The Jobs That Shape You

During a recent conversation with a youth group student, the topic of jobs came up. And not just any jobs, but the crappiest of the crappy jobs. This student had recently experienced a string of terrible work. He was frustrated and feeling down about the entire idea of work.

I expressed my dual sympathies and congratulations on his crappy jobs. Sympathy because crappy can be crappy....and that's no fun. But I congratulated him because these are the jobs that will shape him. These experiences will put him to the test, show him how to persevere, shine a light on what he doesn't want to do, and teach him how to serve people well (even when it doesn't feel great to do so). Then, I shared a few of my crappy high school jobs:

My first ever job was getting up at 4AM every single morning during summer break so I could rake the sand traps at our local golf course. The actual work was ok, but getting up every day at 4AM as a 15-year-old trying to enjoy my summer was brutal. But that job taught me so much.

Then there was my job at the cheese factory when I was 16/17. No, not Cheesecake Factory. A literal cheese factory. Again, I would get up at 4AM every Sunday during the school year to go package cheese. There's nothing like being half awake, at 5AM on a weekend morning, standing in a 45-degree room for seven hours. But that job taught me so much.

Ah, then there's the U.S. Census Bureau. Somehow, at age 18, I stumbled upon an opportunity to work for the government in its effort to collect data for the 2000 census. My job was to knock on the front doors of families who hadn't yet submitted their surveys and convince them to give me their information. What I learned on my first day was this: there was a reason some people hadn't filled out their survey.....they really didn't want to give the government any information. So when some kid comes knocking and asking for personal details, emotions run high. Two men pulled guns on me that first week (one of which was the father of my brother's classmate). I even approached a house where dozens of animal carcasses were rotting in a screened-in porch. Yeah, that entire experience was absolutely miserable. But that job taught me so much.

Even if I could, I'd never undo any of these crappy experiences. They helped shape me into the person I would later become. Without them, I would be missing many key attributes that have led to my career and leadership success. I cherish the value of those jobs.

So to my young friend coming off a string of terrible jobs, congrats! You're exactly where you need to be. Keep moving forward. Those experiences will shape you.

11. Be Aggressively Patient

Yesterday was TJ's (Northern Vessel business partner) 30th birthday. To commemorate the day, he wrote and published "30 Lessons for 30 Years," a reflection on his journey to date. It was a fun list, full of wisdom and insights. Included was a phrase he talks about often: "Be aggressively patient."

He and I have bonded over the mantra over the past few years, which perfectly sums up his career. It's the idea that we need to patiently focus on the long term while giving everything we have in the near term to keep moving forward. It's about trust, belief, work ethic, and personal responsibility. The story of Northern Vessel goes back approximately five years, when TJ was living in Los Angeles. He was inspired by the combination of LA's coffee culture and organizations that practiced top-tier hospitality. Shortly thereafter, upon moving back to Iowa, Northern Vessel was born.

TJ's Northern Vessel story is one of the examples I excitedly detail in my keynote talk. Why? Because it's the perfect representation of failure, patience, aggression, redemption, and success. The Northern Vessel that I'm involved in today is actually the 4th iteration of the company, each coming on the heels of a failure and subsequent shift. The company even folded after the previous fail, but TJ eventually brought it back to life in late 2022 when he opened his brick-and-mortar location. Today, Northern Vessel is experiencing a whirlwind of success. The staff is world-class, the culture is phenomenal, the vibe in the shop feels vibrant, and each week is better than the last. Every single step of the way, he's been aggressive.....and patient. He wouldn't be where he is without the aggression, and he wouldn't be where he is without the patience. Lesser people would have long ago given up on their dream. But not TJ. Not when the "be aggressively patient" mantra is always at the center of his purview.

All he's been through in the last five years is merely the warmup for what's next. To many, 30 seems old. It's not. He's still a baby (I'm still a baby at 41, for the record). He's five years in and has another 50 years to get this right. If I can use a basketball game as the analogy, he's only a few minutes into the first quarter.....he hasn't even broken a sweat yet! If he spent four years getting his legs under him and one year experiencing meteoric success, what does that say about the next 50 years? We're about the find out, and I'm grateful to be on this journey with him.

There's nothing better than doing life with people who focus on being aggressively patient. There's a fire in them, but also a peace. They run extremely hard, but enjoy the journey. They celebrate the big wins, and the small. They never lose sight of where they are going, or where they came from. Always aggressive, always patient!

Letting Opportunity be Opportunity

We work, work, and work some more. All the while, we’re hoping that opportunity finally comes our way. We wait, wait, and wait some more. When will it finally happen?!?! So we work, wait, work, wait, and work some more. Finally, the opportunity of a lifetime slaps us right in the face. It finally happened!!!

We’re so excited for the opportunity, and of course grateful, but instead of just saying ”yes”, the self-talk creeps in. Is this really what we want? What if we fail? Maybe it’s too much work. What if we’re too successful? If it came to us, maybe it’s not as good of an opportunity as we thought. There are probably many more opportunities where that came from. The spiral begins. This is a pattern I see with so many people, in all different industries and contexts. I wish I could say I’m immune, but I’m not.

