Graduate Stories – 2003

Susan Millett is a Regional Sales Manager for Casella Waste Systems, Inc.

I guess I felt that asking for help was a character flaw. It isn't, but it took me 36 years and The Seven Intentions® to figure that out.

I was controller for this company when we were a Maine based, family-owned business buying recyclable paper to sell to mills for reuse. In 1996 the owner suddenly died leaving the business to his family, none of whom was ready to lead the company. I was asked to take on the president's role, which was a great learning experience. The family was entrepreneurial but needed a hard-nosed person—and I, in some senses, fit that bill. Recently, the family decided that they were not going to come back and run the company, so they sold it to Casella. I remember anticipating big changes, and I wanted to get my feet on the ground about my management style. So I signed up for The Seven Intentions® of Values Centered Leadership program.

As a CPA, I see things in black and white, but some of the decisions made here in the past were wrong to me—morally and ethically. Dishonesty is not uncommon in the waste business, and sometimes people would look the other way. There just wasn't an even keel. Since The Seven Intentions®, I speak up more— not forcefully, but passionately about what I believe. The Intentions set a nice tone during meetings, and they help me verbalize the importance of doing things a certain way. Before, when faced with a question that didn't fit our values, I might have said, “Yeah, whatever, just take care of it.” Today I say, “No. That's not right. Here's why.” And it makes everything run a lot smoother. There's no iffy-ness. Everyone I work with knows the answer to gray-area questions before they ask. And that makes it easier for everybody, even though we may not always agree. Eventually I would like everyone here to take the program.

I've taken other management courses, but what I learned most from The Saltwater Institute is the power of connecting. What really hit home is the need for personal understanding in a work relationship.That means taking time to speak to each other. For instance, a new supervisor was having a tough time settling in, and I said,“Tell me what you've learned about everyone.”To my surprise she admitted to me that she hadn't learned anything! I told her, “You know, that's part of your job, to nurture them so they feel comfortable coming to you.” She was shocked and said, “I don't have time for that.” And I explained,“No, no, no, you can't afford not to have time for that.” Personally, I didn't realize that sharing was a part of my job until I took this course. I did it, but not as consciously or intentionally as I do today. Connecting is missing in a lot of our culture, and Saltwater played a big part in bringing that out of me.

The most challenging Intention for me was Know Thyself, Be Thyself. When we had to write about our gifts I sat there for thirty minutes, and the only thing I could think of was that I'm extremely organized! It was a really humbling experience. We had to work on it that week, and I definitely needed that reflection time. When we came back, I said, “All right, I've got five!” That was such an accomplishment. Next we talked about Envision Your Destiny, which really nailed it home, because I'm a look-ahead person. It sparked some good conversation about envisioning my dreams and working on them. So I did!

One of them was family playtime. I play with my kids quite often, but I'm much more aware of it now as a way to Connect with Goodness. The truth is, you're not going to be any good at work if you're not good in the rest of your life. If you're not happy with who you are and what you're doing, work is not going to give you all the answers. In fact, it usually makes it worse. I have a severely handicapped daughter whose disease is terminal. She loves to be outside, but she can't walk yet. So I bought a special bike seat, and next week we're going tenting near Sebago Lake. Everyone thinks we're crazy, but why shouldn't we? We can always come home. My daughter just learned how to say bird, so we spent $100 on bird feeders and baths, and she's in pure heaven as the birds come and poop on our car. But I forget about that part! I connect with goodness, seeing her excitement.

The Seven Intentions® also helped me learn that it's okay to Seek Counsel. In fact, it's really important. It's always been hard for me to admit that I need help, and that I don't know everything. I just don't like to go there. After taking the class, I embrace it and tell colleagues,“You're one of my ‘Seek Counsel' people, and here's why.” You know what? They're flattered to have something to offer! I guess I felt that asking for help was a character flaw. It isn't, but it took me 36 years and the Intentions to figure that out. My course had a diverse mix of people. Some people were older, and at different places in their careers and lives. A few were younger, and I thought, how wonderful for you to take this program now! You have just saved yourself years and years of stress.