It has been about two years since I walked in the door at Quintiles. I came in not expecting much--that is to say that I came in expecting to learn in a new environment and to take on a new career. Nothing could have prepared me for what has happened in the last 24 months. I went from providing our customers support with their IT related issues to creating several training items to creating a curriculum for 13 new hires in another country to assisting with more training to taking on the challenges that can only come when you start a pathway toward management.
To be honest, I feel as though the first time I using the full force of what I know and being stretched greatly outside myself as there is so much that I don't already know. Further, it seems this all came on the heels of a couple of good presentations, a few deliverables and a couple reports.
I have heard many an actor/actress either describing or another person describing a role they played as "the role they were meant to play" or "the perfect role for them." That is how I have been feeling this whole time. Don't get me wrong, there are loads of things I could do better and I feel as though I have something new that I take on or learn each and every day. However, I love it. I really do. I get to be involved in making my little part of my world a better place and I think that is so cool.
Did I mention I got to travel to India? No? I got to travel to India! I got to step into a classroom once more. I got to be a teacher once again. Amazing.
So, if this is my verbal CV. If this is my "What I Have Learned Along the Way" blog. Then it is time to turn to what I have learned through this experience.
I have been amazed at how many little things I have learned along the way has led to this. I mean there are some amazing tidbits of things. My time in finance--namely in the project group--prepared me to produce reports quickly and with high accuracy. My time as an educator prepared me to create training materials and see what my students need as opposed to just the material I needed to teach. I got to even take my travel experience and impart it to the current tasks. Even got to make my boss feel all awkward when I started haggling prices at one of the shops in India.
It is like that book or movie where the author takes you down a winding, aimless path that in a moment bursts into perfect clarity. The side trails and strange experiences make total sense all the sudden. It is like the movie Signs where the odd phrases "swing away" and "its contaminated" make perfect climactic sense but made none through the rest of the movie.
I am excited to go to work. I am excited to see my coworkers and I am excited to push myself--to learn.
Ultimately I am so happy to know the Author has something more for me than what I could imagine. In fact, I can't wait to see what is next.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Friday, January 4, 2013
BFDS-Midwest (take 2)
After just 7 months, I have left BFDS - Midwest again.
Seems a bit of a shame to have gone back to leave again. In truth, I do not see it that way. I left the position once to go to South Korea to teach, but then I imagined myself back at that job and in truth, it was not reality. I thought by going back I could jump back on the track I was on and pick back up where I left off. Not so. People who I worked closely with had moved upward and onward.
I think the real "shocker" was that I was getting paid the exact same amount I had been making 3.5 years before...when I was single...without a house...a child...and another child on the way.
A job is not all about the money right? Wrong! Doing what you like does not always mean making a lot of money, but you must make enough to take the worry of .
Ok, I think it is important to stop here and talk about a few things. First, I could do that job and I could do it well. Emphasis on the could as I was no longer in love with the position. Second, the company is not a bad one. It actually has lots of benefits and, for the right kind of person, a lot of mobility. Third, I was the one who rose-colored the whole experience. It was both good and bad -- not realizing that is a great oversight on my part.
So the lesson right? The lesson is that you could be doing the thing you believe in, are good at and -- as a man -- be empty because you are not fulfilling a major aspect of what makes you a man. I would work hard--pushing through many weeks of more than 40 hours (sometimes upward of 60+) and we would be barely getting by. Every two weeks I would bring that paycheck home and hate the fact that it was barely keeping our heads at water level.
It was the same lesson I learned at SCS, but did not realize I had learned it. One of the reasons we had to go was the salary of a married school teacher at that school meant my wife would have to find employment. The catch? She could not legally work in South Korea under the current visa unless she found a company to sponsor her. Therefore, even doing something I loved, if you are not able to take care of your family financially, it isn't the right job for you.
Seems a bit of a shame to have gone back to leave again. In truth, I do not see it that way. I left the position once to go to South Korea to teach, but then I imagined myself back at that job and in truth, it was not reality. I thought by going back I could jump back on the track I was on and pick back up where I left off. Not so. People who I worked closely with had moved upward and onward.
I think the real "shocker" was that I was getting paid the exact same amount I had been making 3.5 years before...when I was single...without a house...a child...and another child on the way.
A job is not all about the money right? Wrong! Doing what you like does not always mean making a lot of money, but you must make enough to take the worry of .
Ok, I think it is important to stop here and talk about a few things. First, I could do that job and I could do it well. Emphasis on the could as I was no longer in love with the position. Second, the company is not a bad one. It actually has lots of benefits and, for the right kind of person, a lot of mobility. Third, I was the one who rose-colored the whole experience. It was both good and bad -- not realizing that is a great oversight on my part.
So the lesson right? The lesson is that you could be doing the thing you believe in, are good at and -- as a man -- be empty because you are not fulfilling a major aspect of what makes you a man. I would work hard--pushing through many weeks of more than 40 hours (sometimes upward of 60+) and we would be barely getting by. Every two weeks I would bring that paycheck home and hate the fact that it was barely keeping our heads at water level.
