Member-only story
No longer the boss
This past week has been humbling as I reconnected with former colleagues who used to be my direct reports.
As I sat and listened to the conversations, it dawned on me that they had all advanced in their careers and that they now held managerial roles themselves.
I was no longer their superior. I am now their equal. And, just as they had once shown me respect and deference, it was now my turn to reciprocate. I no longer had the right to expect them to accept my point of view and I had to earn their respect as a peer.
This reminded me that, in life, positions (and power) ebb and flow. It is therefore important that we are cognizant of how we treat others on our way up the career ladder, as these are the same people we will cross paths again with when we are on our way down.
