A Birthday-Gram for A Mentor: What She Taught Me 20 Years Ago

This month at LinkedIn we are celebrating mentors, and as part of this celebration, I want to share some lessons I learned from one of my mentors, someone I worked under at various times over a 5-year period in the mid- to late 90’s, and someone whose birthday happens to be this week – her name is Susan Waller.

A little backstory – it was 1995 and I was a recent Wesleyan graduate with a degree in Theater. I had moved back to Houston after a short stay in Minneapolis with college friends. My dad suggested I sign up for temp work since I was watching one too many showcase showdowns. I followed his advice and ended up in an administrative role at Tenneco (for those unfamiliar, Tenneco was an old fashioned GE-type conglomerate involved in shipbuilding, packaging, farm and construction equipment, gas transmission, automotive, and chemicals)

I was placed in an executive suite of the pipeline subsidiary that was run out of Houston. To say I was low on the totem pole would be a generous characterization of my position – the part-time high school intern was senior to me.

It was there that I started to work for Susan, who at the time was Manager of Regulatory Affairs. She would later take on more senior roles in the organization and the industry, eventually moving from regulatory to government affairs, both national and state. I had the pleasure of working under her at various times from 1995 to 2000, and even during times I didn’t work for her, she was there for me as a mentor and friend. In honor of her birthday this week, I’d like to celebrate her by sharing some of the lessons she taught me as a mentor, as relevant then as they are today:

1. Take yourself, your job and your responsibilities seriously – When I started working at Tenneco, I didn’t understand the Energy Industry nor did I understand how the regulatory function impacted the business. What I did understand was that Susan was very knowledgeable in both of those areas and it was through her passion for and expertise in the industry that allowed me to understand the importance of that role and what I would need to learn in order to be successful.
2. Be in the room where it happens – I admit, I lifted the name of this lesson from one of my favorite songs from my favorite musical Hamilton. But 20 years ago, Susan taught me the importance of this – the importance of identifying where the decisions are being made and how to get invited to that conversation.
3. Be authentic – In one of my first years working for Susan, I was struggling with coming out at work (and family). I never explicitly said this to Susan, but she sensed there was something holding me back from sharing my full self with my colleagues. In the most generous and kind way, she pointed me to an internal resource that helped me find the courage to come out, something I will always be grateful for.
4. Teach by example – From the get-go, she allowed me to sit in her office to observe her end of key conversations with stakeholders, both internal and external. Afterwards, she would do a full debrief with me by sharing the position of the other party, explaining the outcome and follow-ups and then providing an honest reflection of how she felt it went. And amazingly (to a junior new to the industry), she would also ask for and care about my point of view.
5. Don’t forget your family – Even as she crisscrossed the country to attend important meetings, she never forgot to prioritize or spend quality time with her husband, son and parents. She exemplified the work life harmony that we talk about today.

Though 15 years have passed since Susan and I have worked with each other, I’m grateful for that mentorship and the lessons that still resonate today. I find myself drawing on these past experiences as I strive to be a good manager and mentor to others. And if I can be half as successful, I’ll be happy.

#ThankYourMentor

P.S. The photo at the top of the post was taken in Houston circa 1996. In the photo with us is her husband of 39 years Matt Waller.

P.P.S. I’d like to thank Jennifer Urbanski for encouraging me to write my first long-form post on LinkedIn and Nina McQueen, whose beautiful post on her mentors inspired me to write on this topic.