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:

1. Work hard (or at least look like you are) from start to quitting time.
2. Complain about the work, the coworkers, the managers, the company, the hours, the restrictions, the lack of time off, etc.
3. Leave work as quickly as possible at the end of a work week in order to start drinking that much quicker
4. Drink/party to the effect of not remembering your weekend.
5. Come in on Monday saying how awesome but short your weekend was.
6. 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Hope is a powerful motivator that can combat the mundane of the everyday.
4. 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!

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:

1. I didn't like the “up-sale” when I didn't believe the customer needed it.
2. I didn't like the selling to people that were already overdrawn on their credit lines or who were purchasing indiscriminately.
3. Through no fault of Sears, there tended to be a lot of backhanded actions and comments in the group.

Looking back today, I realize that on the first two, I didn't take care of the customer.  Rather I focused on achieving sales goals only.  The third one was partly my fault as I certainly took part in my share of the gossip and vengeful words.

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. 

1. There is nobody to tell me to excel, but everyone would like to keep you just below their own level.
2. Vulgarity is usually a symptom of those who have lost hope or at least sight of bigger goals in life.
3. By being a part of the crowd, I became worthless.

As always, there was Room4Improving.