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I was 13 when began
delivering papers. |
As you know, this exercise of writing about my life is triggered by a weekly email question either posed by our boys or randomly generated. This week's question asked about a time I got in trouble at work.
I can't recall a situation I'd describe as actual trouble, but there are several work moments I'd prefer to keep off any lifetime highlight reel. I am not saying the moments shared here are the only ones that shouldn't see the light of day, just a few of them.
My first paying job was delivering the Sunday Milwaukee Journal to 50 customers. Our home was in the middle of the route, which was handy because at the Sunday paper was so big I could only carry half of them in the carrier bag while riding my bike.
A month or so into the job, when I realized I wasn't making the money envisioned in exchange for the work, I wanted to quit. Dad had a rule, work for a year then decide if you wanted to work someplace else.
I counted the months until I could quit. Part of the problem was thinking I knew more about the job than the supervisors did (I was 13). With a tendency to be sarcastic and a bit of a know-it-all (surprised?), I wasn't always respectful. I was glad to be done.
Freshman year of college I had a work-study job in the School of Journalism several hours a week in addition to 20 hours each week at KDMI-FM.
One day my girlfriend at the time wanted to do something when I was scheduled to work, so I called in sick to spend time with her (not the woman I married). It seemed like a good idea at the time, but it gnawed at me a long time afterward.
In the spring of 1984 as I finished my junior year in college I joined the Holiday Inn on Northeast 14th Street in Des Moines. The day after I started, WHO called with a job offer to be their overnight board operator and producer. The manager at the Holiday Inn didn't understand why I'd leave the bright lights of hospitality for radio but was kind. She stopped the training, allowing me to finish the week doing a variety of jobs.
Among other things I delivered room service and drove the shuttle bus. The hotel was close to several distribution centers so many of our guests were truck drivers staying with us between trips.
On my last day the manager asked me to wash the van. While a fairly experienced driver by this point, I hadn't driven many vehicles taller than the average car. I realized that when the van suddenly stopped with a crunch and noticeable damage to the roof.
If I wasn't leaving to work in radio and the van wasn't scheduled for replacement I might have been out-of-work anyway.
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In the news truck in front
of the S.D. Capitol. 1987 |
While working at KELO-TV, if I was going to drive two hours to the Rosebud Reservation, the assignment editor liked it when I did two stories so one could be saved for the weekend when there were fewer reporters scheduled.
I don't recall what story was the reason for the trip, but the second was looking at how the extreme cold affected people who lived there. As I interviewed officials I learned two people died because of the cold.
However, I was more focused on the story which lead to the trip in the first place and sent the "Cold on the Rosebud" as the second story. The next morning after someone had previewed it, the assignment editor asked what I was thinking, because people dying from cold was a bigger story than the other one.
She was right. It was very poor news judgement. It was a teachable moment because if it happened again there wouldn't be another second chance.
While selling life insurance the part I liked least was goal-setting. It's intended to motivate the sales people to reach their goals.
I agreed it made sense to set goals for how many people I wanted to see each week because sales is based on percentages. The more people you see, the more sales you make. I never believed I controlled whether a client or potential client would make a purchase, so I wanted to see as many as possible.
My goal then, as it is now as a fundraiser, is to inform people about their potential need (in the case of insurance) or opportunity (related to a gift) then let them decide.
It took three years to become established as a salesman, but the math worked. If I saw 12 - 15 households a week, I did fine.
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