To a Mentor, Bart Jackson

April 24, 2011

There are two managers and one teacher whom I would consider my mentors. When I was 21, my manager, Bart Jackson, shaped so many aspects of my life with just couple sentences during a meeting.

“If you want something done, get anyone to do it. If you want something done right, get George to do it.”

With that, he set me on a never-ending pursuit of craftsmanship.

I worked for Bart in the IT department at The North Face¹. With almost no experience whatsoever, I suddenly found myself in charge of the entire networking infrastructure of the headquarters, the warehouse, 20 or so stores around the country, and offices in Glasgow and Toronto.

Of course it wasn’t all at once. Bart very smartly had me introduce PCs here and there to replace dumb terminals, allowing me to build up my confidence and trust with our customers. But it was a fast ride from teaching accounting how to use Lotus-123² to developing complex databases that ran the whole business. I studied far more for work in those three years than for the UC Berkeley classes I was attending at the same time.

That was the easy part. I learned that technical challenges can be tough but usually have tangible and tidy solutions. For most issues that we encounter, the willingness of people to change their process or frame of reference is a much tougher nut to crack.

Bart allowed me to reach far beyond my knowledge, and deep into my capabilities. He allowed me to learn professionalism and self-discipline with invisible guidance, rather than imposing his will on me. Most importantly, he created the space for me to nurture my critical thinking and creative skills by giving me more freedom, not more constraints.

I learned that Bart spent most of his time removing obstacles for his team. He was very good at keeping the bullshit from our group, but always keeping us informed. He also made sure the good work of the department was acknowledged throughout the company. We were able to interact with our customers in a very positive, cooperative, and productive way.

This pride and self-confidence came at the expense of others. The context of being better is almost always in comparison with another department or another person. While some people (like me) thrived on the competition, the effect was demoralizing for others. This too, is something that I carry with me and try very hard not to repeat.

I kept in touch with Bart off and on after we both left The North Face, with the communication trailing off the past 5 years. We never made the transition from a professional relationship to a friendship. Few weeks ago, I received a Facebook friend request from him and I was delighted.

There, on his wall, a single post announced his memorial, with the comments full of fond farewells and how he will be missed.

I won’t miss Bart, because it’s clear to me how much I’ve incorporated him into my work ethics, my management style, and indeed, my personality.