The People Who Taught Me
When people speak about mentors, they usually describe a senior figure who intentionally guided their development.
My experience was different. Most of my teachers never applied for the role.
Some never realised they were teaching me at all.
- An Executive Chef taught me humility
- A Stewarding Manager taught me respect
- A General Manager taught me authenticity
- An HR Director taught me that people and performance are not enemies
- A COO taught me pace
- A CEO taught me to first set direction
- A peer taught me the difference between competence and trust
- Others taught lessons they never intended to teach
Some through generosity. Some through discipline. Some through conflict. Some through disappointment.
Many through example. A few through warning.
What connects them is not whether I agreed with them.
What connects them is that something survived the encounter.
A lesson. An idea. A perspective. A question.
The more mature I become, the less interested I am in judging people as successes or failures.
Most people are both. Most people possess strengths and weaknesses. Most people are struggling with challenges invisible to everyone else.
The same is true of organisations. And certainly, true of myself.
Looking back, I realise my career was shaped less by formal education than by observation.
Watching people. Learning from people. Admiring people. Occasionally arguing with people.
And sometimes discovering wisdom in places I did not expect to find it.
The people who taught me rarely resembled the teachers I imagined I needed.
Perhaps that is why their lessons endured.
Reflection
This article is about gratitude.
This is the sixteenth of a series of articles – “What hospitality taught me about myself” – in which I share lessons learned throughout my professional and personal journey, and how those experiences have shaped my thinking and led me to develop my own principles.
The most valuable teachers are not always the most impressive.
Often, they are simply the people who leave us unable to think exactly as we did before we met them.
I carry many such people with me. Not their titles. Not their positions.
Not their achievements. But, their lessons.
And in the end, that may be the only part of any of us that truly survives.
About the Author
Raoul Gransier is a Senior International Adviser and owner-focused hotelier with more than 25 years of operational and advisory experience in hospitality, tourism, governance, and performance improvement.
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