“What do you do?”
That question used to bother me, but only until recently have I figured out why. Like many folks in the work-a-week world, I have this hangup about equating what I “do” with who I am.
I am Steve. I am Magazine Editor Man. It says so on my door.
Actually, few of us ever answer the question, “What do you do?” in a literal way. Maybe we should. Just as an experiment, let’s give it a try. Here, I’ll go first:
My name is Steve, and I… push buttons. Keyboard buttons, mostly, but also mouse buttons, and often camera-shutter buttons. Occasionally I overstep my bounds and I push other people’s buttons, too. So you could well argue that I’m pretty much a button-pusher. Oh, I sure do like me them buttons.
A pretty sad assessment, I guess. And I might be stuck with it, if it wasn’t for a fortunate encounter in the fall of last year, when our parent company, Harris Publishing, participated in Disability Mentoring Day. The event is part of a career mentoring program sponsored locally by the Idaho Falls Community Transition Team.
Through further assistance from Development Workshop, Inc. we were introduced to a young man by the name of Skyler Fullmer. Based on his ear-to-ear grin and a day planner chock full of preparatory paperwork, we knew from the outset this kid meant business.
Not long after making introductions, Skyler asked that inevitable question: “So, Mr. Smede, what do you do?”
Buttons, I thought. Lots of freaking buttons.
I actually answered along the lines of, “Well, Skyler, I’m the editor for Idaho Falls magazine, and I’m also the managing editor over a few other publications here at Harris—”
“So what do you do, though?”
Skyler might be surprised to know that by simply repeating his question, he spurred a change in how I’ve come to view the direction and purpose of my work. Something kind of magical happens when you get to talk about your job to a fresh set of ears. It smacks of the old idea that if you want to fully understand your subject, you teach it.
In the short time we had for the mentoring day, the lessons for both of us were brief but powerful.
Since I was the designated mentor, I had the opportunity to introduce Skyler to a number of editorial and graphic artists throughout the building. Each of them took a few minutes to explain their jobs and how their roles fit into the bigger scheme of things. I’m sure Skyler had a few eye-openers of his own, but what blew me away was just how much I was learning right alongside him. In just a few hours, I probably learned more about the specialties of my coworkers than I did over the previous five years.
When you have a better understanding of someone else’s work, you naturally gain a respect for it. The same holds true for explaining your own work, because in explaining the what, you can rarely escape without also explaining the how and—most important of all—the why.
In case you’re wondering, we can’t recommend this program enough to area businesses. It provides a service to the community, but it pays you back tenfold in benefits of self-reflection and boosted morale.
Disability Mentoring Day lands on the third Wednesday of October. This year, that means Oct. 21.
According the Development Workshop, the program has been growing steadily, so you shouldn’t have much of a problem finding some eager bright-eyed mentees. Participants include students from Eastern Idaho Technical College and all of the local high schools.
Aside from the actual career shadowing experience, Disability Mentoring Day activities include a proclamation signing by the mayor, orientation training and a follow-up luncheon. Sound good? To sign up as a sponsor or host a mentoring opportunity at your business, visit www.iftransition.com.