Page 20 - voices-2021-07
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FROM THE WINGS







       Find the Fun!




       PJ Kleffner, DTM

       Immediate Past District Director



      Are you having fun? If not, I highly recommend  who decided to
      that you figure out why—life is too short to be  sit in on some of

      miserable or even just dull and boring. One of  our classes to see
      the favorite jobs I had during my 40+ years in  what we did. After he
      the high-tech industry was training new sales  heard my welcome speech,
      engineers how to operate the equipment we  he took me aside and really
      sold. This was so they could demonstrate the  chewed me out. He said it cost us over

      equipment to potential customers and provide  $100,000 to train each new sales engineer, so I
      support as needed after they bought it.                shouldn’t be telling them to quit! I said, “Sorry,
          To give you some perspective, this training  sir, I stand by what I said. If they are not enjoying

      was 40 hours per week for 13 weeks! Yes, it was  themselves and having fun, they are not doing
      intense. Over the decades, our equipment was  their best, and our customers will pick up on that
      used in the development and manufacture of  attitude.” We didn’t exactly agree to disagree, but
      color televisions, airplanes, computers, cell  I continued doing what I was doing long after
      phones, lasers, and fiber optic networks.              he was gone.

          In addition to the actual equipment operation,         Unfortunately, I didn’t always follow my
      we had to teach our sales engineers about  own advice (who does?). I spent nearly 30 years
      these emerging technologies and the various  at that company and had many different jobs.

      applications for our equipment. I found it very  Most of them were great, but some, not so much.
      rewarding to know that I was contributing to  I finally realized that I was no longer having fun
      these technological breakthroughs.                     and felt so relieved when I walked out the door
          During their orientation on the first day  on my last day. I went on to work with a former
      of class, I welcomed all of the new students.  colleague that didn’t turn out how I planned. I

      I told them that they had the best job in the  committed to working “part time for two years”,
      company, which was interacting directly with our  which turned in to full time and stretched over
      customers and discussing their many fascinating  12 years before I finally retired. I was still having

      applications. I went on to tell them that when  fun, but decided it was time to quit punching
      they stopped having fun, get out, because I didn’t  the clock.
      want them working for “my” company anymore.                Some of you may remember a book that was
          After one of many reorganizations, our  popular in the 1980s, Do What You Love, the Money
      training group reported to a new vice president,  Will Follow, by Marsha Sinetar. Unfortunately,





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