Talking to a retired electrician changed how I see my whole career path

I was on a job last Tuesday and this old electrician, Dave, started chatting with me while we both took a break. He said something like 'you're not building a career, you're building a reputation, and the work is just the byproduct.' I mean, I've always just focused on getting the next contract done, but he made me think about how every conversation and small favor matters more than I realized. Has anyone else had a random conversation like that that made them look at their job differently?

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kai60218d ago

That line about reputation being the byproduct really hit me too. I had a similar moment with a plumber I hired for my own place years ago. He spent an extra hour showing me how to shut off the main valve and which pipes were original to the house, stuff he didn't have to do. I still call him for everything and recommend him to every tenant I have. It made me realize that the small things people remember are rarely the ones on the invoice. Since then I've tried to treat every interaction like it might be the one someone talks about later. It's crazy how one random conversation can just rewire your whole approach.