A Note from Bill Tindal

Never Good to Be Blind
Written by Bill Tindal

Several years ago, I was on a business trip to LANL and taking that long drive from Albuquerque to Santa Fe with a good friend and colleague. Alan and I were headed there for some meetings at the lab because of the uranium processing work we were doing. Alan was a uranium metallurgy expert. But he’s also an inspiring speaker, honest broker, man of faith, and a long-time mentor of mine (and many others). He’s also an African American who grew up near the auto plants in Detroit.

During the drive, there are always things to talk about, even after a long flight. I was feeling proud of myself after a compliment I received from one of our Operations Supervisors, Gloria, who is also African American. I said, “Hey Alan. Gloria paid me a nice compliment the other day.” “What’s that?” he asked. I replied, “She said I was the most colorblind manager she’d ever had.” What he said next made my shoulders drop a little. “That’s not a compliment, Bill.” There was a long pause while I wondered what I was missing. I asked, “Um… Why not?” What he said next was wisdom that has stayed with me since. “If you’re colorblind, you’re not seeing me for who I really am.”

At Omega, we consider Relationships as a core value. To me, this means considering that everyone is unique and valuable. It takes time and effort to get to know each other and find those unique and valuable traits. Rather than being “blind” to the differences, I’ve learned those differences can be one more thing to talk about, and one more thing to explore and learn. But most importantly, it’s one more thing that can help form deeper relationships. I will always be thankful for my dear friend, Alan.