It's 9AM

What Do You Do?

Chris Lowry

Jul 18, 2023

“What do you do?” he asked.

“What do you got?” I answered.

It earned a smile.

I should have said I make to do lists and then do them.

Or I make big goals and shoot for the moon.

We were with brand new folks for a brand new team doing pick up work for the last weekend of the season.

A lot of the Dads were trying to get to know each other.

Some knew me by reputation.

Not my own, but because they played on other teams where people knew me, and asked.

Which is how recruiting is done at this level.

Ask around.

Get the scoop.

Networking.

I wish I was better at it than I am.

I was once, back in my corporate days.

The art has since been lost.

I’ve fallen out of practice.

One of the Dad’s on the team built an app with a friend, turned it into a trail camera company and sold 50% to a firm in San Francisco ten years ago.

Then he bought land in NWA around his family farm so he could have privacy, until the value of land shot so high, he decided it was time to sell.

Another Dad owned a trailer company servicing long haul trailers for big rigs. His great granddad started it, his grandpa and dad grew it, and he inherited it with his Dad.

There were others, but they mostly had one thing in common.

They worked hard, even if they had parents that helped them.

Working hard and working smart is a dangerous combo.

Something I’ve got to get better at doing.

I’ve got the working hard part down.

I’m at expert level on it.

The working smart needs more work.

I got noticed at the J.O.B. too, but I don’t know if I should take pride in it.

Someone ran a report and saw my name near the top.

They came to express their appreciation, because survey’s show that employees like that.

I know.

I read the survey results.

Even though the number one answer was, more money.

Employers chose to ignore that and go straight to “they only want to feel appreciated” part of the answers.

So they said thanks and I said no problem.

But being one of the best there doesn’t get me promoted or a raise or in consideration for anything.

In fact, it put me on a radar for more work, which puts a pea under my mattress.

Because I know why.

Bosses are so desperate for good workers to do all the little things that make up a good job, that when they find someone, they pile on more responsibility.

It’s for “business needs”

But a smart worker would ask a question.

Like “Why am I doing all this extra work when I’m getting paid exactly the same as the guy beside me?”

A fair and legit question that can’t be answered by any corporation.

Because of “Legal.”

Very few companies can pay based on merit, because it’s not a fair system.

Another survey probably showed there was bias in it.

Because merit is open to interpretation, and a straight 3% across the board is not.

It feels convoluted, and unfair and I get it.

I get why they do it.

A young dude might think a pretty young girl who talks a lot and is social has more “merit” than an older guy who just keeps his head down and does the job.

(That in fact, happens quite a bit where I am now, and I’ve seen it at other places, and may have even felt like it when I was leading people.)

If you dig in deep, it’s all bias, up and down and sideways.

Part of it is expectation.

There’s a phrase that goes something like “satisfaction is a job well done.”

Which means you should find merit in just doing good work.

Pride in self.

If you expect the company to help, give or do more for you because of what you give to it, then you will be disappointed.

Expectation is the source of disappointment.

I can apply it to the publishing business too.

Thinking about all the books I’ve put out over the past few years and their performance.

Expecting this book set to do well or expecting the reaction to be one way…

And getting let down or disappointed when it doesn’t go that way.

Which is why I try very hard to manage expectations.

And fail.

And work harder or smarter to manage them better.

Expect nothing and you will always be surprised.

Maybe pleased.

It’s tough to expect nothing though.

Maybe expect patience would be a better goal.

Because with patience, comes milestones.

I’ve shared some with you, via pictures.

I’ve got another to share tomorrow, a biggie, and we’ll talk about managing it.

So that when someone asks, what do you do, the answer becomes I set big milestones and manage the journey to get to them.

Man, I’ve got to work on that elevator pitch!

Do you have a 30 second answer for what you do?

9AM

It's 9AM

What Do You Do?

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