Bound and determined to make your life miserable for one reason or another. 

As I was reading the article, I reflected back through the years. It's interesting to listen and digest another viewpoint. It's all about learning and growth isn't it. The article made me think of a few things. 

My first job was a box girl. I bagged groceries at a grocery store in Las Vegas. Yes, I did. We also collected the carts in the parking lot....in the heat of summer. It's a dry heat though. *eye roll-lol*  We didn't have the straps or the fancy machine they have today to push those heavy carts, oh no. I bugged the Manager for weeks to hire me. He finally did. I'm certain he was simply exhausted by the time he hired me. I was earning around $3.00 an hour back then. Sometimes when I go shopping, I like to bag my items. I can still bag too. 

I've also worked in retail at Diamond's which is Dillard's today. (I still have several of the turtle neck shirts I purchased with my discount!) I enjoyed that job. I was in the ladies department and enjoyed the fashions. Go figure!!

I was also an operator at an answering service and a runner for a title company. During my freshman year at college, I worked in the management office at the mall in the evenings. 

In the years to come, I was employed by three major hotels in Las Vegas. Those years, taught me so many things, such as: effectively communicating with customers, clients and people from all around the world and all walks of life. I realized I was a valued employee. I was recognized several times for my dedication. Hindsight is 20/20. These opportunities provided me a foundation when I opened my own business. It was gold. I knew this much. I wanted my employees to WANT to work for me. It was important to have an atmosphere exist at my office where employees were happy and wanted to come to work which would increase productivity and the quality of the finished product, top shelf. We could all get the work done and have a good time doing it. 

Appreciation of good employees was focused on. Celebrating their desire to learn and grow was equally important. I didn't want them to get bored. If they wanted a challenge, it was there. Cross training the staff and teaching them new skills was encouraged. Applauding their efforts when they're doing a good job too. We all like hearing positive feedback. Communicating with them and guiding them to be the best they could be was really cool. I hope if and when they think of me they smile. They all knew I was very dedicated to our clients but they knew I cared about them as well. 

I made sure every week, my employees and I would have a meeting. We were all on the same page and we all knew what was going on. Our discussions were productive most times and it enabled us to come together to reach our goals as well. I kept them in the loop and I didn't ask of them what I wouldn't and couldn't do myself. Their schedules were posted early and I worked with them if they needed time off. I was considerate to their needs and although running a business isn't easy, it's not a one way street. You need each other. Good employees aren't necessarily hard to find, you have to communicate, treat them like YOU want to be treated and pay them a respectable wage. It's an investment in our future. You're their leader, whether you're a supervisor, manager, business owner or CEO. It's mutual respect. 

Biggest hugs,

Tracey