It was the same lesson I learned at SCS, but did not realize I had learned it. One of the reasons we had to go was the salary of a married school teacher at that school meant my wife would have to find employment. The catch? She could not legally work in South Korea under the current visa unless she found a company to sponsor her. Therefore, even doing something I loved, if you are not able to take care of your family financially, it isn't the right job for you.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Seoul Christian School Teacher
The market's downturn in 2007-2008 led me to examine my current placement at BFDS. I was at a critical place of reaching the need to take the next step upward or to advance down another avenue in the direction of my career with the company. A series of circumstances caused me to pause.
First in the series was, as stated above, the market's downturn. At once, we were doing grand and making money and the 401k seemed awesome. At once, my pitifully sized 401k became worth a third of its original value and the money was drying up.
Second, promotions and pay increases were frozen. In essence, I was as far as I would be going for awhile. I was at the perfect position to move and now I was told that I could no longer go anywhere.
Third, I had come to dread going to work. It wasn't that I was bad at my job and it really wasn't as if I hated the people with whom I worked. I just needed new challenges and without those challenges, I was stagnating.
Fourth, and perhaps most importantly, my wife learned through her sister that there were two teaching posistions in Seoul, South Korea. To make what could be a long story of provision, contemplation and stepping out in faith short, I put in my two weeks in December of 2008 and we made the journey to South Korea.
Before I go any further, let me make sure that the reader is greatly aware of this one fact. Stepping out of your comfort zone and doing something that makes you both excited and scared is almost always worth it. Notice that I am not saying dangerous--although there is probably room for that at times. I am saying uncomfortable. Scare yourself by going beyond the boundaries of what you know to do something that is unknown.
Now, we stepped out and took a chance. I had always wanted to try my hand (or is it mind?) at teaching. I grew up in a homeschool family that believed that every situations and circumstance in life was a chance to learn something new.
In August we learned about it. In October we had all the required paperwork prepared. In December I put in my resignation and by January 5th, we were standing in Incheon airport completely surrounded by something we really knew little about.
Without creating a huge post, I want to somehow distill my 3.5 years in Korea down to some simple to understand concepts with real worth. So here it goes.
The one word I think I could use to some up my entire time in Korea would be: overwhelmed. This word describes my trying to learn the Korean language. It describes me trying to learn how to teach while being a teacher. It describes daily life in my attempts to simply live in a language and culture I didn't fully understand.
Try to imagine teaching people with whom you have such limited commonality. Moreover, we landed on the 5th and by the 7th I was given a textbook and with a clear message: sink or swim. I stood before 20 eager students who I didn't know how to teach. Every interaction, every activity, every single thing that happened while we lived in Korea came with an added level of difficulty.
I did learn one great truth about teaching that applies. It comes from the motivated sequence. Before you can get people to change, you have to impress upon them—you might even say create—a need. Being overwhelmed creates a need to change how you are reacting to a given situation. You learn to adapt and if need be, you learn another way to handle a situation. I didn't know the language. I adapted. I learned. I didn't like the food. I adapted. I ate it anyway. I didn't know how to teach. I adapted. I still am not great at teaching, but I am far better than that first day.
To close out, I want to describe a major shortcoming of my first full year at school. I was given the job of "floor coordinator". For all intents and purposes, it was a somewhat frustrating, largely mechanical role. In my desire to be a great teacher right away and do a great job as the floor coordinator, I found I did both poorly. Worse, I probably made several people very tired of my constant complaining about why I was put under so much pressure in my first year as a teacher. Someone said this to me—perhaps more out of frustration than anything else—"yeah, it may be difficult and hard, but it is where you have been put, now what are you going to do about it?"
Still learning that lesson.
First in the series was, as stated above, the market's downturn. At once, we were doing grand and making money and the 401k seemed awesome. At once, my pitifully sized 401k became worth a third of its original value and the money was drying up.
Second, promotions and pay increases were frozen. In essence, I was as far as I would be going for awhile. I was at the perfect position to move and now I was told that I could no longer go anywhere.
Third, I had come to dread going to work. It wasn't that I was bad at my job and it really wasn't as if I hated the people with whom I worked. I just needed new challenges and without those challenges, I was stagnating.
Fourth, and perhaps most importantly, my wife learned through her sister that there were two teaching posistions in Seoul, South Korea. To make what could be a long story of provision, contemplation and stepping out in faith short, I put in my two weeks in December of 2008 and we made the journey to South Korea.
Before I go any further, let me make sure that the reader is greatly aware of this one fact. Stepping out of your comfort zone and doing something that makes you both excited and scared is almost always worth it. Notice that I am not saying dangerous--although there is probably room for that at times. I am saying uncomfortable. Scare yourself by going beyond the boundaries of what you know to do something that is unknown.
Now, we stepped out and took a chance. I had always wanted to try my hand (or is it mind?) at teaching. I grew up in a homeschool family that believed that every situations and circumstance in life was a chance to learn something new.