I was recently flirting with a writing deadline on my plate. I knew I owed my Media Director a first draft, but I didn’t produce it as quickly as I should have. She waited…..then waited some more. Finally, it happened. Fun article, great feedback, mission accomplished. Next article…..the same story unfolded. That’s when my Media Director dropped a little reality bomb on me. “Travis, I have colleagues asking me how they can get their people an opportunity to write for this publication.” Crap, I knew where she was going with this. I responded with a question, “Is this your way of telling me I’m taking this opportunity for granted?” Of course I already knew the answer. It’s never fun eating a slice of humble pie, but that’s why we need to surround ourselves with good people. They will feed it to you when it’s necessary to do so.

Another example. Northern Vessel, the coffee company I co-own, has two amazing opportunities in front of it*. Either one would easily be the biggest opportunity in the four-year history of the company. These opportunities have the potential to fundamentally alter the trajectory and direction of the company forever. While I wish TJ (NV founder) would have had these opportunities sooner than now, he wasn’t ready. But today? He’s ready today! He has the team, infrastructure, technology, brand, processes, experience, systems, and products to not only embrace the opportunity, but thrive through it. Then, there’s the work. These will no doubt be some of the hardest things he’s ever done or had to figure out. To be honest, it would be really easy for TJ to say “no.” There’s no risk of failing by respectfully declining. Since these opportunities came, maybe it’s easy for him to think many more will come in the months and years to come. TJ could have easily spiraled his way out of these opportunities.

TJ is built differently, though. He knows he’s ready. He also doesn’t take things for granted. If you’ve fought, failed, climbed, and clawed through as much as he has as a business owner (many of you know exactly what I’m talking about), you need to let opportunity be opportunity. Embrace it, give it everything you got, and accept whatever comes of it. Maybe you’ll crush it….or maybe you’ll fall flat on your face. But just make sure you don’t look back and regret not simply letting opportunity be opportunity.

* I hate not being fully transparent. My apologies for having to be a bit vague on the Northern Vessel front. I have full intention of sharing in more detail when I’m able! Stay tuned.

When Nothing Is Beneath Us

Yesterday, I spent about 10 hours at a client’s office working on a big project they contracted me to do. It’s fascinating work and it allows me to use a lot of the skills I developed during my prior career. The work challenges me, pushes me to get creative, and puts me in positions where I need to fight through roadblocks and frustrations. Overall, it’s been tremendously rewarding and I’ve learned a ton.

All that said, there was a two-hour stretch where the work was anything but satisfying. It was borderline the most monotonous work imaginable. In some regards, I wouldn’t wish that work on my worst enemy. It was mentally taxing, repetitive, and quite tedious. One little mistake would have massive ramifications, while at the same time, it felt like watching paint dry. All the while, however, all I could think about is something my dad taught me when I was a teenager. No work is beneath us. It doesn’t matter how “important” we become or how many layers get added between us and the bottom, nothing is beneath us.

Now of course many people would disagree with this approach……and it shows. When work is beneath us and we look down on it (and possibly those doing it), we create or perpetuate a toxic culture. The opposite is true, as well. When leaders are actively engaging in work that’s theoretically beneath them, it changes the dynamic of a team and an organization. It takes us from “Do as I say, not what I do” to “Follow my example.” I was blessed to have several co-workers and leaders in my past career who also modeled this the right way. The more I think about it, the more grateful I am for them.

So yeah, those two hours royally sucked! But there was something special about it, too. Doing the hard work, grinding through something difficult, knowing I’m doing the right thing for the right reasons. I hope I don’t have to spend too much time doing tasks like that, but I’ll do whatever is needed to achieve the goal. It’s a constant reminder that nothing is truly beneath us.

Are You Tired?

After youth group last night, I was chatting with my close friends, Wendy and Heather. Mid-conversation, I asked, “Do you have any ideas for tomorrow morning’s blog? My brain feels empty…..I’m tired.” They quickly responded, “That’s your post right there. You aren’t the only one who’s tired.”

We’re in the second week of the year, coming off the heels of a 5-week holiday season, too much food, more travel than usual, winter break for the kids, and dealing with brutal weather throughout all of it. No wonder we’re exhausted! There’s something so exciting about a new year. A fresh start. A blank canvas. A clean slate. Endless possibilities! So when it seems like I’m limping into the new year, it’s embarrassing (and demoralizing).

I operate under the expectation that I must bring my best to the table each day. I’ve always been wired this way. Anything but my best feels like I’m cheating myself and those I serve. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized something. While I still believe I must bring my best each day, I’m learning my “best” isn’t the same from day to day. Some days I have the opportunity to be the best Michael Jordan I can be, but there are other days I’m striving to be the best Ron Harper I can be. Ron Harper is no Michael Jordan, but he’s still pretty good and can make an impact. Today felt like a Ron Harper type of day. My peak wasn’t as high as I would have liked, but I think I reached it. That’s all I can ask for. Maybe my peak tomorrow will be Michael Jordan, but it might be Ron Harper (or even Jud Buechler). Either way, I owe it to myself (and those I serve) to be 100% of whatever that is.

Are you tired? You’re not alone. Whatever your peak is today, whether it’s Michael Jordan or Ron Harper, strive to reach it. Give yourself grace if it’s not a Michael Jordan sort of day. Maybe tomorrow will be, but today you may need to be the best Ron Harper you can be!