Some people are just kind. It seems that the harder life presses down on them, the more their genuine capacity for good is revealed. But how does so much goodness reside in one individual?
Mike is one such person. Having committed to a legacy of helping others find fulfillment, Mike touches one life at a time. Somehow, over the years of keeping this pattern, Mike developed that variety of kindness that is undeterred by circumstance.
Don’t let his Stephen King collection fool you.
EL:
Mike, I am so excited to be sitting down with you. Tell us about your current position.
Mike:
Thank you. I work in human resources. I’m the human resources generalist. I work with Natalie, the vice president of human resources, and Malani, who works in payroll. I do a little bit of both.
EL:
That’s impressive to juggle! Tell me how long you’ve been here at England Logistics.
Mike:
I’ve been with England Logistics for two and a half years.
EL:
Awesome. Let’s dive in. Before discussing your career, tell me what you like to do outside of work. What are some of your passions?
Mike:
I’ve had an odd hobby my entire life. I started collecting books when I was 11 when I got into reading. My mother started me off with mysteries, and so I just have a passion for reading and literature. I currently have over 14,000 books, much to my wife’s chagrin: 10,000 paperbacks and 4,000 hardbacks.
So, in our home, we have about 17 bookcases. The best books that I have are leather-bound books. Most cherished books are on those bookcases because I can’t fit all 14,000 onto my bookcases.
EL:
I am blown away. 14,000 books. Do you have a favorite book?
Mike:
Yes. I have an eclectic taste in books. As I mentioned, I love mysteries, and so many of my mysteries are about Agatha Christie. I probably have about 4000 books just by Christie. She only wrote 80 books, but I have different covers for paperbacks and hardbacks. I started collecting in Spanish, Italian, and German.
One of my favorite genres is horror. I collect Stephen King and Robert McCammon. McCammon is one of my favorite authors. He came out to Salt Lake City in 2012 to receive an award from the horror convention we were having in town.
I went and met him and had a few of my books autographed by him. Those are cherished books.
EL:
It’s fantastic that you were able to meet him. What an incredible hobby! You told me about your proudest books… but what are some of your proudest accomplishments?
Mike:
One of my proudest accomplishments happened in the workplace. I worked for a company headquartered here in Salt Lake City. They asked me to work at the distribution center twice weekly to hire for the warehouse. The warehouse manager said, “I am so busy right now and we must hire several people for Christmas. You’ll probably need to hire about 150 people to help us out. Because of that, I won’t be able to interview them. So, I trust your judgment.”
I was really honored that he trusted my judgment in filling those positions and in the people that I selected. When I interviewed this one gentleman, he mentioned some issues that he had before coming to me.
He had been in prison. He mentioned he needed to get a good-paying job because he wanted to go back to school and make something of his life. I trusted him. I saw something in him… he had this drive and was motivated to work hard and accomplish things. But I knew the manager would probably say no if I mentioned his previous imprisonment.
So, I hired him. Eventually, the manager came to me and said, “I hear that you hired somebody here. I’m not sure if he fits our culture.” I said to give him a chance. Well, the man became an absolute dynamo in that warehouse, and everybody adored him.
He worked for us for four years, taking night classes and graduating. He got married and had a child. He was one of our favorite employees. We were so sad when he left four years later, but he went on to a much better job in his field. We were all happy for him.
It was interesting to see that manager, who had doubts about him initially, was bawling his eyes out when he left. I went with my judgment and decided we needed to give him a chance. It paid off. I learned from that experience that you just cannot judge somebody because of their bad experiences.
EL:
That’s a beautiful story. Good for you for having that kind of faith in somebody. Can you think of some ways you have taken that attitude of belief in people, and how have you tried to build that kind of legacy here at England Logistics?
Mike:
I ask myself that question every day: Did I do something good today? Did I help somebody out? Working can sometimes be tough. My job is to help others see the benefits of working here and what they can do to improve themselves.
One of the things that I like to do with people is get to know them a little bit better and make the relationship more personal. Sometimes, in a corporate atmosphere, it can be challenging to really get to know someone. I like to discover their interests, hobbies, and family—things like that.
