Wow. It looks even worse in black and white. I am 18 and I still feel like I have no idea which direction I’m going. Needless to say, I feel unprepared.

But then again, I am not so sure that it is really about knowing exactly what I want, but rather, that I know that I want something and that I want to love what I do. So I have decided that this is the summer that I will do all of the things that I love to do—spending time with friends, doings crafts, going to the beach, reading, and simply having fun. And so far, I have succeeded. This past month has been consumed by fun… well, and some working too. But all the working I have been doing between babysitting and working for Vector Marketing has actually been quite rewarding. I’m learning how to be an adult, fulfill obligations and still make time for “me.”  Earning my own money has made me appreciate every dollar, (despite what my parents think) which will certainly come in handy when I’m on a budget at school. Not only that, but I feel like I have developed a stronger work ethic and time management skills, which can only help me when I find myself juggling freedom, new friends, classes and extracurriculars in a few weeks.

So maybe I am more prepared than I think. Maybe I am ready for college. I may not have the right bedspread, or the right clothes, but I think I might have the right mindset: Work hard and do what I love. Now all that’s left is one (or maybe two?)  major shopping sprees.

In the chapter called ‘The Powerful Culture of Gifts’, Godin clearly explains to the reader the right way to give and receive gifts and the true power of gift giving is available only when the giver acts out of a place of genuine love. Another way of putting it is ‘no strings attached.’ When we give gifts and expect something in return, by nature, we are no longer giving a gift, but are participating in a mere economic transaction.

He states:

“You go the extra mile to please a small customer, or build an online forum to teach your customers how to get more out of your products (for no extra cost)… It works even more profoundly on an internal basis. Someone who is not in your department steps in and helps out during a crunch…You brainstorm a new idea with another salesperson. In each case, there’s no reciprocity, no guarantee of repayment. Instead, there’s an ever-enlarging circle, a circle where gifts are valued and passed on.”

I am a witness to the profound impact a culture of giving in the workplace can have on the morale and loyalty of its people. Next week marks my ninth year working with Vector Marketing and one of the reasons that I have chosen to stay for this long is because of the selfless attitudes of my co-workers, managers, factory workers and even upper management. When people have each others’ backs when it comes to projects and freely share ideas without caring who gets credit for them, a mutual respect and bond develops that is practically impossible to break. It creates a mindset in the people to work harder than what they’re paid, act as if they’re owners of the company and to continually produce a better product.

For example, I often rely on our people in Olean, NY (yes, Cutco Cutlery is American made) to produce some sort of report or project that helps me in my position. When it could be very easy to complain about the amount of work they already have (and the requests keep coming), I’ve never been met with complaints. As one person in our data analyst department put it to me, “Our jobs wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the field.” This genuine gratitude and understanding is contagious. I am continuously challenged in my role to extend that same gratitude to others who ask things of me that might add to my to-do list.

When I was a brand new rep nine years ago, a more experienced rep in my office offered to take me field training. (I went with him to watch how he interacted with customers) There was no monetary compensation from the company for this person. Because he wanted to help me succeed, and he had no reason to want to see me succeed, he gained my respect, my trust and my friendship. Through experiences like this early in my career, I developed a sense of how important my selflessness is not only for the success of others, but also in my personal development.

As Godin concludes this chapter, he mentions that a quid pro quo doesn’t really work when it comes to art creation. It’s impossible to create real art (read: give a wholehearted gift) when conditions are attached. An unconditional gift is the unequivocal act of love.

Vector promotes an atmosphere where individuals give freely and the people have a real love in seeing others become successful inside and outside the business. I cannot imagine a working environment any other way.

Robin Ross & her son Mike Lang

When my son Mike first went to work for Vector, I was very skeptical. Initially I worried that the job was a scam designed to get kids to have their parents buy product. I was concerned, and I certainly did not expect him to get the training he got, along with many other benefits of this experience.

It was amazing to watch his people skills and confidence grow by the week. Over the course of his first year with the company, he became much more positive, persistent, and goal-oriented than he had ever been. He moved beyond our family and friends within a couple of months and began developing his own referral resources.

His skills and his sales grew steadily, as did his motivation to succeed.

At the end of his first year, Mike had major surgery. The amount of support he got from Vector people was incredible. They all stayed in touch and encouraged him throughout his surgery and recovery process. This is when I began to see that the Vector culture might promote caring and cooperation as well as personal success.

