I was startled to hear of Ken Lay’s death. To me, it seems a sad and bizarre postscript to the last few years. His death might mean something in terms of closure for the former employees of Enron, but he as a person means nothing to me. The whole Enron affair meant nothing to me, nor to over 99.9 percent of my colleagues at Arthur Andersen, except for the fact that it took our firm from us. The political pressure to find a scapegoat killed an institution that was arguably one of the most important companies in American history. Unequivocally, Andersen was important to me.

I think that it’s immensely sad that people will remember Andersen not for what it was, but for how it ended (despite the Supreme Court’s unanimous overturning of the conviction of Andersen).

Just as the lessons from our parents lead us into adulthood, what I learned at Andersen has taken me into business better prepared than I could imagine — more so than any MBA or job training course. I realize now how much I learned there — not from the world-class training center in St. Charles, IL, but through on-the-job mentoring, coaching, and guidance.

It was a model that drew criticism — take bright kids right out of college, train them, and put them in front of clients for top rates per hour. But the model is imitated all over the professional services industry because it worked for Andersen. I have held management positions in two other organizations since Andersen’s demise, and I realize every day how the firm’s values are still with me.

I see colleagues and clients struggle with how to truly empower and manage people. What I learned at Andersen is that regardless of how young or inexperienced employees are, you trust them; treat them with respect; give them responsibility, guidelines, and good coaching; and expect the best of them. At Andersen, you started “managing” people in your third year. You became a “senior” consultant (or auditor), responsible for small tasks within a large project. Your manager in turn coached you in your new role. I was 25 when I became a “senior.” I started to learn management in a safe environment, feeling supported by the firm.

My husband has been promoted into increasing levels of management in his software company. Often, he’ll ask me for advice about how to motivate employees to deadlines, how to deliver tough performance evaluations, how to address disgruntled team members, and other issues. I’m surprised to realize that I have good answers, gained from years of experience — and I’m only 33.