In a previous job, I worked with a gentleman in the publishing industry. I got to know him a little bit better, and I asked him, “What is your hobby?” He told me he writes fantasy stories on the side.
I said, “Well, you work at a publishing company. Why don’t you go talk to them?” He says, “Oh, I’m not that good. It’s just a hobby.” I said, “Well, it wouldn’t hurt to go talk to somebody in publishing about your ideas and see what you can do.” A year later, he was on the New York Times bestseller list with his first published book.
Again, I had nothing to do with his success because he did it himself. He has since retired from that company and is now a full-time writer. It pleases me to no end that somebody can succeed just by asking a few questions and nudging them along.
EL:
That is so inspiring. I am amazed by how many touches you have in so many stories. What is your ‘why’ and when are you happiest?
Mike:
My ‘why’ is interacting with people and getting to know them. My passion is seeing others succeed. There are tough days and circumstances at work, but I try to put a positive spin on it.
We all have issues, but if we can build each other up, that makes all the difference.
EL:
That’s wonderful. We all know how empathetic you can be, but is there something most people don’t know about you?
Mike:
I’m originally from Maryland and lived there for the first six years of my life. Then, my dad was transferred to Sweden.
I grew up in Sweden, speaking Swedish. From the age of six until nine, I went to Swedish school and nearly forgot how to speak English except at home because my parents were not fluent in Swedish. I loved it in Sweden.
EL:
Wow, you’ve lived a very charismatic life. We touched on this briefly, but what legacy do you hope to leave here?
Mike:
What I’d like to accomplish is to let people know that their actions matter. Their interpersonal actions here at work, with customers and co-workers, can come back to haunt you if you don’t treat people well. For example, at one of my first jobs, after I graduated from college, I worked for a hotel company. I’d been there for five years, was promoted, and thought I was doing great.
One day, I was brought into the general manager’s office and told, unfortunately, they were having cutbacks, and my job was being eliminated. I was devastated. I thought it was the end of the world. I was maybe 27 or 28 years old and was upset. After five years in the hotel business, I had learned a few choice words that I really wanted to use.
I was going to tear into him about letting him know he was making a mistake, and I didn’t think it was fair. Before I did, I caught myself, and I thought that it must be difficult for him to give me such tough news. I was sure it was coming from upper management, and he’s just delivering a bad message… so why take it out on him? I told him I understood, even though I did not, and I was professional about it and left.
A few years later, I was interviewing for a job in Chicago. I was sitting down with the human resources vice president, and they said, “Oh, I see you worked in Portland. Where did you work?” I mentioned where I worked, and they said, “Oh, do you know JJ?” This was the general manager who had laid me off. I said, “Oh yes, I do.” She says, “He’s a perfect friend of mine. I’m going to give him a call after this interview.” It made me realize how that one decision if I had made it wrong, would have completely changed the course of my career. I ended up getting the position in Chicago, and because of that experience, I was able to get other positions and move up.
Your word matters, so be careful with what you say. Once you’ve said it, you can’t take it back. I hope to leave that legacy.
EL:
You’ve entirely exemplified that kind of legacy. You bring so much to England Logistics. What about the culture here has appealed to you?
Mike:
The culture at England Logistics is fantastic. It truly is unique because senior management here cares about what you’re doing. When they talk about promotions, they not only talk about it but also do it. That’s what impressed me the most—upper management knows their people here.
Their words have influenced my attitude, so I’m always optimistic. This comes from the people I work with my coworkers, my boss, and upper management. The way they treat me is just incredible.
EL:
I’m so glad to hear that. Where do you go from here? What is your plan?
Mike:
I told Natalie my plans are here at England Logistics. There’s so much to learn in human resources, and laws are constantly changing. I’ve learned so much from Justin in legal about state laws and new things coming out. There’s so much that I still don’t know.
I’d like to finish my career here in England. My dad worked for the same company for 35 years, and he instilled that in us. In this modern age, they do have layoffs, mergers, and acquisitions, and sometimes, the job isn’t always there. But I would love to stay at England Logistics and continue working in human resources.
EL:
I have that same hope for you.
—