Over the past year, we have opened our house to sales reps who needed a place to stay when in the Chicago area. Three people have stayed with us. Each one of them had overcome big hurdles in their lives and came away from the experience with energy and a positive attitude that was truly impressive. I felt lucky to have had the chance to meet these wonderful people. I hope they will each return and that I will have the chance to get to know other Vector reps.

As a result of our experience with Mike and our contact with these other reps, I now see Vector as an organization driven by and filled with people who are notable for positive persistence in pursuit of their goals, and the willingness to help others reach their goals. Mike will be running a branch office this summer and has already received many offers of help and support from managers and others who have “branched”. He is fortunate to be part of such a great organization and we are lucky to have the chance to know some of the people who make it great.

Do you know someone who has been surprised to discover the value of the Vector experience?  Leave a comment and tell us about it!

I stole from Vector. Big time.  Every day, I walk around with a handful of lessons in my back pocket, which I call on regularly.  I picked up these life lessons as a young college student.  They were disguised as advice for success as a Vector sales representative.  Little did I know they’d pay dividends years later.  
 
Here they are, in no particular order.  My first Vector manager and mentor, Dan Casetta, taught each of these lessons to me.  When you read these lessons, you’ll probably see it was no coincidence that Dan is a leader of leaders.  
 
1.   Your Income Will Seldom Exceed Your Level of Personal Development

Dan reminded me daily that my business, my career and my life would usually reflect the level at which I worked on myself. Simple enough, I thought. Vector became my teacher, my number one tool, for ongoing personal development.  The income followed – no complaints!

2.   There Is Always A Way

In my role today as the owner of a training company, I see everyday, that the difference that makes the difference is attitude.  And the attitude that creates success is an attitude of there is always a way.  When everybody else says no – say yes. When others say we can’t – say we can.  Vector showed me how to become a solution finder, not a problem dweller.

3.    Life Gives To The Givers and Takes From The Takers

The world has a perfect accounting system.  I am still amazed today at the power of doing more than we are paid to do.  Some would call it a spiritual principle, others would say it’s a great way to live.  When we give more value than we ask for in reward, the world pays attention. Vector made this part a little too easy, by giving me a world-class product, with unmatched value.

Leave a comment about the life lessons you’ve learned that are helping you succeed, we’d love to hear from you!

As a privately held company, the owners have flexibility regarding how and where they invest their charitable dollars. And I’m proud that Vector helps out in the Olean community, as well as in many of the towns where we have local offices. Plus, that value has trickled down to the employees and sales team. There are lots of instances of sales representatives donating profits and giving tremendous amounts of their time to many worthy causes whether it’s donating goods to soup kitchens or clothing for people returning to the workforce. It’s very common at conferences to see a canned food drive or a community service project on the agenda. This makes me feel good.

From supporting the local hospital in Olean, NY where we are headquartered (if you’ve never heard of Olean, it’s because it’s a very small town about an hour and a half south of Buffalo) to supporting the Make-A-Wish foundation, The Front Row Foundation and academic causes like DECA and PSE (the national co-ed marketing, sales, management and selling fraternity), Vector is committed to helping make the world a better place.

All you have to do is be around here a short time to hear this phrase: “In order to be successful, you must first help others to succeed.” This goes for professional development too. This is a SALES company. Let’s face it, in some companies, the sales representatives keep their secrets tight to the chest but at Vector, our tops sales people actually go out of their way to SHARE what they’ve done to reach their success so that other reps can replicate it.

It’s nice to work for a company that is so “human.” I’d have a hard time working in a place that wasn’t in line with my personal ethics. For me, I feel great knowing that those running this company have a heart. The sense of “community” that this company has built inside and outside our walls is very old school. If you ask me, it’d do us all some good to get back to “old school” a little more often.

I know when I first joined Vector Marketing I was overwhelmed with the acronyms that would fly around during meetings.  One exchange that I was trying to follow went something like this:

How did PDI go today?  Do you have a good guess on what the office’s CPO will be this week?  Great…

Confused?  So was I.

Why do we do this to ourselves and others?  One explanation is that speaking in these codes makes us feel like we belong.  For example, most organizations have their own acronyms, terminology and expressions that have become ingrained into the corporate culture.  So, as a new hire, you can really speed up your assimilation to the company by quickly mastering the unique language of your work environment.

