Professional Advice from Dad

My father was a man of few words. He rarely told me what to do and he never gave me professional advice when I entered the work force, save this one thing. One night, early in my career as a salesperson I made a flippant comment about my job and employer saying, essentially, “they don’t pay me enough to do that.” This phrase is not uncommon with “they” meaning the employer and “that” meaning my job. My dad said simply, “Don’t ever think like that. You do the best job you can regardless of the pay.” He continued saying, “if people were paid by the amount of work they do, the world would look very different.”

My dad passed away in 2001 and I am constantly reminded of the many things he taught me as I go through my life today. Few words from a man who had great perspective and vast knowledge.

Ed Heil is the owner and president of StoryTeller Media & Communications an inbound marketing and public relations agency and video production company based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Ed blogs on topics related to inbound marketing, social media, media relations, news media, video production and crisis communications.

Tags: advice, Dad, employer, Good Business, jobs