This made my day

Tonight, I received an email from a former colleague of mine. He finally got his promotion which I denied him at the time and wanted to write me a note to share the good news as well as giving me updates on the MBA programs that he's trying to get into (which I wrote recommendation letters for).

The promotion for him was well deserved and a year overdue. However, back in December of 2008, I felt that he wasn't ready. Now he was the top performer amongst his peers and he got a rating that people rarely get. However, I am always fair on my performance evaluation and people know that. An excellent senior associate doesn't necessarily translate into a good supervisor level. I felt that he needed about 6 more months... roll forward 6 months, I am no longer in that group (I was in a different group at Cap1) and his group went through a budget freeze... so his promotion was further delayed. At the time, I remember feeling extremely guilty. I don't second guess my decision. It was the right decision at the time. But I felt bad. I felt that he deserved the reward that came with the promotion.

So, to get the news that he finally got his promotion made me very happy. But what he said in the email made my day.

"Seriously though, you've been very helpful, and I hope your new team will come to appreciate your management style the way that I have."

I've always been very fortunate with people who were on my team no matter where I've been. I still keep in touch with many that worked for me and I get great joy out of seeing them grow in their careers. To get such feedback is just an icing on the cake.