Claudia Buse makes my Hall of Heroes for being willing to accept responsibility and accept blame.  Claudia was never afraid to say, "I'll do it," and never afraid to say, "It's my fault."  Now there are lots of people who say one or the other, but it takes a special kind to say both, and say them honestly.

"I'll do it," was Claudia's attitude toward anything related to the Consul-Tech Office.  Whether it was billing, or filing, or a proposal, or checking with vendors about problems, Claudia did it.  She did it with professionalism, style, a sense of humor, and a personality that made you feel at ease.   If there was a problem, Claudia was diffusing it - never one of the folks fanning the flames.

"It's my fault," was Claudia's attitude when something was missed on one of the things she worked on - but only if it was her fault.  She didn't simply take blame to diffuse the situation - she took responsibility for the decisions she made, and the problems she caused - few that they were.  She wasn't afraid of being wrong, because she never made anything other than an honest mistake.  Mistakes were simply that - mistakes.  They weren't made because she tried to do something she couldn't do on her own - they happened because she overlooked something that she did know, or because she picked up more than she could finish.

If there was a person trying to make my style mix with the styles of the other folks at the office, it was Claudia.  I'm sequential, most of the other folks were jugglers.  Claudia was a juggler - one of the best - who gracefully mastered the art of handing things off to me one-at-a-time.  She wasn't belittling about it, either.  And once she handed it off, she left me alone to do the work.

One time, Claudia came up to me and told me, "You were right all along, and I didn't listen to you.  I'm sorry."  Now, to me, that takes a special kind of courage.  Granted, the words were true, but also granted, if there was any "vindication" to be done, it had already been done when my point was proven.  But Claudia understood the human element of the equation - that the recognition of the fact was important to me on this project, where I had been so adamant about where the problem was.  This wasn't about "vindication" or "apology," but about getting the entire team back on the same page by saying, "I respect what you have to say - you don't have to fight to make your point."

Claudia was the consummate team-player, the consummate role-player, and the consummate manager, all rolled into one.  She'd stand up and say what she had to say when it was necessary - regardless of who it was necessary to say it to.  When there was work to do, she'd roll up her sleeves and go to it.  And she did it every day.  She was calm, cool, and collected, and the best kind of friend a person could have in an office environment.  And that's the way everyone felt about her.

We tried to hire Claudia for Storage Trust at one point.  It amounted to a step backward in her career, unfortunately, and she didn't accept it - I can't say I blame her.   But for a brief moment, I was excited about getting back the best office teammate I ever had - and a person who I knew I could count on regardless of the situation.

I worked with Claudia for over four years, and I can truly say that she was one of a special kind - and for that, she deserves to be in my Hall of Heroes.

This page last updated 11/13/2006 .