This is a Big Thank You, Mohammed

What It’s About: I need to remind myself of the wonderful people who make up the core economic fabric of Canada, along with the U.S. and western Europe. Mohammed was my Uber driver late Sunday night on my way to the airport. He’s 51, originally from Pakistan and has three daughters, one son, a daughter in law and a one year old grandson. Mohammed drives Uber from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. daily so he can best contribute to his family. They all live together in a four bedroom house, and typically eat breakfast and dinner together every day. As we pulled up to the airport departure area, he proudly showed a picture of his entire family with the iconic, stunning Lake Louise in the background. It is one of the Rubis family's favorite places as well. We have a group picture from the same photogenic spot. Until he started driving for Uber, Mohammed drove continuous long hauls in 12 hour shifts, with one other driver, from Edmonton to Toronto, and back each week. That’s over 4,000 miles one way. They would leave Sunday night and return the following Saturday. He found Uber more acceptable, although the money was less, because he had no family life and the winter highway driving was treacherous.

Why It’s Important: When you hang around knowledge workers (like folks in banks and colleges), it is easy to overlook and forget about the daily grinders that keep goods and services flowing for all of us. These are often immigrants like my grandfathers and uncles who worked for the railways, keeping the tracks straight and switches clean in minus 40 degree weather. So while I talk about culture and leadership at a strategic level, I need to remind myself that the daily grinders are out there pounding away, often for a little more than minimum wage. Thank you, Mohammed. And thanks to my wonderful ancestors who pioneered and persevered for my future. I won’t forget to say thanks.

Think Big, Start small, Act Now, and maybe thank more.

Lorne

One Millennial View: Wow… And to think we all have the option of requesting for the Uber driver not to speak to us. It’s pretty amazing how much valuable information we can learn on one trip to the airport. It’s too true though, if truck drivers stopped working, none of us would have anything stocked in everything we take for granted. Groceries, gone. Appliances, gone. Easy and enjoyable Uber rides, gone. It’s crucial not to forget that. Thanks to people like Mohammad, our world keeps turning.

- Garrett

Edited and published by Garrett Rubis

This is a Big Thank You, Mohammed

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