CH 26 You Can't Go Home Again

The title of Thomas Wolf’s book is so true. When I returned to Prudential in July 1985 I thought I was returning home. What I didn’t know was that the company and many of the people I remembered were no longer there, or they had changed. Even with those sobering truths I was to embark on the best seven years of my business career. Each turn of the road found adventures and opportunities beyond my greatest dreams.

About five years into my sabbatical I realized I didn’t want to spend the rest of my career sitting in an agency. I preferred the life insurance business. I talked with Walt Johnson, one of Prudential’s Sales Managers at the time. It didn’t work out for my return, but Walt and I developed a lasting friendship. Two years went by rather slowly as the agency struggled. I met Walt at a coffee shop and he told me Ron Cushman, the Winfield agent had been promoted to Sales Manager in Pittsburg, Kansas. Walt’s plan was to split the town into two agencies and he wanted me to apply for one of them. This time things worked and I was again with Prudential. During my first six months I made 75 sales and was promoted to Sales Manager.

The first year of supervising the Winfield staff was tough, but in 1987 we put together a great year. We had nearly 100% sales increase and I could begin to see my goal of becoming a district manager. The timing on every event seemed to be perfect. While things went well at work they were also going well at church and as a school board member. Looking back, this was the beginning of God impressing me about the importance of balance in each area of life. Family issues had also balanced at this time. Winter of 1989 would see me realize my dream of being Manager of the Wichita office. My dream was to finish my career as manager, but that was not to be.

In the early 1990’s downsizing hit Prudential and I returned to Winfield as a Sales Manager and later as an agent. As a result of all the events I developed my own continuing education seminar business and then expanded it to a consulting business. I have been able to use the experiences of my final ten years with Prudential in my business and in the college classes I teach for Southwestern College. I am grateful to God that He allowed my dream to be fulfilled and then provided for us when it was over.