In August we learned about it. In October we had all the required paperwork prepared. In December I put in my resignation and by January 5th, we were standing in Incheon airport completely surrounded by something we really knew little about.
Without creating a huge post, I want to somehow distill my 3.5 years in Korea down to some simple to understand concepts with real worth. So here it goes.
The one word I think I could use to some up my entire time in Korea would be: overwhelmed. This word describes my trying to learn the Korean language. It describes me trying to learn how to teach while being a teacher. It describes daily life in my attempts to simply live in a language and culture I didn't fully understand.
Try to imagine teaching people with whom you have such limited commonality. Moreover, we landed on the 5th and by the 7th I was given a textbook and with a clear message: sink or swim. I stood before 20 eager students who I didn't know how to teach. Every interaction, every activity, every single thing that happened while we lived in Korea came with an added level of difficulty.
I did learn one great truth about teaching that applies. It comes from the motivated sequence. Before you can get people to change, you have to impress upon them—you might even say create—a need. Being overwhelmed creates a need to change how you are reacting to a given situation. You learn to adapt and if need be, you learn another way to handle a situation. I didn't know the language. I adapted. I learned. I didn't like the food. I adapted. I ate it anyway. I didn't know how to teach. I adapted. I still am not great at teaching, but I am far better than that first day.
To close out, I want to describe a major shortcoming of my first full year at school. I was given the job of "floor coordinator". For all intents and purposes, it was a somewhat frustrating, largely mechanical role. In my desire to be a great teacher right away and do a great job as the floor coordinator, I found I did both poorly. Worse, I probably made several people very tired of my constant complaining about why I was put under so much pressure in my first year as a teacher. Someone said this to me—perhaps more out of frustration than anything else—"yeah, it may be difficult and hard, but it is where you have been put, now what are you going to do about it?"
Still learning that lesson.
Monday, July 9, 2012
BFDS–Midwest (take 1)
I am going to be…delicate in my approach to this one. At the time of writing, I work at this company and would hate to do anything that would tarnish its reputation or jeopardize my position here at this awesome company. However, this is part of the fabric that is the ever-weaving tapestry of my life!…yeah, even I thought that sounded clichéd…..
With my college graduation looming—yes I said (or rather wrote) looming—I prepared myself to meet the job market head-on. As a Communications degree graduate, I was—to say the least—a little unsure of what I should do with my newly received diploma. I wanted a great career to blossom out of thin air. In a way it did.
A wonderful friend of the family told me about openings at one of the subsidiaries of such and such company. At the time, I can remember thinking that it didn’t make sense, but I heard “entry-level position”, “great benefits” and “401k.” I submitted my application and was soon “networking” and “phone-interviewing.” The “interface” was “synergetic” and I soon found myself “incentivized” into a “open requisition.”
Ok, so the quotes are getting out of hand. I can remember several times being a little overwhelmed—or was it underwhelmed—by the…terms, the catch-phrases, the “corporatizing” of the whole thing. (Have to pause here for a second as I cannot believe that “corporatizing” is a word!) Even my title seemed strange to me: Mutual Fund/Corporate Securities Representative. What is that all about? Hired shortly after graduation, I really didn’t put stock in titles and I didn’t know what to expect from my position.
The first few weeks were spent in an impressive array of training sessions held in a formal-styled classroom and finally the time arrived for me to head to “the floor.” On my way in that morning, I met a coworker and the conversation that ensured brought reality crashing down around me.
Me: “Good morning.”
Co-Worker (CW): “Good Morning. First day?”
Me: “Yeah, I was hired about two weeks ago. I am supposed to sit with ******* and train on the system.”
CW: “Did you have a good weekend?”
Me: “Sure did. I got to hang out with family and see some friends. How about you?”
CW: “My father and husband got into a fight at the Lynyrd Skynyrd concert and now I have a restraining order out for both of them.”
Me: “…”
I thought I had moved up in the world and the truth of the matter was the factory followed me to this new job. My CW was exactly like many of the people I knew at Billy Goat. No hope.
All around me I saw the same thing. People who could not find satisfaction with their jobs. Unfortunately, I was easily persuaded with this line of thinking albeit, I enacted it in a different way. It consists of a the following general formula:
- Work hard (or at least look like you are) from start to quitting time.
- Complain about the work, the coworkers, the managers, the company, the hours, the restrictions, the lack of time off, etc.
- Leave work as quickly as possible at the end of a work week in order to start drinking that much quicker
- Drink/party to the effect of not remembering your weekend.
- Come in on Monday saying how awesome but short your weekend was.
- Return to step one.
Now, that isn’t to say that everyone there was lacking drive and initiative. I might even say I would hate to universalize such a diverse group. I am simply commenting on a norm and the average. There were people that had aspirations and drive.
The sad part for me was not that I was in a place with people that did not enjoy and appreciate the work they were doing and the company they were doing it for, rather, the sad part was that I let it all get to me.
