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The In-Betweens

While conducting an interview for an open position I asked the candidate about the role she played in the job where she was currently working.  It seemed that while she was presently working part-time, what was described sounded more like a management role.  When I asked about this she replied that she was not a manager.  She was an in-between, someone that is neither a part-time person nor a manager, but someone in-between.

I had to pause and reflect upon what was said.  It struck me that an in-between was a person that voluntarily took on a bigger role and got things done.  In old fashion terminology that would be a person that greased the wheels and made things work.  To a great degree, we are all in-betweens.  We all have someone that is above us.  Someone for whom we need to get things done.  Often we go above what is asked because getting things to work makes our life easier and we accomplish more than is expected of us.

I imagine we don’t see ourselves that way.  We play strong roles, we are innovative.  We create; we execute, and we contribute innovation that ripples up to a higher level.  Set aside the titles of leadership, mentoring, influencer or guides, the in-betweens transform ideas, dreams and change into action.  They get it done and they make things happen.

Point Of View

The in-betweens are the silent and often forgotten people.  Without them, we would not get as much done.  They grease the wheels so that what they do they do quietly.  Perhaps we should look more closely at who and how things get done.  Maybe, we should find a way to recognize them and bring them out of the shadows to shine a light on the people in-between.  Yet, if you were at the interview you would believe they liked to be in the shadows and embrace the quiet way they work.

That interview answer “I am an in-between” opened my eyes to something almost unseen.  While we recognize individuals, promote and develop them, I have never heard anyone put a title to the silent ones that make a company successful.  There was almost a sense of pride, a sense of ownership in the role.  She defined what she did as part of a group.  In a way, I think many of us are part of that group.  We do what we do quietly and without expectation of reward.

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Larry Tyler
Larry Tyler
Awaken the possibilities … then unleash them. After 55 years of successful retail management, I have returned to my passion of writing. I write Poetry, Storytelling, and Short Stories. As a child, I grew up on front porch storytelling. I would sit and listen to my Dad and his brothers tell these great stories that were captivating, and I always wanted to hear more. I wanted to experience the things they talked about. I started writing at a young age and reading everything I could get my hands on. At twelve years old I started a storytelling group and several of my friends became writers or poets. At 16 I hopped box cars and worked the tobacco fields, orange groves, picked cotton, and spent many nights around a campfire listing to life stories. Someone once asked me why I wrote. It consumes an amazing amount of time and I assure you it is not going to make me rich. I write so that my children can touch and feel my words telling of the ones that came before us and the stories they told me. These are the chronicles of our family and even though they come from my childhood memories and are deeply rooted in a child’s remembrance at least they may feel what it was like in the time before them and cherish the things the elders left behind. I am a Columnist & Featured Contributor, BIZCATALYST360 and I have The Writers Café, a group on LinkedIn that features Poets, Writers, Artists, Photographers, and Musicians . On Facebook I have two groups and one page; Dirt Road Storytelling, From Abandoned To Rescue Dogs And Cats, and About Life, Love And Living. As writers, it is true that we honestly do not know what we hold within us until we unleash it. When our words inspire others only then will inspiration return to the writer. I will spend my twilight years in search of the next story, the next poem, and the next image. I will take the time to enjoy my Wife, our Dogs, and Cats, and our amazing new home and I will always find the time to walk down a dirt road I truly hope is that I never have to read another book on Leadership, be on a conference call or see another plan o gram as these were the tool for what I did in life and not about who I am.

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13 CONVERSATIONS

  1. Some leaders are invisible and like it that way. Thank you for recognizing their desire to sometimes stay in the shadows. Many times they have found what makes them happy and have achieved the level of balance that can continue to make them happy. As the Beatles would say “Let It Be”

  2. Sometimes it’s just the experience gained by those who have a greater ambition to immerse themselves into the process for the sake of learning. Or like auditing a collage class because you cant afford to take it and you realize you won’t receive a grade. However gaining the knowledge from the course is your primary goal. Betweener

  3. I read this story wanting to shout, Yes! That’s exactly right. The woman being interviewed was not me, but it could have been. I am not a manager or a leader. I’m a doer and much prefer the view from behind the scenes. Joy for me is making sure things get done. Doers don’t get credit but they get satisfaction and contentment.

  4. Giving due recognition to the silent warriors is an art-form you have mastered, Dear Larry!

    I enjoyed every word of this thought provoking article so artistically presented by the master story-teller viz. you, my Dear Friend.

  5. It seems you were the perfect interviewer for her to say this to. You didn’t judge it or dismiss it as lacking clear credentials. I love the thoughtful way you acknowledged it, even by writing an article to make it more visible. You’ve connected me to the heart of this woman you were interviewing, even without a name. I could feel her quiet pride in supporting her company.

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