REVISITING THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE TODAY

I am certain we all remember Aesop’s fable of The Tortoise and the Hare where the amiable tortoise triumphs the overconfident hare in the race of the century. I beg to differ, the tortoise may have won the race but the hare still may have come out ahead.

Times have changed for both the employee and the employer a whole 180 degrees since a century ago and even from when I first started 30 plus years ago. I’d like to believe the employer and employee would have a symbiotic relationship towards each other’s success. In the far distant past, it was the norm to take on a career with a company from college graduation until retirement. Today its expected and the norm that one will not only change companies you work for, but jobs and possibly careers once every five to seven years, mathematically coming to a minimum of seven times prior to retirement. This doesn’t even account the vast majority of college graduates whom end up in careers having a slim chance of paralleling their studies which culminated in a bachelor’s degree or greater.

Reflecting on the tortoise, it’s the perfect analogy of my own career path. I am crawling slowly in terms of moving ahead in my career options. Much of the lack of climbing the latter towards the proverbial glass ceiling was in large part of how living life gets in the way of what you dream as to what your life would be. I am not saying to give up on your dreams but life is filled with the unexpected detours and perceived obstacles.

Here’s my story. After I graduated high school, here’s what I dreamed life to be. Graduate college at 22, be married by 24 and have two children by 32, teaching first grade and spending my summers traveling. Then reality set in. I completed my undergraduate degree at almost 24, still not married – hence no children. I completed all but a dissertation towards a Ph.D at almost 26. As an only child with very limited family within a few hours travel even by plane, my small, yet strong family consisted of my parents, a dog and myself. My unexpected detour occurred at one of the peaks of my career when I ended up being a caregiver for my mother after an auto accident and then caring for my father for the last 20 years of his life. Now, I am handling much of the aftermath of his passing by working though the bureaucracy of hospitals, health insurance, banking and other issues, I wonder how my life may have played out in a different scenario as if I continued climbing up the rungs of the ladder. I don’t believe living my life in regrets, I just look back on this and would not have traded what I went through for a career filled with positions of prestige and ultimately more income .

My career started off strong working in child care and summer day camps for the first dozen or so years. With my thirst for growth and knowledge of the YMCA as a whole, I expanded into new roles at the corporate office; trainer for YMCA of the USA and State of Florida in child care and summer day camps; grants/fundraising; contract compliance; information technology; human resources and payroll/benefits. I believe I have proven my worth by versatility and adaptability through not only changes in positions but changes in leadership over my 30 plus years at the YMCA. Much of my success is hidden in the impact of the lives I made through the programs I ran and the grants I’ve written. I’m the faceless name which 1000s of families were impacted by the work I’ve done.

My journey, yes, I do compare my career to a journey, hence the name of my blog, I’ve seen more come and go and less stay for the duration. Those who’ve come and gone over the years are ones, like a flat stone skipping across a flat pond, move smoothly, without missing a beat from one promotion to another. Rather than stone sinking, they move on and often out of the organization. Many are hurriedly promoted through the ranks and are expected to succeed on their own laurels rather than be guided and supported by mentors climbing the rungs of their own careers.

Back to my analogy of the tortoise and the hare …

The tortoise, much like myself, moving slowly and steady through his career and leaving no traces of the path taken and leaving no signs of his presence even after finishing first. The hare’s attention seeking and trailblazing path leaves no doubt in anyone’s mind the hare left his mark and rapidly roars through the ranks. The hare was ready to conquer the next race despite the loss against the tortoise. Left in the hare’s dust, the tortoise crawls past the race path and continues to meander on. The tortoise, continues to be steadfast in his pace as the hare leaves all in his path overturned. Often the tortoise is misunderstood as too nostalgic of years past, although the tradition, purpose and the foundation of what the race is all about what he is all about.

While the hare hurried through the race he kept his eye on the finish of the race and each subsequent race and the past remained a blur. The hare, though his eyes were set on the win he had not allowed time for his senses to absorb the abundant richness around him. Ultimately, the hare failed in noting the tortoise’s past activities led to his own inherited opportunities which passed the tortoise while life interrupted his career. The bystanders and cheerers may have applauded the tortoise initially upon crossing the finish line, but the ostentatious presence of the hare will keep fresh in the memories of many for years to come.

As for the tortoise, he may have won the race but in the eyes of many, the hare remains the victorious champion as sometimes life just gets in the way.