I didn’t fight against, I fell in line. The funny part about the whole thing—looking back that is, because I was miserable during long stretches of time there—is that I just didn’t even think there was another option.
I “yo-yoed” between thinking that if I just worked hard and proved myself, this would all be worth it—it wasn’t—and “I cannot do anything about it anyway”—but really I could.
An amazing thing happened. I wanted out. No, no, not the job! The rat-in-the-wheel mentality. I heard that the company would sponsor employees for overseas work in all kinds of exotic locations and I put my name in the hat. Three months later, my bosses, bosses, bosses boss called my into his office to let me know I could go to Toronto and work for IFDS if I wanted to. I jumped at the chance!
What is important to note here is that when I started thinking about going to Toronto, something happened. Hope brought something with it. I started looking around for things I could do to make things better. I found something! Minor. Insignificant really, but I found more satisfaction in seeing and solving a problem than in anything else I had ever done to that point.
Before leaving for Toronto, I had found something in the procedures that could be done better. I created a small spreadsheet that did some special calculations and improved a process in a huge way! What is better, I enjoyed this aspect of my job. Moreover, I found something I was really, really good at doing!
While in Toronto, I was granted a new, better position back home and started as soon as I got back from my 5 months in Toronto. The new position was a breath of fresh air. I was able to find ways to improve existing processes and streamline new ones. It was fun and exciting work. Other opportunities presented themselves and there are many stories that could be told. However, the point to all of this is the lessons learned. So here are the ones I can think of:
- People are people no matter where I go. They will easily move to the path of least resistance unless someone gives them something in which to hope.
- As the old saying goes, “if you aim for nothing, you will probably hit nothing.” When I started aiming at something, I started to hit something.
- Hope is a powerful motivator that can combat the mundane of the everyday.
- Finding something significant to do with your life means the weekend is only a pause on what you want to do.
For the few that read this I would love some feedback and comments on what you think about it. Leave a short excerpt from your own life or make some comments about what you see in me. Tell me what you would like to see in the future. The nature of these writings is after all “Room4Improving.” My hope is that in the future, I can expand out from writing strictly from the work experiences and move into all avenues of life. There is power in learning and success hinges on always learning something new. Please leave me a comment below or send me a tweet @Room4Improving. I won’t stop writing if you stop reading, but your time is appreciated and a quick response makes this pet project even more fun!
Friday, July 6, 2012
Billy Goat Industries
While working at Sears, I found myself mulling over a couple of thoughts. First, I am not sure that I am a salesman at heart. Sure I can sell something, but at the time I could not manage to wrap my mind around a few thoughts:
I had just graduated from high school and needed to find a consistent paycheck to start saving for college. While I could have worked at Sears for another year before I would head off for college in 2002, I realized that I needed a job I could count on a certain amount of money every paycheck. I needed consistency. A family friend let my brother and I know about a family-owned company named Billy Goat Industries. They specialized in commercial and residential grade lawn care and road cleanup equipment. After seeing the starting hourly wages to work in the manufacturing and assembly departments, we decided to apply. At first, I was going to keep my other salesman job at Sears, but it became clear that Sears needed someone who could work during the week.
My brother and I would get up extremely early, drive to the factory, perhaps sleep for 10 minutes if we arrived in the parking lot early and clock in bleary-eyed. Ten hours a day in the heat or the cold of the factory floor we would help build and box each of the units. When needed we would work on the powder coating line or one of the other departments. Grunt and gopher work alike.
I was a bit of an oddity in that place. I didn’t smoke or drink. I knew a lot of the short, crass words used over and over in the factory—whether you were mad or just breathing—but I tried not to be a part of that. I was a Christian with certain expectations of what being a Christian meant. Many of the people called themselves “Christian” but seemed no different really. I yelled at and was yelled at because of my incompetence or theirs.
In all of this I found myself slowly sliding down to the level of least resistance. It was just easier to become like the people I worked with rather than stand out from the group. It was easier to laugh and enjoy crudeness, then to let them know they were making me uncomfortable. It was easier to engage in mediocrity than to excel and rise above.
Thankfully, through the mundane came a furtherance of education.
- I didn't like the “up-sale” when I didn't believe the customer needed it.
- I didn't like the selling to people that were already overdrawn on their credit lines or who were purchasing indiscriminately.
- Through no fault of Sears, there tended to be a lot of backhanded actions and comments in the group.
I had just graduated from high school and needed to find a consistent paycheck to start saving for college. While I could have worked at Sears for another year before I would head off for college in 2002, I realized that I needed a job I could count on a certain amount of money every paycheck. I needed consistency. A family friend let my brother and I know about a family-owned company named Billy Goat Industries. They specialized in commercial and residential grade lawn care and road cleanup equipment. After seeing the starting hourly wages to work in the manufacturing and assembly departments, we decided to apply. At first, I was going to keep my other salesman job at Sears, but it became clear that Sears needed someone who could work during the week.
