I have not had an “easy” life by most storybook definitions of such, but I suppose few of us ever really have…and many have had it significantly worse.  What I know is that everyone struggles, and despite the circumstance or drama in the details, the breadth and depth of the impact is deep in every person’s story.  We all have a story; that much will always be true.  What I try to remember though is that the difficulties, self-doubt, and losses I experienced in my childhood and teen years, combined with my young-adult years working in social work, and some time traveling and experiencing other cultures, have afforded me a perspective that I hope is unique.  And while I strive every day to allow those experiences to give me a more global view and perspective, I do still have to make appreciation a daily discipline.  Often times I fail in that effort, but I am fortunate because I do know that I possess the ability to be appreciative, which is important I think.  Accordingly…

I have been so fortunate in my life to have had some incredible bosses and mentors.  Men and women who molded me, groomed me, believed in me, supported me and loved me.

-I remember my first boss (Sarah) that became a personal friend; it made me feel special that she wanted to spend time with me outside of work (it was never romantic for the record!) -she just trusted my professionalism enough that she wasn’t afraid to let me see her with her hair down, and most other employees never got to see that.  I remember feeling it was unfortunate that no one else got to see her this way because she was really fun, and it gave me such a great perspective on why she was the way she was at work (we worked with abused children and it was pretty tough stuff most of the time).

-I also remember the first boss that I felt was a mentor (Mike)- He was so caring that he became much more than a “boss” could ever be to someone.  He tried to mold me into a leader at a young age and believed in me, even when I failed.  I still count him as a personal friend today.

-I remember the first boss I felt was a great coach (Cary), and I wanted to follow him into the fire.  He was an ex-football coach and I grew to love this guy’s hard edges because there was an authenticity to him.

-I remember another mentor and friend I had in a boss named Bob; one of the most unassumingly hysterical guys I’ve ever known.  He believed in me and supported me in a way not many other people could have.  He was/is so jovial, smart…and a genuinely kind man.

-Then there was another Mike…who became more like an older brother than a boss.  He taught me the business, believed in me, promoted me, mentored me, we would fight and then he would lift me up.  He loved me like a brother…and I still to this day would do almost anything for him.

-Then I met my current bosses…Deran, and the two owners of my company: Toby and Casey.  Each of them inspirational, caring, and loving mentors who have rounded-out my 15 years of coaching and mentoring with the best perspectives I could have ever been given.

So now to the purpose of this blog: it is to give some insight to who I am in my efforts to be a servant leader, where I came from, what my perspective is, how/why I want to help the people around me; and to explain why I give so much of my time, effort, mind and love to this job.  The basic, one-time answer is that I have to pay it forward.  I have to be the positive force quietly urging and supporting other’s success; the friend, the mentor, the coach, the brother, the leader that so many others were for me.  In future posts you will hear some internal communications from me to my leadership team to help better understand my motivational and inspirational perspectives.  Equally it is also intended so anyone who is interested will know about me, how I lead, why I lead, and what I do every day -for existing employee-partners, friends, family, customers, outside partners, and future employee-partners…I hope this is a chance to get to know what I/we represent.

Ian Aubourg the Regional Director for Movement Mortgage