I wonder how much I have paid for my cell phone package over the past 3 decades. What percentage of my calls were work-based? I’m afraid to put this in print: 75 percent? Ouch! That estimate makes me sad. Can I retroactively bill my current and former employers? Remember in March 2002, you called me about a report you could not find? I’m going to need to bill you $3 for that painful call, plus interest. I need money to buy tacos and beer. That should work. Surely, there’s been stranger workplace requests, right?
Last week, I received a tremendous call from my college buddy Jen. She was also the smartest one in our circle of friends at the Abel Hall dorms. She is now a big shot in the marketing world and a speaker at a conference for non-profit agencies doing amazing work in our communities. She ran across a name from Sioux City and asked if I knew her. I confirmed I knew her and that she was a recent Top 10 Under 40 winner in EXPAND Magazine. Many years ago, I was in the first class when this magazine was printed on papyrus. I made all those work calls from my flip phone back then, at no cost to my employer. I absorbed the cost with my six-figure radio salary. You count the cents, right?
Maybe it’s because I have more life experience now, but what I valued in my 30s, like pick-up basketball with college students, now differs from my current love for pick-up pickleball with retired lawyers. It shows how my priorities have shifted over time.
I cherish calls from loved ones and old friends so much more now than I do from high-profile country music artists on the rise and movers and shakers in the business world. I find myself planning road trips around sunrise and sunset, with a playlist of my favorite songs that bring back so many great memories. I can’t believe Biz Markie couldn’t find door 3. Rest in Peace, Biz. I’ve learned to enjoy quiet times filled with reflection and dreaming about the goals I want to achieve. Sharing these moments emphasizes the importance of personal connections, making your audience feel valued and connected.
There was a LinkedIn post recently about how many individuals are leaving corporate jobs to become the CEOs of their own lives, making decisions that benefit them. I rolled my eyes at that at first glance, but after some windshield time on a recent travel, that corny line has some resonance. It was equal parts exciting and scary, charting a new chapter in life, 100 percent in a new direction. In some ways, you let go of old habits and forge a new path of unfamiliar patterns of life. Highlighting the idea of embracing change can inspire your audience and open them to new beginnings.
Tonight, I learned of a friend starting a new career path. I shared that the first few months can be tough, that connections may fray, that new skill sets are needed, and that learning new names is harder than it seems. My sage advice was to make sure you ask for a company-issued cell phone to stay connected.
It’s easy to get into a groove career-wise. After working in the same building for a long period of time, you can almost guess the upcoming conversations. Yes, I do know where that report is. You’re right, the coffee does taste funny. I don’t know what days we have off for the 4th of July. It’s in my employee handbook under missing reports.
You see, being uncomfortable in a new environment is something they don’t teach you about in college classes. Ok. Maybe Jen knew. She was always smarter. She paid attention in class.
I’m so glad she gave me her number.
I owe her way more than three bucks.
Tony Michaels Michalski likes chatting with people – especially if it’s about sports, movies, and obscure songs from 1989.
