MVP

I've spent the past few days over at the other local location of the gym I work at. They've recently installed a new GM, someone who I've turned to many times for help and guidance when she was running the community outreach department for the company. She's been asking for me to come over and help get things organized and running properly for weeks, and I finally made it over this week.

When I first started working for the company I was basically a glorified front desk guy -- I had a title but no real responsibility. In those first months I kept asking for more responsibility, trying to integrate myself into the daily operational aspects. The place was a mess, with an overblown payroll, a largely unmotivated sales staff, and nightmarish organization. The newly installed area veep came down for a visit, and within three days had fired my GM, sales manager, and much of the operational staff. He pulled me and the child care director off to the side that night and put us in charge of the gym while the new GM was sought.

I took that opportunity and ran with it, doing everything in my power to make myself as indispensable as humanly possible. Now, two years and two promotions later, I'm the guy they're calling in to clean up the mess left behind by others.

In between projects I've had plenty of opportunity to talk to K, the other location's new GM. The past few weeks have been messy, complex and difficult for her, and she seems so relieved to have me around -- she's constantly asking for my advice on how to handle certain issues, where to find the answers she needs, and my opinions on her support staff. It's interesting how the roles have reversed. At one point, she looked at me and said "God, it's so nice to have the company's most valuable asset here to help me."

I took a second to search the statement and intonation for irony -- nope, clean.

In two years, my profile has raised from dopey front desk agent to MVP.

Feels good.