As we progress professionally, we’re often influenced by different people in our lives. This week I was thinking about colleagues I’ve worked with throughout my career — various people at different levels of the food chain who have influenced me and whom I admire.

Patricia Thorp: When I left television after two years as a sports producing grunt, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I took some internships and decided on pubic relations. Patricia, who leads Miami-based public relations shop Thorp & Company, gave me my first gig after television and taught me how to write from a PR perspective, as my writing had been geared toward broadcast news. I only worked there a year as my wife was given an amazing job opportunity in New Orleans — and sure I had my struggles transitioning from the locker-room-like atmosphere of a sports department into a professional PR environment (I still do 18 years later) — but Patricia was a wonderful boss and remains a solid citizen to this day.

Keith Poston: Currently director of public affairs for Time Warner Cable – Carolinas, Keith — or “Howie” as I like to call him — was director of public relations at electric utility company Progress Energy in Raleigh, NC.  I was his right-hand on media relations in North Carolina, and later in Florida. But what the enormously slouching 6’6 mammal taught me most was how to lead people in terms of supporting subordinates, how to manage without micromanaging, and when your company is under attack, how to look at every situation with an objective mind. He would wisely suggest that sometimes detractors may have a point, and that by acknowledging that you appeal to the reasonable observer. And while our careers have taken moderately different directions — he still sleeps in cuff links while I wear tennis shoes to work — Keith remains an important mentor and friend.

Bill Johnson: Bill is currently CEO of Progress Energy, but while I worked with him there he was third and then second in command.  One reason I admire Bill so much is that I was able to write, “while I worked WITH Bill. He didn’t care who you were — mail room clerk, media spokesperson, or CFO. Bill treats everyone with the same modicum of respect and good humor, and will grab a beer with, and listen to concerns from, just about any employee. He also introduced me to “emotional intelligence” — in essence the concept of keeping a cool head regardless the situation — which has proved a valuable tool. Despite favoring white wine and being too skinny these days, without question Bill is not only the finest chief executive I’ve ever worked with, but a good friend. Plus, he likes the Grateful Dead, which doesn’t suck.

Mike Slatin: Mike and I worked together at Fleishman-Hillard, shared similar interests in Will Ferrell films, is one of the brighter people I know, and has a ridiculous photographic memory. He also likes to wear same-colored ties and shirts, and often pronounces his consonants really, really hard. In the agency world, hourly billing requirements tend to penalize employees. It is what it is — you must bill a certain number of hours each day and that must perfectly fit into a retainer. But in caring for the people Mike managed and the stresses of their workload, he and I had many discussions about how to ensure the team was credited with enough hours to meet their quota while fulfilling the agency’s need to serve clients. He clearly cared about his staff, and not once in nearly four years did I ever hear him speak badly of someone on the team or at the agency as a whole. Sure, we would analytically look at performance in discussing appropriate staffing, but he never cattily criticized a colleague, which is uncommon.

I consider the parallels between Patricia, Keith, Bill and Mike; and what I see is a common understanding that they succeed not alone, but due to the efforts of the people they lead. And those people, of course, are more productive and successful when they are happy and treated in a respectful manner.

I thank them all for working with me and teaching me lessons that continue to guide my values, my work, and the way I lead at Elasticity every day.

Carry on.