My brother and I would get up extremely early, drive to the factory, perhaps sleep for 10 minutes if we arrived in the parking lot early and clock in bleary-eyed. Ten hours a day in the heat or the cold of the factory floor we would help build and box each of the units. When needed we would work on the powder coating line or one of the other departments. Grunt and gopher work alike.
I was a bit of an oddity in that place. I didn’t smoke or drink. I knew a lot of the short, crass words used over and over in the factory—whether you were mad or just breathing—but I tried not to be a part of that. I was a Christian with certain expectations of what being a Christian meant. Many of the people called themselves “Christian” but seemed no different really. I yelled at and was yelled at because of my incompetence or theirs.
In all of this I found myself slowly sliding down to the level of least resistance. It was just easier to become like the people I worked with rather than stand out from the group. It was easier to laugh and enjoy crudeness, then to let them know they were making me uncomfortable. It was easier to engage in mediocrity than to excel and rise above.
Thankfully, through the mundane came a furtherance of education.
- There is nobody to tell me to excel, but everyone would like to keep you just below their own level.
- Vulgarity is usually a symptom of those who have lost hope or at least sight of bigger goals in life.
- By being a part of the crowd, I became worthless.
Monday, May 7, 2012
A Sears' Salesman
After a week working in a job I really didn't love even though I was good at it, I moved on to Sear's. I had many high-school-age friends working in the mall. I mistakenly assumed I would be working for minimum wage in the clothing or housewares departments on the first floor. Imagine my surprise when I found I was working on the top floor in the lawn and garden (and seasonal Christmas items) department. I thought at first it sounded like a terrible place to work. At the time, I just wanted to be able to buy my own baggy pants and "fly" shirts (yeah, I wasn't that cool even in high school). Why would I want to sell reminders of hot summers mowing lawns?
My friend and I started working in the same department at the end of my Junior year of high school. We had the most menial tasks you could get. We stocked shelves, ran down to check the backroom for the commissioned sales employees, cleaned the showroom and ran inventory numbers. We were making minimum wage and were happy to get our meager paychecks every two weeks.
However, I was watching. I watched the commission sales people work. I watched the beautiful art of the sale. I watched someone come in for something they knew they wanted/needed and watch them leave with it as well as something they didn't know they needed. It all fascinated me immensely. Here was someone simply needing to get something done and they had come to a name they trusted, Sears, to purchase a product. Now before this becomes a commercial for a retail department store chain, understand that this was my first excursion into retail sales. Realistically, it wasn't that amazing, but it was my first experience.
It took me only a few months, but I proved that I could sell products at a level that a commissioned sales job required. I was probably too eager and raw to perform correctly at the levels in the department, but I sure tried. I can remember my first sale. It was really nothing of any great importance. I sold a nondescript lawn mower to an average middle-aged man. The commission was paltry. Maybe five dollars or perhaps ten. However, there came with this sale a sense of accomplishment. I had a goal. I had the knowledge. I knew I could do it, however, until I actually did make a sale, all of my training meant nothing.
I also found the value--although I realize it more today then at the time of its happening--of fostering a relationship as opposed to simply closing a sale. One day a customer came in that was just money in the bank. They knew what they wanted, they knew we had it and they were paying with their ample credit line on their Sear's card. Booya! Probably the single biggest sale I have ever made. Several hundred dollars landed on my pay stub at the next pay period. In my ignorance and pride I showed/told almost everyone I knew how well I did over that two week period. The other shoe fell however as this savvy shopper later returned the items when they finished whatever task they needed it for, which negatively impacted my next check. I went from rubbing people's noses in it to staring at my meager base rate and the message that my commissions were not able to cancel out my returned item negative entries.
Around the same time as I was wallowing in self pity over a tiny paycheck, I had a man come in and ask about weed trimmers. Most salesman on the floor despised "little items" as their commission payout was too low. More out of desperation to get my numbers up than out of a desire for superb customer service, I went over to help him out. After talking to him for a couple a minutes, I found out several things: he had never owned a weed trimmer he liked, he felt like they wore out to easily and he wanted me to point out the "easiest to use" model among the gas power units. I realized that this man didn't even know how to operate his coming purchase.
At 17 years old, I became a teacher to a man of 35+. I took him out to our return/refurbished models and talked him through the most effective ways to start and care for a gas powered weed trimmer. We practiced it together and he even bought one of these discounted models. He then asked me how old I was. I thought this was an odd question, but replied that I was 17. He handed me a card with a picture of an over-sized bull statue on it. (I knew it was over-sized because he and a car were directly next to it.) He then told me to call him when I was 18.
Looking back today at my first long-term (a year and 3 months) job commitment, I realized a few things:
My friend and I started working in the same department at the end of my Junior year of high school. We had the most menial tasks you could get. We stocked shelves, ran down to check the backroom for the commissioned sales employees, cleaned the showroom and ran inventory numbers. We were making minimum wage and were happy to get our meager paychecks every two weeks.
