A Personal Note from Dr. Tim
June 29, 2016 @ 2:44 pm by ACT
It was the morning of September 11, 2001 when Sue Gage walked into my office to interview with me for the job of an assistant. I’ll never forget her entrance, with tears in her eyes, asking if we could do the interview another day. We both agreed to a date and then left to go our separate ways to process what was going on in New York. I could tell immediately that she was a soft soul who cared deeply.
She returned several days later and I hired her on the spot. She fit the culture that we were creating at Advantage Coaching & Training; genuine, loving, dedicated, loyal and a giving heart. That was nearly 15 years ago and she has proven her value time and time again.
Mid-May, Sue came into my office again with tears in her eyes and announced that she and her husband were moving to North Carolina for a wonderful opportunity for them both. We are thrilled for them, but here at ACT we feel deep sadness. How do you replace someone like Sue?
When I travel to speak and I run into the person on the client end who arranged the event, the most common thing I hear is, “I love Sue.” Sue has an incredible ability to take care of people. Once when I asked her what her job description was, she said without flinching, “To keep your tushy cushy.” Sue arranged all of my flights, hotels, cab rides, client appointments, as well as tons of other responsibilities. When something didn’t go well she would feel terrible and always worked to fix it for the next time.
In the office, she was a source of warmth and humor. I cannot tell you the number of funny lines she would write into my calendar that would make me laugh aloud. She would also proclaim that while I owned the company, only Bruce Springsteen was “The Boss”.
Sue is also an incredible chef! At one ACT party, my son Zach and I brought back fish from a trip to Alaska. Sue prepared salmon three different ways for our team and each was spectacular!
She never spoke an unkind word; everyone she met became her “BFF” and she is more loyal and caring than almost anyone I have ever known.
Yep, clients would say, “I love Sue!” Well, we love her too, will miss her deeply and only wish the best for her future. Thank you, Sue, for nearly 15 years of incredible work. Maybe we’ll need to pull you back in if we do another Napa couples retreat (I know I can get you back for that)!