Wall of Fame

Friday, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. A fellow Goldman Sachs 10KSB classmate of mine asked me to cover a panel discussion with the Dallas group Women In Construction. “Wow,” you might say. “Misty’s definition of lucky is a little different than mine.”  Just hang with me.

First and foremost, luck takes having the right mindset. It also takes being aware and seeing charm and favor in the little things. 

1. Anytime I can get paid to photographically capture a great presentation, it’s a win-win. Had I not been hired to work this Dallas-based breakfast meeting, I would have never found myself immersed in a construction-based event. Don’t tell my clients, but sometimes I think my team and I should pay, not get paid,  to cover fascinating events.

2. The Wall of Fame. The first thing I noticed was the artwork at TDIndustries This family-owned facility life-cycle management company walks the talk of putting their people first. Not only are their company walls lined with 8x10s of the team (I am guessing more than 1000), but they have ranked 21 consecutive years  in “Fortune 500’s Best Companies to Work For”

3.  Post-event I was able to connect with the videographer. I am always on the hunt for videographers to introduce my clients to and to bring in under my wing. Oh yeah, and the venet itself was full of great information from three women in construction. I only wished I could have taken notes on everything from books to read to how to go to bat for your teammates to great information to pass on to my electrically engineering daughter.

4. After exchanging info with the video master, I scurried to catch up with the tour. I love a great tour. This introduced me to manufacturing like I’d never seen before, including a vending machine for paints. It’s a great way to track how much they are using, what departments are using it and more.

5. On my way out, I had a deep, meaningful and very interesting convo with the admin, who has a degree in microbiology. And, by the way, working as the front-desk person has resulted in her being the happiest she’s ever been.

The bonus? I ran into a handful of people I had not seen in quite awhile. Aside from my GS Cohort member, I didn’t expect to see anyone I knew.

And, by the way, the fall of fame doesn’t have to be reserved for one of America’s top employers. Try it at home - it is sure to be the most visited wall in your home.