However, I was watching. I watched the commission sales people work. I watched the beautiful art of the sale. I watched someone come in for something they knew they wanted/needed and watch them leave with it as well as something they didn't know they needed. It all fascinated me immensely. Here was someone simply needing to get something done and they had come to a name they trusted, Sears, to purchase a product. Now before this becomes a commercial for a retail department store chain, understand that this was my first excursion into retail sales. Realistically, it wasn't that amazing, but it was my first experience.
It took me only a few months, but I proved that I could sell products at a level that a commissioned sales job required. I was probably too eager and raw to perform correctly at the levels in the department, but I sure tried. I can remember my first sale. It was really nothing of any great importance. I sold a nondescript lawn mower to an average middle-aged man. The commission was paltry. Maybe five dollars or perhaps ten. However, there came with this sale a sense of accomplishment. I had a goal. I had the knowledge. I knew I could do it, however, until I actually did make a sale, all of my training meant nothing.
I also found the value--although I realize it more today then at the time of its happening--of fostering a relationship as opposed to simply closing a sale. One day a customer came in that was just money in the bank. They knew what they wanted, they knew we had it and they were paying with their ample credit line on their Sear's card. Booya! Probably the single biggest sale I have ever made. Several hundred dollars landed on my pay stub at the next pay period. In my ignorance and pride I showed/told almost everyone I knew how well I did over that two week period. The other shoe fell however as this savvy shopper later returned the items when they finished whatever task they needed it for, which negatively impacted my next check. I went from rubbing people's noses in it to staring at my meager base rate and the message that my commissions were not able to cancel out my returned item negative entries.
Around the same time as I was wallowing in self pity over a tiny paycheck, I had a man come in and ask about weed trimmers. Most salesman on the floor despised "little items" as their commission payout was too low. More out of desperation to get my numbers up than out of a desire for superb customer service, I went over to help him out. After talking to him for a couple a minutes, I found out several things: he had never owned a weed trimmer he liked, he felt like they wore out to easily and he wanted me to point out the "easiest to use" model among the gas power units. I realized that this man didn't even know how to operate his coming purchase.
At 17 years old, I became a teacher to a man of 35+. I took him out to our return/refurbished models and talked him through the most effective ways to start and care for a gas powered weed trimmer. We practiced it together and he even bought one of these discounted models. He then asked me how old I was. I thought this was an odd question, but replied that I was 17. He handed me a card with a picture of an over-sized bull statue on it. (I knew it was over-sized because he and a car were directly next to it.) He then told me to call him when I was 18.
Looking back today at my first long-term (a year and 3 months) job commitment, I realized a few things:
- The best customer service requires that I think of the customer first as a person--and a needy person at that--before a sale. This concepts fosters long-term customer relationships which leads to more sales.
- Success is only temporary. Enjoy it, but don't lose sight of the prize.
- Failure is only temporary. Learn from it, don't do it again and move onward.
- Bragging--while it comes as a challenge for me to refrain from it--never makes me look good in the end.
- The bird in the hand needs to be controlled or it will go back to the bush eventually.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Two Wonderful Weeks in a Library
Some lessons are learned quickly. Some lessons seem to crystallize in the time frame of a Uranium half-life. Some lessons come only after deep reflection on previous patterns in life. Some lessons come in such brilliant flashes that they are learned instantly and are never forgotten.
Then there is the library. The library has taught me in every way listed above.
When I was in my very early teens I volunteered at our local library in Florida. I became proficient in the Dewey decimal system and I loved my job. I loved reading so much I would get latched onto a series and read as if the words would disappear for lack of consumption. The library satisfied my desire to escape the current world into one of Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jules Verne and Charles Dickens or anyone that ever wrote about the Star Wars universe. What beauty of words and plots are twisted up in those pages!
Even greater is the wealth of real information contained in the stacks of reference and non-fiction sections. Being home-schooled, I learned to be in many ways educationally independent. I would learn about what I wanted to learn about when I wanted to learn it. It was awesome! When there is something I want to know I can passionately pursue it. My parents instilled those ideas into me. They wanted me to be curious and then to find answers. It is a characteristic which describes me today. The library has helped to satisfy my curiosity.
Shortly afterward, my family moved to Missouri where the local library system was privatized. They didn't even allow volunteers. In fact, for the first two years we were there, I couldn't even work in the library until after I was 16.
Shortly after turning 16, I applied at two different jobs. One was at Sears which I will talk about later. The other place was our local library. I thought I would like working there because of my love for reading, knowledge acquisition and escaping through fiction. I don't think there was anyone more excited for his first day of work. I had proved earlier that I was capable to alphabetize fiction stickers and separate and order those with numbers in their own area with speed and accuracy (yes I just took twenty-seven words to say that I could sort correctly and quickly).
My boss, a slightly uptight middle-aged lady who had probably wanted to be a librarian all her life, led me to my work area. With this being my first job, I was eager to learn. However, there was no teaching going on here. The instructions went like this: sort the books here, put the books on a cart, shelve them in the stacks, repeat.
