the floor came first
I started in a sheet metal shop in the South Bronx. I physically built the showroom. Drove the forklift, which, if you’ve never done it, is genuinely cool. Loaded trucks at 6 a.m., running around in the cold.
One morning I’m mixing a two-part compound, part A and part B, and the bucket starts smoking. Literally smoke pouring out, and I’m standing there like, oh my god, what did I do, this place is going to blow up. Nobody to call. Nobody to ask. So I told myself: don’t freeze. Just figure it out. It’s going to be fine.
That’s the first thing the floor teaches you. It never leaves.
then plumbing supply
Assistant manager at a plumbing supply house. I loaded the trucks, planned the routes, took the orders, helped modernize the computer system, worked the counter when customers walked in the door.
That was the first time I was running an operation and dealing with people in the same shift. I didn’t have a word for it yet. But it’s the same job I do now, just with a phone instead of a parts counter.
then the phone job
I took a job on the phones. One of those people who never thought they’d be a career contact center person. We were faxing in orders on paper when I started. Twelve years later I lead a 40-person B2B contact center, through four managers, serving government and education customers.
Agent. Manager. Senior manager. You do the work, you get the support you need, and good things happen.
the moment that changed it
When the senior manager seat opened up, I’ll be honest: I almost didn’t take it. I looked at it and thought, I deal with problems all day. Problem after problem. Why would I sign up for more of that?
Then a leader I worked for said something that’s stuck with me ever since. She told me she doesn’t look at her role as dealing with problems, or bigger problems. She looks at it as helping people grow.
That reframed everything. I don't deal with problems. I help people solve their own.
The growth belongs to them, not me. I just build the conditions for it.
So I took the job. Got thrown in the deep end. Oh, I know nothing.
Every system I’ve built since comes out of that one shift in how I see the job.
what i built
Over the years, that idea turned into structure. I built an integrated talent system for my team, connecting role expectations, performance reviews, competency-based hiring, coaching, stretch assignments, and internal advancement. I led the design and rollout of key components, partnering with my manager on the strategic direction of the role and performance architecture.
Here’s what that looks like on the floor:
- Clear roles. I led the redesign of our role descriptions and performance reviews, so people know what’s expected of them and get evaluated against the job they actually do.
- Hiring for the role. I researched, designed, and led a structured hiring process built on competency assessments, role-aligned questions, and a consistent interview. That redesign contributed materially to the team reducing turnover from 38% to 18%.
- Growing people into bigger jobs. Through structured coaching, stretch assignments, goal tracking, and steadily increasing responsibility, I’ve developed more than 30 direct reports into promoted roles over nine years.
- Leaders who don’t wait for permission. The point of all of it is managers who can spot a problem, test an idea, make the call, and improve the operation without waiting on me.
what i believe now
A strong operation runs on accountability, expectations, and clear communication. That part matters. Get it wrong and nothing else works. But it’s only half the job. It becomes real when a human brings it to life.
Here’s what I’ve learned holds true:
Accountability is kindness. Telling someone honestly how they’re doing is the most respectful thing you can offer them. Putting up with poor performance erodes a team faster than almost anything.
Recognition is the most underused tool a leader has. And it’s free.
You can’t pour from an empty cup. So I fill mine with family, my garden, and volunteering as a chaplain. A leader running on empty isn’t protecting anyone.
There was no playbook for the jump from agent to manager. So I started building the one I needed.