Mr. Cummins: The Mentor Who Helped Me Find My Way

Grandpa Journey — Memories of My Working Life

This morning, I had another funny dream. As with many of my dreams, the story was rather unusual. I found myself cleaning my office, and suddenly, Mr. Cummins appeared.

When I woke up, I began thinking about this gentleman who had played an important role in my working life. It was a pleasant reminder of a time when I was taking on new responsibilities, learning new things, and discovering the value of having a good mentor.

A New Position and a New Challenge

In the mid-1980s, I was promoted from the pharmaceutical department to an executive corporate position as Head of Personnel Administration at Ciba-Geigy Hong Kong.

It was an important step in my career. Moving into a corporate position meant entering a new working environment, dealing with different responsibilities, and learning to work with senior executives across the organization.

My office was located between the offices of Mr. Cummins and Dr. K. Moser, the head of Ciba-Geigy Hong Kong. Dr. Moser's secretary and administrative assistants also worked nearby.

Mr. Cummins was the head of Accounts and Finance. Although our responsibilities were different, our offices were close to each other, and I had opportunities to learn from him.

 He was a very well-organized person. One detail I still remember clearly was his little black book. It was a loose-leaf notebook with an index, allowing him to rearrange the pages easily whenever he needed to change the order of his notes.

I found this small detail particularly memorable. He had a practical system for keeping information organized and making it easy to retrieve for reference. Rather than relying on memory alone, he made sure that the information he needed was recorded and arranged in a useful way.

It was a simple but effective working habit, and it reflected his organized approach to his responsibilities.

He was soft-spoken and calm, yet firm when necessary. He did not need to raise his voice to make his point. He was also helpful and approachable, qualities that I appreciated as I settled into my new position.

In time, he became my mentor.

We Had Worked Together Before

Our working relationship did not begin with my promotion.

We had met earlier through an office automation project that Mr. Cummins headed. The project brought together people who needed to work closely to introduce new ways of handling office work.

It was not an easy undertaking. There was plenty of resistance to overcome. Changes in working methods can make people uncomfortable, especially when they have become accustomed to familiar routines.

Mr. Cummins led the group through the project. He worked closely with the team, maintained his focus, and helped us move forward despite the difficulties.

Eventually, we got the job done.

Looking back, I realize that the project had already given me an opportunity to observe his leadership before I became Head of Personnel Administration.

I saw how he organized the work, worked with people, and remained calm in the face of resistance. These were valuable lessons, even if I did not fully appreciate their significance at the time.

Learning from a Quiet Leader

When I took on my new corporate responsibilities, having someone like Mr. Cummins nearby made a difference.

A promotion may look like recognition of past achievements, but it also brings new challenges. You are expected to perform in a role that may demand skills and judgment you are still developing.

I was fortunate to have a colleague who was willing to help me find my way.

Mr. Cummins did not have to make a grand speech or offer dramatic advice to influence me. His everyday conduct spoke for itself. His organization, calm manner, firmness, and willingness to help provided an example I could learn from.

Over the years, I have come to appreciate how important such people can be in a career. We often remember the positions we held and the projects we completed, but we should also remember those who helped us become better at what we did.

A Dream, a Memory, and a Lesson

Now, many decades later, I am an octogenarian looking back on my working life.

This morning's dream brought Mr. Cummins back into my thoughts. I cannot explain why I dreamed of cleaning my office or why he appeared in the scene. Perhaps it was simply an unexpected journey into an old chapter of my life.

But the memory reminded me of something worth sharing with my children and grandchildren.

Success at work is rarely achieved entirely on our own. Along the way, we meet people who guide us, support us, challenge us, and show us by example how to handle responsibility.

For me, Mr. Cummins was one of those people.

I still remember his little black book, his quiet voice, and the way he led our office automation project through considerable resistance. These details have stayed with me long after the offices, the project, and the job titles became part of history.

A good mentor may not realize how much he has influenced someone else's life. But the lessons he leaves behind can last for decades.

And sometimes, even a funny dream can remind us to say thank you, long after the opportunity to do so has passed.

— David Au, Grandpa Journey

Preserving memories, one story at a time.