While the stacks upon stacks of books represented freedom and expanse, the 14- by 14-foot room she led me to would be my prison. The sorting room lay before me. I would arrive at this room every morning with 3 married women who had never been told there was such a thing as too much perfume, complaining or gossip. After three days of being sick to my stomach, I got the bright idea to come in early so I could run the books out from the back room to do some shelving.
This new plan seemed to work for the first day or two, but soon the other employee--who also didn't like the back room gossip--returned to work. I then found out that there is a difference between front room gossip and back room gossip: the location.
Finally, in an attempt to escape the negativity surrounding me while enjoying what I wanted to listen to, I brought my portable CD player to work and thought I would shelve books that way. Remember my boss? She came over to where I was shelving and told me to put my CD player away as that "was not the way I taught you" and "it was terribly unprofessional." After my public tongue-lashing, I found my first taxpaying job unsavory.
I quit this job shortly thereafter as something better had come along. That position I will save for another day, but the lessons from this job are as follows:
Then there is the library. The library has taught me in every way listed above.
When I was in my very early teens I volunteered at our local library in Florida. I became proficient in the Dewey decimal system and I loved my job. I loved reading so much I would get latched onto a series and read as if the words would disappear for lack of consumption. The library satisfied my desire to escape the current world into one of Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jules Verne and Charles Dickens or anyone that ever wrote about the Star Wars universe. What beauty of words and plots are twisted up in those pages!
Even greater is the wealth of real information contained in the stacks of reference and non-fiction sections. Being home-schooled, I learned to be in many ways educationally independent. I would learn about what I wanted to learn about when I wanted to learn it. It was awesome! When there is something I want to know I can passionately pursue it. My parents instilled those ideas into me. They wanted me to be curious and then to find answers. It is a characteristic which describes me today. The library has helped to satisfy my curiosity.
Shortly afterward, my family moved to Missouri where the local library system was privatized. They didn't even allow volunteers. In fact, for the first two years we were there, I couldn't even work in the library until after I was 16.
Shortly after turning 16, I applied at two different jobs. One was at Sears which I will talk about later. The other place was our local library. I thought I would like working there because of my love for reading, knowledge acquisition and escaping through fiction. I don't think there was anyone more excited for his first day of work. I had proved earlier that I was capable to alphabetize fiction stickers and separate and order those with numbers in their own area with speed and accuracy (yes I just took twenty-seven words to say that I could sort correctly and quickly).
My boss, a slightly uptight middle-aged lady who had probably wanted to be a librarian all her life, led me to my work area. With this being my first job, I was eager to learn. However, there was no teaching going on here. The instructions went like this: sort the books here, put the books on a cart, shelve them in the stacks, repeat.
While the stacks upon stacks of books represented freedom and expanse, the 14- by 14-foot room she led me to would be my prison. The sorting room lay before me. I would arrive at this room every morning with 3 married women who had never been told there was such a thing as too much perfume, complaining or gossip. After three days of being sick to my stomach, I got the bright idea to come in early so I could run the books out from the back room to do some shelving.
This new plan seemed to work for the first day or two, but soon the other employee--who also didn't like the back room gossip--returned to work. I then found out that there is a difference between front room gossip and back room gossip: the location.
Finally, in an attempt to escape the negativity surrounding me while enjoying what I wanted to listen to, I brought my portable CD player to work and thought I would shelve books that way. Remember my boss? She came over to where I was shelving and told me to put my CD player away as that "was not the way I taught you" and "it was terribly unprofessional." After my public tongue-lashing, I found my first taxpaying job unsavory.
I quit this job shortly thereafter as something better had come along. That position I will save for another day, but the lessons from this job are as follows:
- Poor training leads to unexpected results. Perhaps with the proper training I would have found a rewarding career in the library system...then again, maybe not.
- Gossip, while it has short term enjoyment, leads to dissatisfaction with a position. I learned to hate environments of negativity nurtured by gossip.
- Leadership positions do not equal leaders. Leadership has to be something more than simply the number of people below to you or your level of academic or positional accomplishment.
- A little perfume goes a long way. Self-explanatory...
Thank you to whoever should read this. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated! Please comment below!
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Business My Father's Way
I can remember the first time I mowed a lawn. It seemed so awesome!
You mean I get to use the lawnmower? I get to be the one that is known for his lawn mowing skills? I will get to operate that sweet machine?
However, as time went on, I grew quickly tired of mowing the lawn. I would mow our lawn whenever it was needed--as it became part of my normal weekly chores--but I soon began to find it boring. Of course, that was until I found out that you could make money mowing lawns.
Friends of the family offered their lawn for my manicuring mutilation training grounds. Twenty dollars later, I found the upside of hard work. That first lawn job led to several more that were really nothing to speak of, but I did put my life into something and found a tangible return.
Law of diminishing returns won out eventually. I became tired of work and would not put forth my best effort. My father would, because of my age, often drive my brother and I to our mowing jobs.
