Business Tools Blog

When I first started working at MFS Telecom in late 1993, I had my first moments of career self doubt.  Prior to Telecom I had worked in banking and real estate development.  These weren’t very challenging and I worked with lots of finance geeks (just like me). 

Then came the first big challenge of my career.

When you join a Telecom company without any background in the field, the learning curve is steep.  And you might be shocked by this … but Engineers aren’t always the most patient teachers.  Dan Caruso wrote last week that I must be clueless.  Well, maybe I wasn’t clueless last week, but in 1993 … I sure felt that way.

After being in Telecom for a few years, I realized that when certain people explained things, I was able to easily grasp the concept.  When others explained things, I walked away confused and clueless.  I am pretty hard on myself, so I never thought that those who were explaining the concepts were at fault … I always thought it was just me that couldn’t get it.

Years later … and hopefully a little wiser, I was reflecting on those first days in Telecom.  I think this Albert Einstein quote sums up my experience perfectly:

“If you can’t explain something simply, you don’t understand it well”

I try to remember Einstein’s quote when I am explaining things.  We have a lot of employees who are just starting their Telecom careers at Zayo, and I’ll bet a few feel like I did back in 1993.  I hope this blog and Dan Caruso’s BearonBusiness blog help explain concepts simply.  If you need help, please ask.  Send me an email, and I will blog the answer or get another expert to write an answer.  It’s important to us that we have learning organization where our employees aren’t frustrated by lack of knowledge or confusion.  

PS - John Scarano will be adding his blog to the mix in the near future.  I personally can’t wait!