The Best Career Advice I Got From My Dad – Goodwill Edition

With Father’s Day next Sunday, we’re thinking about all of the things our fathers and father-like figures have done for us – including helping to shape the people that we are today both in and outside of the workplace.

With that in mind, we asked our staff at Goodwill about the lessons and career advice that their fathers provided, which they practice to this day. This is what they said:

Pat Philippe, our Senior Director of Workforce Development, shared this personal story. He too is a father to two brilliant. daughters.

Father’s Day is going to be tough this year.  Not because of an uncertain economy, COVID, or worldwide protests.  This Father’s Day will be especially difficult because for the first time in forty years, I will be celebrating…or at least trying (and pretending) to celebrate without my dad.  Pierre Andre Philippe was born on September 17, 1953 in Haiti, and died on June 3, 2020 of complications from the Coronavirus.  As I reflect on his life, what he meant to me, what he taught me in his actions, his words, and sometimes his silence, I struggle with how to properly honor him now with so many guidelines around social distancing and preventing the spread of this deadly virus.  However, my dad was one the smartest men that I knew and gave great advice.  When he dropped me off at college, he said that something that I carry with me even now; “kote ou vwayaje, ou pran pèp ou a avèk ou”.  Loosely translated from Haitian creole, it means, “wherever you go, you take the race (your people) with you”.  What he meant by this is that whatever opportunities you are blessed with, you always represent something bigger than yourself.  That if you feel bonded to something larger, you will discover purpose and have a lasting impact on your community, your family and maybe even the world.  In every vocational, personal, and professional endeavor, I have tried to exemplify this. 

Our President and CEO, Catherine Meloy, will also be remembering her dear father this holiday, continuing to practice his words of wisdom with grace.

“My precious dad passed away on February 5^th of this year.  A man I treasured speaking to every day as I came home from work.  Even at 99 my dad cared about our Goodwill and he had a special interest in the Goodwill Excel Center.  And I would tell dad both the successes and the challenges of our Goodwill.  And the best advice he continually gave me,  “Catherine Ann Cecilia, give it to God and then get out of His way”.  

Our Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer Jeff Cole shared a unique poem that we all can learn practice.

“My father impressed upon my two brothers and me the importance of doing a job well by often repeating this poem:

Once a task is first begun

Never leave it ‘til it’s done

Be the task great or small

Do it well or not at all“

As we approach Father’s Day, we honor the fathers who may and may not be physically with us. No matter where they are, we will keep their legacies going by continuously honoring their contributions to our lives and to the world – and using their advice to guide the actions that we take to build a better today and tomorrow.

After reviewing the advice above, do you remember any words of wisdom that the fathers and Dads in your lives have given you?