Tales from My First Job (part 1): Paint It, Grass (or, The Other Side of Defense)
This week I’m celebrating the anniversary of my first full-time job. Several (long, painful) months after earning my MBA at Ohio State I took what I thought would be a pretty cool job as marketing director for a regional shopping mall in Columbus, Ohio.
It wasn’t much fun at all, but I survived. In my career, I’ve made my share of mistakes—who hasn’t? The key is that most of the time, you can still unscrew things up. So here’s a little story.
My regional manager at the mall was very creative but also very unpredictable. One day, he took me for a walk around the mall and was disappointed by the brown grass around the building (remember, this was September). He suggested that we spray-paint the lawn green. You read that right.
At 24, in my first real job, with a pregnant wife and no other income, I said, “Yes, sir!” The maintenance crew? Well, their reaction included laughter, mockery, and more laughter. Still, I passed on the orders. Fortunately, our Sears store was nearly sold out of green spray paint, so we only managed to paint the grass outside the regional manager’s office.
Even when things go wrong or just strange, you can always learn from the experience:
- Know your role – No matter how much you might want to pal around with the crew, maybe even your old pals, remember: you’re management.
- Keep your integrity – Credibility takes a hit when you ask others to do something ridiculous.
- Question authority – Even if you can’t say no, offering a better idea is crucial.
- Be the person with answers – Leaders move up by having solutions, not just following blindly.
So, can you relate? Share your own stories, or just enjoy the laugh at my expense.
What do you think?
See you tomorrow!