Career Development Truths in an EF5 Tornado

Sixteen minutes isn’t very long.  It’s enough time to take a shower before work.  It’s enough time to check your newsfeed before you go to sleep at night.  If you were in Moore, Oklahoma on May 20th it was the amount of time you had to prepare for the EF5 tornado that dropped out of the sky.  For me it was enough time to ensure my son was in a tornado shelter at his Moore school while I ushered my wife and newborn into a storm cellar a half mile from the path of the tornado.

Going through that stressful situation and then seeing the aftermath of the tornado caused me to reflect on the important things in life and draw upon some of the core principles that guide me daily as I develop professionally and personally.  The core principles that came to the forefront of my mind through this experience were initiative, follow-through and balance.

Initiative

On May 20th before the tornado had made its course, I was assessing the growing threat of severe weather that day.  I decided it was my role as a parent and spouse to make sure my family was safe.  I couldn’t be indecisive.  I couldn’t wait around for anyone else to do it for me.  I had to initiate a plan to keep them safe through the storms.  I had to be intentional that day.

At work, I use the same intentional approach to maintain a mindset of moving things forward, rather than passively reacting to things that come my way.  I realize that many circumstances won’t change if I sit around and wait for them to get better.  So to positively influence things, I try to be proactive.  I try to move ideas ahead and push things forward.

Follow-Through

As I was listening to the forecast that day, I could have spent time dwelling on how things could have been better.  There was definitely merit to the thought that better planning and preparation could have taken place.  Instead, I knew I had to move quickly and follow through with a plan for protecting my family.

In our work environments, it is easy to talk about how things could or should be different.  But talking about it and not doing anything to change it, is a disservice to all parties involved, including ourselves.  It takes a special kind of person to initiate a creative idea and then have the intense focus and work ethic to see the idea through.

Balance

Now that I am in my early thirties, I find myself very career-minded.  I’m intent on making the most of opportunities that come my way and even those in my general direction.  I’m at a point where I not only enjoy pushing myself, but also enjoy getting out of my comfort zone.  I find purpose in my work and feel fortunate that I occasionally get the feeling that I am making a difference in people’s lives.  I see these moments as my time in life and I’ve resolved to uncover and surpass my unrealized potential.

Having said all that, I’m also at an age where I have a wonderful family at home.  For a person like me, it is easy to turn myself into a machine and get work done.  Fortunately though, I’ve been taught to practice a lifestyle of balance.  I know that too much of anything can simply be too much.  So although I go into machine mode at work, I try to make a conscious decision to turn the machine off when it’s time to be with the family.  The tornado that passed through on that day served as a reminder for me to keep things in perspective.

Although my family and I narrowly dodged the tornado on May 20th, my heart goes out to those that weren’t so fortunate and experienced loss.  From the sixteen minute warning that day to the rebuilding efforts that are currently happening, I am proud of my fellow Oklahomans (and the cooperative efforts of so many others) who have instinctively modeled strong character traits like initiative, follow-through and balance. Let all three serve us well in rebuilding.

Nate Gillen

Nate Gillen

Nate Gillen has been with WEOKIE Credit Union since 2002 and currently serves as the Director of Education. With a degree in Business Administration, he manages both the member and ... Web: www.weokie.org Details