IT Executive & Pickle Salesperson

Years ago I used to take my kids to work once in a while.  It seemed logical for them to witness a corporate headquarters, see how people acted, have lunch with dad and perhaps get a sense of what I did.  During those visits I'd go about my normal day responding to phone calls, sending and receiving email, "networking" with peers, "collaborating & planning" with other department heads and ensuring that everything in the IT department was on schedule, on budget, etc.

There would always be a followup conversation with my kids asking what they remembered, what they saw and questions for them.  Always they would remember lunch, especially if it was at some pizza place.  Anyone with blue hair, purple hair, good tatts or who took the time to actually acknowledge and talk to them was high on the list of memories.

When I'd ask them what they thought of what I did the standard response was "I don't know what you do except talk on the phone."  When my son was in second grade I suggested that I take his place in second grade and that he go to my job.  "What would I do?  I don't even know what you do."  My advice was always the same.  Be nice.  Don't answer the phone.  If it's important they'll leave a message.  Throw away all the mail.  None of that really matters anyway.  Be pleasant and respectful.

Now my children are adults, 30 and near-thirty.  They've watched me, too, over this past ten months of re-definition.  One of them asks every month or so how I am doing.  The other I see almost daily in my wife's and her small business. 

Today I was talking about the opportunity we had to create a friendly business for people to patronize and the opportunity we had to be pleasant and respectful.  My daughter indicated that as a guy who now sells pickles and honey from the back of a pickup truck I had something to share.  As I've pondered that I've thought of all the people in the corporate world with whom I worked.  Certainly there were lasting friends and relationships that defined the social aspect of the corporate organizational world that made the work more pleasant.  I think the advice there to throw away the mail and be prudent about which calls to answer was correct. 

During the last ten months I've met many new people, some at the small business and its' sidelines, some in the pursuit of new ventures and some in similar spaces, both in-person and in this new era "online."  The strength of my work and the challenge my work was always the newness, the creative opportunity.  The last ten months have had many more creative opportunities and rewards.  That has been great.

I'd still like to re-visit second grade.