Professional Acts of Kindness

One of the many lessons I learned about life and careers is, “If you see things before others, be strategic and look for what else they may be missing.” In 1993, I had just left Burson-Marsteller where I did media relations for IBM. I became a junior PR manager, slowly moving up the proverbial corporate ladder at AT&T. Two years later, I was bold and crazy enough to pitch senior PR management to hold its first (and only)

Internet conference for many of its 800 global PR managers. In fact, it seems silly to say this now, but the initial memo may have called it the “Information Superhighway.”

A key part of my pitch was connected to Josh Quittner – this “masters of deception” guy, who according to tech folklore, had “hijacked” the McDonalds.com domain and then made them “an offer they could not refuse” for its release. Or perhaps like the kids game, that was the message that was passed along to me over the “telephone” wire. I loved the principle and story (and Quittner!) and instantly ran with it. I found the WIRED article and threw his hat in the ring as the unique and unconventional keynote speaker we needed.

The best part of the story is the other lesson Josh Quittner taught me about recognizing those who are normally kept behind the scenes. When he agreed to participate, it was Josh who insisted that I be the one to introduce him because it had been my idea to hold the conference and secure Quittner. That act of professional kindness was a defining moment of my career, bringing me out of virtual obscurity into a visibility that helped me secure amazing assignments, including almost a year in Amsterdam.

I emailed Josh in December 2014 after more than 15 years to tell him this story that he may not or even should have remembered. I simply wanted him to know that I have never forgotten him, nor those two lessons!

Truth is, we all have people who’ve taught us volumes through their personal and sometimes quiet wisdom. Often, they have no idea that they ever said or did something that left a lasting impact. Josh Quittner is one many, many people I have encountered who have been that for me.

The Living on Purpose Project is a collective personal thank you to people who are exploring what they love. My conversations with everyday folks, celebrities and accomplished individuals – are not about talking to people who “have it all figured out,” or only for those who want to do some major career 180. It’s just real people sharing what we’ve learned (often the hard way) about life and career.

We can all learn from someone else’s lessons learned, “hard but necessary” advice once heard, or even failures. When we all share not just what we do, but rather why we do what we do, and how we came to do it, it is then that everyone can make better choices as we navigate similar paths and travel universal experiences. These choices are what will enable us to seek and maybe even find our purpose.

The Living on Purpose Project is part of my path to purpose.

What’s yours?