BEST PRACTICE
Romaine Seguin
is president of UPS Global Freight Forwarding, where she oversees air, ocean and rail freight forwarding, as well as brokerage and supplier management, for the 220 countries and territories UPS serves around the world. She can be reached at rseguin@ups.com.
Leadership FROM SHOCK TO SUPPORT: DEALING WITH A LIFE CRISIS
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As leaders, we need to understand what our employees and peers may be going through when they are struggling. — Romaine Seguin
60 MAY/JUNE 2021 | i4Biz.com
t was April 23 and I was excited to get my second vaccination against COVID-19. I’d had to wait awhile until my age group became qualified to get vaccinated in Naples, Florida, and it was important for me to follow the process. I’d chosen to get my shots at the local fire station, and I was glad I did.
I took my UPS ID with me because I wanted a picture taken so I could be an advocate for the vaccine. That’s what I told the firefighter who was preparing to give me my shot, and he was happy to take the photo. It’s a very small world: He told me he used to work for UPS before becoming a firefighter. I received my vaccination and was officially in the club. I was also given a sticker saying #TonyStrong. Tony Christensen was a firefighter of 22 years who
lost his life to COVID-19 in August 2020. The mission of everyone at the Naples Fire Department was to administer as many vaccines as they could in honor of their friend and colleague. They had found a way to turn their sadness into something that would help others. Back to April 23. I received my second jab at 10:30 a.m. and felt great all day. But that evening, I received a call from my brother-in-law Chris, who said my youngest sister, Robin, had learned she had a lump in her breast and two more cancerous spots, one on her neck and the other on her spine. I was the first one he told, and I called my other sisters and brother a bit later. Robin and Chris shared the news with my mom in person the next day. These were calls and visits you don’t ever want to receive and certainly don’t ever want to make. Unfortunately, we are all likely to go through extremely
