About 3 weeks ago, I took a step away from my desk – and into a pair of steel-toed boots. While it wasn’t the first time I’ve worked in a pair of safety shoes in my professional lifetime, it was the first in the past 6 years of my current role.
A 4:45 am alarm? Pretty darn early. Any lingering tiredness, though, faded quickly as I walked through the production employee entrance an hour later.
I met my supervisor for the day, grabbed a pair of safety glasses, and gloved up. After a few brief introductions to my new coworkers, I was ready for the challenge: Jennifer Porter, Parts Washer.
In my usual day-to-day, I’ve posted, updated, and promoted an open Parts Washer position on an almost monthly basis. Determined…Hard working…Attention to detail…An expert in preventing contamination…These were just words on a page before I spent a half day working in those exact shoes.
So, what did I learn – and re-learn – in the process?
Without the patience, guidance, and training of my peers, I would have learned only a fraction of what I did – and would have probably sprayed solvent in my eyes. But here I sit, with my full vision and new-found clarity. Do you really want to know the ins and outs of the business your hard work supports? Shadow a coworker. Come out from the back for an afternoon and work the front counter instead. Step outside of yourself and into a different kind of impact awareness.
The Woman Behind the Curtain stepped into some new [steel-toed] shoes to experience the Work Behind the Production Wall. Thoughts on what she learned and [re]-learned? Share it below or with Jennifer directly.
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