Here begins my lessons. On the ride, we would split up jobs. Dad would always ask us which jobs we wanted to do. He would also take whichever job my brother and I decided we didn't want to do. We would do our work not without a little complaining and grumbling. At the end of each job, we always wanted to be around when the check was signed or the cash handed over.
In the grand scheme of things, my dad would get the short end of the stick. He would drive us to the jobsite, help us with the work, pay for the gas and even at times put away the tools.
My dad was my first exposure to work and work ethic. He made a point of always doing a job as if he was doing it for himself. He continues to prove that through the two jobs he has done for the last 8+ years.
However, it was what my father showed in the way he accomplished his job. He taught me that it was far more important to sacrifice his time, efforts and money to create a team capable of carrying his beliefs and ideals. He sacrificed the short term to gain instilled beliefs in his team.
Thanks dad for the lesson. Thanks for giving me the ability to lead by viewing such a great example.
You mean I get to use the lawnmower? I get to be the one that is known for his lawn mowing skills? I will get to operate that sweet machine?
However, as time went on, I grew quickly tired of mowing the lawn. I would mow our lawn whenever it was needed--as it became part of my normal weekly chores--but I soon began to find it boring. Of course, that was until I found out that you could make money mowing lawns.
Friends of the family offered their lawn for my manicuring mutilation training grounds. Twenty dollars later, I found the upside of hard work. That first lawn job led to several more that were really nothing to speak of, but I did put my life into something and found a tangible return.
Law of diminishing returns won out eventually. I became tired of work and would not put forth my best effort. My father would, because of my age, often drive my brother and I to our mowing jobs.
Here begins my lessons. On the ride, we would split up jobs. Dad would always ask us which jobs we wanted to do. He would also take whichever job my brother and I decided we didn't want to do. We would do our work not without a little complaining and grumbling. At the end of each job, we always wanted to be around when the check was signed or the cash handed over.
In the grand scheme of things, my dad would get the short end of the stick. He would drive us to the jobsite, help us with the work, pay for the gas and even at times put away the tools.
My dad was my first exposure to work and work ethic. He made a point of always doing a job as if he was doing it for himself. He continues to prove that through the two jobs he has done for the last 8+ years.
However, it was what my father showed in the way he accomplished his job. He taught me that it was far more important to sacrifice his time, efforts and money to create a team capable of carrying his beliefs and ideals. He sacrificed the short term to gain instilled beliefs in his team.
Thanks dad for the lesson. Thanks for giving me the ability to lead by viewing such a great example.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Here We Go Again
Well here I am again. Yes, I know this is the first post on this probably forgettable blog, but I am here again. I am readying myself once again for the job market. I am finding a number of things to be true already.
1. My "old" way of preparing a resume is highly ineffectual.
2. My work history looks like a 4th grader's attempt to map out his life--minus the firefighter, jet pilot and...well any other items that have that extreme "cool" and hire-ability factor.
3. I still, at 28 years old, really have no idea what I want to do with my life.
4. A new baby and no job plan is a poor combination.
I was advised by a friend to attempt to "market" myself. Even after two hours of reading, I really don't know what that means. I know I could show my credentials: accomplishments, awards, accolades, abilities and alliterated lists. The problem is that I have a hard time taking inventory of my abilities let alone letting others know why I am going to be the best person for the job.
I think part of the time I exude a self-confidence that makes it seem like everything will be fine. Other times, I find that my anxiousness gets the better of me and I wonder why I have not heard back from that application I put in two hours ago.
Regardless, I don't have the convenience of not getting hired somewhere. I will provide for my family, I just would like to do it while doing something I love. So I am here again. However, this time I want to see a difference in the outcome. I not only want to find an awesome career with a great company, but I want to make them need me because I have made myself something to be needed. I no longer want to survive, I want to excel.
This will be interesting...
1. My "old" way of preparing a resume is highly ineffectual.
2. My work history looks like a 4th grader's attempt to map out his life--minus the firefighter, jet pilot and...well any other items that have that extreme "cool" and hire-ability factor.
3. I still, at 28 years old, really have no idea what I want to do with my life.
4. A new baby and no job plan is a poor combination.
I was advised by a friend to attempt to "market" myself. Even after two hours of reading, I really don't know what that means. I know I could show my credentials: accomplishments, awards, accolades, abilities and alliterated lists. The problem is that I have a hard time taking inventory of my abilities let alone letting others know why I am going to be the best person for the job.
I think part of the time I exude a self-confidence that makes it seem like everything will be fine. Other times, I find that my anxiousness gets the better of me and I wonder why I have not heard back from that application I put in two hours ago.
Regardless, I don't have the convenience of not getting hired somewhere. I will provide for my family, I just would like to do it while doing something I love. So I am here again. However, this time I want to see a difference in the outcome. I not only want to find an awesome career with a great company, but I want to make them need me because I have made myself something to be needed. I no longer want to survive, I want to excel.
This will be interesting...
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