Thanks for sharing–what a great story! The way your boss handled it definitely “inspired courage.”

Likewise, you encourage me, Sarah, and it’s great to share ideas. Your life is an inspiration and a blessing!

In my first year at GE as chemical engineer, I made a significant mistake which cost the company a lot of money and set the project back. I was expecting a stiff reprimand. Instead, my boss came to me and said “OK, Rich, so you made an engineering error here. Well, you’re in good company because we’ve all been there before.” He went on to relate a big mistake he once made and how embarrassed he had been. Then he added “You seem like someone who will learn from this incident and you’ll become a better engineer because of it.” Just those simple words of encouragement turned the whole situation around, gave me a better perspective, and impacted my career in a very positive way.