hassles that come with air travel and life on the road, I often think of how fortunate I am to get to do the work I do with the people I get to do it with.
In each of the last two workshops I facilitated, there was someone that I had trained in one of my very first workshops two years before. Honestly, they both had to remind me of that fact as what I remember most from that time is being a nervous wreck. It was good to reconnect with them though, and now I am looking forward to all the folks I will have a chance to see again in the coming months and years when they come for their re-certifications. In the Mandt System we talk at length about the importance of ‘maintaining’ healthy relationships, time and distance do not necessarily act as a barrier to this. Assuming we left of good term, a two year hiatus is nothing to picking up positivity where we left off.
Reflecting on this, I am challenged by the idea that I may need to retool to keep things interesting. The part of my job that I enjoy the most is helping people think about what they are doing now and what they can do differently to improve the care and treatment and the level of safety, dignity, and respect experienced by the people they serve and their co-workers. Fortunately, over the last 2 years, I have had people in my workshops that have taught me so much more than I have likely taught them which has given me a wealth of knowledge from which to draw.
So to those of you that I have trained before and will be seeing again soon, I’m looking forward to seeing you again, and to those that I will be meeting for the first time, it will be my privilege to be a part of your life for a few days sharing ideas and building relationships.
Doug ZehrVogt – Mandt System Faculty
