So much happens in the course of four years. People and circumstances change, but it’s a wonderful thing to share experiences (good and bad) with people over a time span, and have a history with them. In this weblog Rusty and Marie celebrate Maya's 4-year anniversary with their company.
That has been the case with Maya, who started here as an 18-year-old college student and is now the mother of a beautiful 1-year-old baby girl named Embry. She and her long-time boyfriend Matt will be getting married this spring and have exciting plans to buy their own house so they can enjoy the wonderful gift of being a family.
You can imagine, and you would be right, that there have been many adventures in getting from Point A: being an 18-year-old college student, to Point B: being a mother and bride-to-be. Rusty and I have over the past four years, had the pleasure of seeing Maya transform in to an adult from a kid.
Before she started at Southgate Coins, Maya worked during her high school years as an animal caregiver at a veterinary office and a bank teller. After joining our company, she seemed to appreciate the extras we gave our employees, like Free Lunch Fridays, birthday and Christmas celebrations, and company dinners.
Maya is one of the few girls who have worked for us who Rusty and I (Marie) trained personally. She, in turn, has passed her knowledge on to many girls since that time. I have always appreciated that Maya is compliant and that she really tries to learn what we teach her. She has a sweet spirit and I felt a connection with her early on.
Maya has the heart of someone who likes to help, and she has learned that there is fulfillment in doing a job well. She’s had the opportunity to be involved in projects ranging from publishing books, managing Web site content, and handling some of the finest known coins in the world. She has learned there is a true satisfaction in having a role in accomplishing something extraordinary and belonging to a team that strives for more than the status quo.
The lessons Maya is learning now that she is in a management position are many. She has learned the value of team leadership and how training and coaching can develop an employee.
One lesson, that plays itself out repeatedly, is how each person can add to the success or cause the failure of an effort. It becomes obvious quickly to Rusty and me to see the amount, lesser or greater, of effort and resourcefulness an employee brings to the job, and how noticeable her performance is in either case. Recognizing on a deeper level where a girl stands in regards to her job, is an acquired skill, which comes through observing many situations that arise. Each girl’s attitude and response must be evaluated through a seasoned perspective, which Maya is developing.
I’m grateful to work each day with Maya, because she always makes me feel like she’s on our side. She believes in our company’s culture and supports us when we go through the stresses and rigors of running a business. She and I have a free and open communication, which can only happen when there is trust.
I look forward to having much more history with Maya as she moves into the next phase of her life.
I want to congratulate you my friend, on four successful years at Southgate Coins.
Now Rusty will finish our tribute to Maya:
Okay Marie, here goes:
Maya started working at Southgate Coins when she was 18 years, 10 months old. Although she has been with us for four years, I always have to remind myself how young she still is.
Maya recently added to her duties of being a new mother, the supervision of two teenage girls under the foster care system. Marie and I have seen how these extra responsibilities of motherhood and foster parenting, combined with her full-time position at Southgate Coins, have raised her maturity level to heights way beyond her 22-year-old age.
The longer Maya works for us, and the more we compare her to other girls who have come and gone at our company, the more we appreciate her. You see, recruiting, training, and keeping employees are some of the biggest trials faced by business owners. Marie and I do our best to hire top quality team members, train them, and show them in many ways how much they mean to us. Our efforts sometimes don’t produce the desired results, but, thank God, over the past two-plus decades, we have had our share of effective and endearing employees. Now, after reaching her four-year mark, Maya is in a class by herself and she has set a standard by which we will measure all our former, present, and future girls.
One of the key attributes Maya possesses that really impresses me is her willingness to take correction. I have scolded her probably more often than I have any other employee; but unlike many other employees, Maya accepts my disciplining of her respectfully. Although she might defend herself on occasion, she has learned how to apologize and take responsibility for her mistakes, the way a mature person should. I hope she knows I only chide her because I see so much potential in her and I want her to excel at what she does. It has gratified me greatly to see this mentor-learner relationship pay off.
You can see one of the more rewarding aspects of Maya’s development in how she likes to be challenged. She sincerely enjoys solving problems, and together we rejoice when a previously brain-teasing question is answered, or a hurdle is overcome, producing positive results. Just recently, Maya spearheaded our effort to counter the damaging effects of a rash of Internet credit card fraud committed against us. Over the past two years, much of her energy has focused on improving our business Web site, and the constant pressures inherent in the recruiting and training of employees. Maya tackles most of these challenges like a mathematician seeking solutions to difficult equations or a gamer shooting for the highest scores.
Special mention must be made of Maya’s contributions in helping us run our non-profit organization, the Carson City Coin Collectors of America. She is a popular club representative to its members, and she has become a key player in the production of the club’s award-winning journal, Curry’s Chronicle. Her services to the C4OA are invaluable to us.
Maya has lots to learn about her job and she still needs to develop her organizational skills better. Yet at just two months shy of her 23rd birthday, we must not concentrate on the areas where she has room for improvement, but rather on how far she’s come over these past four years.
Thanks Maya, for being such a loyal employee and for serving as a solid role model for all Southgate girls, both present and future.
With love and honor,
Marie and Rusty