It's not the experience that counts

Today, the 4 of us, new employees of the cluster, have a casual conversation with our cluster head. He initiated the meeting and called the HR manager along. It was a first of its kind. Afterall, there has been an influx of newbies, like us, over the past 2 years.

     It was meant to be a short sharing session. Afterall, I expected a 'generation' gap and a disconnect in terms of our thought process. But it lasted an entire 90 minutes. It was only when DS mentioned that he had to leave for the next appt/meeting that our cluster head realised he had spent so much time sharing with us.

After today's conversation with him, did I realise that I do have a cluster head who believes in nurturing talent. With him as the leader setting the culture, it is no wonder that my superiors also believe in his working style - insights from the sharing, excellence from the thinking, progressing from the coaching.

Today, he repeated one of his principles. The 1st time I heard it was when I asked him that during my job interview by him. It was a bit blunt to me then. He said to me with a straight face, 'It's not the experience that counts'. At that point in time, I could start hearing my heartbeats. Afterall, my 'selling point' to the company was my industry knowledge as I have experience in the operational aspects of the airfreight industry. I felt belittled. He then continued, 'What I look out for is the clarity of thoughts'.

That interview with him was a memorable one. We sparred on the topic of 'me', as he questioned my thought process and rationale for joining his team. I still remembered that I had to e-mail him personally thereafter to re-affirm my answers to his difficult questions.

     Today, I am on his team and together with him. Today, I know that it's not my experience that matters most. Today, I asked myself again - how clear am I in my thought process?