It’s with great sadness that I share the passing of Michael Tudor. Michael was a genuine person who left lasting memories with everyone fortunate enough to know him. He was many things to many people: teacher, author, trainer, speaker, but most importantly, he was a valued friend.
Michael, along with his husband Larry have been continuous supporters of us from day one of our opening. Their contributions have been valuable in making Personality Dimensions what it is today. Michael truly lived and breathed Personality Dimensions; I’m convinced that Organized Gold was modelled after him. In fact, Michael trained more facilitators than anyone else, certifying close to 1,200 individuals from 2003 up until earlier this year, myself included.
I first met Michael in my second week on the job when I was sent for my Level I training. I was fresh out of university, completely overwhelmed, and intimidated, but what I remember most is how welcome Michael made me, and everyone else in the room feel. By the time he had taken us through the carefully timed and neatly presented agenda, he had me laughing, thinking, and feeling at ease. I even managed to pass the exam with flying colours thanks to his teaching.
Michael was a proud teacher, spending his early career teaching high school before becoming an instructor at OISE, inspiring the next generations of educators. As a gifted storyteller, he didn’t just tell you the story; he had you experience it. He was a natural performer who loved an audience, and for good reason, audiences loved him. He had a way of keeping you engaged regardless of how many people were in the room. If he saw that you weren’t, you needed to watch out because you were his next challenge, and he would 100% win you over.
It was always a great day to be in the office when Michael and Lary dropped by. These were never short visits; conversations that started out as business always turned into something more fun and interesting before finding their way back to the topic at hand. I will genuinely miss those moments full of laughter and great stories.
In honour of Michael, take some time to share your best stories with your colleagues, students, friends, and family, and remember that there is a CORRECT way to load a dishwasher! (IYKYK)
Michael’s family is planning a celebration of life in the near future.
Brad Whitehorn – BA, CCDP is a lifelong Introvert, and the Associate Director at CLSR Inc. He was thrown into the career development field headfirst after completing a Communications degree in 2005, and hasn’t looked back! Since then, Brad has worked on the development, implementation and certification for various career and personality assessments (including Personality Dimensions®), making sure that Career Development Practitioners and HR Professionals get the right tools to do their best work. Brad is also on the board of directors for the Career Professionals of Canada, and an advisory committee member with the Career Development Professionals of Ontario.