Changes Over Time

Do the meanings of words change or is it more that society is evolving and expectations are different, so that the interpretations shift?

I remember when I started cooking and signed up for an apprenticeship. It was the first time I heard the word ‘indentured.’ I had to look it up and think through what it meant in this setting before I signed the contract.

From the reading I could find at that point, it was a contract between an employer and an employee for a period of training; but there was reciprocation in the process as far as I could tell.  If I committed to working for the employer; they will commit to teaching me everything they know so that I end up educated and skilled, while they would have the labour they need to run their business.

Back then, my glasses were definitely rose tinted; but the industry was exciting and edgy and I was so excited to be part of it that I signed the contract.  Imagine a job that asked everything of you but didn’t demand a university education - what a great thing for a girl who did better when she was pushed, and I loved it.

I feel that I had the best work experience anyone could have and no regrets about how hard I worked. And now, as a business owner, I keep trying to understand how to apply that same structure to current staff – just in a more modern way. I am more than willing to train as much as I can and equip my team for an industry that still seems exciting to me.

1 comment

  • Over the years, I realized the more time I invest in teaching my team – helping them to grow and learn – the more it frees me to focus on my own areas of growth, as they can take on more responsibility. I’ve been able to move to new jobs or focus on more strategic areas. So while they work for me, not indentured in the classic sense, being a servant leader is truly win-win.

    Jen Harding

Leave a comment

Name .
.
Message .

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published