I am preparing for a keynote speech tomorrow and found myself reflecting on my early career while ironing my shirt in my hotel room.
This moment took me back to the 80s and early 90s when, like many, I wore a suit and tie to work every day. Back then, I couldn’t afford to dry clean my shirts, so I washed and ironed them myself.
Thanks to those Sunday nights spent ironing, I can still iron a shirt in about two minutes.
In the first three years of my career, I worked in Sales with a base salary of $18k. My earnings depended solely on closing sales and meeting my quota.
Field sales jobs are particularly challenging; unlike many other roles, your compensation is directly tied to your activity and effectiveness.
Nothing happens if you don’t make it happen. This lesson has stayed with me throughout my career.
