Mr. Big Boss, a man of few words, scared the hell out of me. He paid no attention during company meetings, did not want to be directly involved with the client unless it was necessary, and if something went wrong, he screamed. He had a temper, a particular way of doing things that was correct and honorable, but, as a newbie with no guidance, I found him hard to read.
However, looking back on this time, I think Mr. Big Boss saw something in me that the others didn’t have. Perhaps it was spunk. While he RARELY spoke to me, I do believe it was him who suggested that I take on a new position. It could just be that his underling was leaving and there was no one else internally who didn’t already have way too many projects. Or he thought I was capable of more than the office jargon. Or he just didn’t care—he was let go soon after and part of the gossip was that he had checked out long ago to focus on his book business.
You have your mentors, work enemies, and colleagues throughout your career that somehow shaped your career life. But what about those people that you never really spoke to/knew directly, but were still, in some weird way, influenced by?