At the same time, it’s important not to overdo it with corporate lingo.  Speaking clearly and avoiding jargon will help you stand out from the crowd, and will improve your communication with customers and others outside of the organization.  This is especially true in sales.  Just ask yourself which of these statements would likely result in an order:   “Ms. Jones, I think the 1723 in classic will be just what the doctor ordered and fit into the feng shui you’ve got going on here” or “Ms. Jones, from everything you’ve told me, I believe our carving knife will do a great job for you, and the classic black color would go great with the décor here in your kitchen.”

So, the next time you hear yourself using jargon, or common cliches, stop for a minute and think, “Is this communication serving my objective?”  If you want someone to feel welcomed into your circle, then the answer is probably “no.”  If, on the other hand, you want to show that you speak the language – literally – and you’re part of the tribe, then go ahead – just don’t get carried away!

I once heard the expression, “In your twenties you learn, in your thirties you earn.” With the current economic challenges we’re facing, I wonder how many people in their twenties are worried enough about the job market that they’re skipping the “learn” phase and trying to head straight to “earn” – by majoring and interning in fields and with companies that are perceived as “safe” rather than something they think would be interesting or fun or a great learning experience.  While there are very real economic pressures facing this generation of college students, I hope that when it comes time to think about their careers, they give their hearts as much attention as their heads.

Still, I like to take stock every year and set one or two new goals.  I hope I always do.  At the beginning of 2008, I decided to train for a half-marathon.  While I’m fit, I’ve never been a runner, but it was challenge I was determined to take on.  At the beginning of 2009 when I reflected back, I counted completing that half-marathon among my achievements for the year.   In fact, I decided that perhaps I am a runner and set my sights on another half-marathon for 2009.  I finished that race, a little faster than the first time, with the sweet satisfaction of accomplishing something I had set out to do.

Setting goals is more than making a few New Year’s resolutions.  It means assessing where you are and deciding on a few reasonable steps that will help get you to where you want to be in the next year, or in the next few years.  Tired of working so hard or looking for something to keep you going through a rough day?  Having some short-term and long-term goals can really enrich your life, and help you sustain your energy through difficult times.

The key is to make sure your goals are doable.  The best goals are not “pie-in-sky” – those are called dreams.  With goals, you should be able to achieve them in a specific period of time, and it should be easy to tell if you’ve accomplished them.  Here’s a goal:  “To learn how to use Adobe Photoshop by March so I can produce ad copy for my employer.”  It’s specific – learn to use Adobe Photoshop.  It’s time-bound – by March.  And, it’s got a measurable outcome – ad copy.  Here’s a dream:  “To live happily ever after…”  We can all agree on that, but you’d need to have many, many goals between now and then to get there (wherever there is and whatever that means to you – see what I’m saying?).

Here are five questions to help you move forward right now:

1. What are my short term goals for the next year?
2. What steps do I need to take now to work toward my goals?
3. What resources do I have, or do I need to acquire to achieve my goals?
4. What barriers are there to achieving my goals?
5. What will I change in order to achieve my goals?

Take a few minutes every so often to evaluate your progress.  If  you’ve stalled, review the questions again and see if you can determine where  you’re getting stuck.  Most important, don’t give up – it’s a worthy effort!

It’s because of the dreaded question that comes along with that nice gift from Aunt Cindy… “It’s so great to see you, Taylor! Now sit down and tell me all about school.  What are you studying?  What are you going to DO with that?”

What a crazy, unfair question.  How many people can really say, at 22 years old, with confidence, “I’m going to do X.”  It’s OKAY, in fact, it’s normal to be uncertain.  But when Grandma asks you over Christmas dinner, you’re going to do your best to give a response your family wants to hear, right?

My advice – DON’T DO IT!!  Instead, use the opportunity of being with the people who care about you most to ask them questions.  There’s a lot of wisdom around the table.  Sure, they could be wrong, and you might not like the answers, but why not at least hear it, chew on it, and see if it fits? I know, you think that everyone expects you to have all answers.  But, honestly, most people don’t.  Most people don’t even have the answers for themselves even after years in their chosen career.  Below are some questions that will help you get the conversation started:

1. How did you make your career choice?
2. Are you happy with your career choice?
3. If you had it to do over, would you make the same choice? Why or why not?
4. What are the most important skills to have in your field?
5. How did you get started as a _____?
6. What do you like best about your job?
7. What do you like least about your job?
8. You know me pretty well, could you see me as a _______?
9. I’m thinking about going into _____, what do you think about that?
10. What do you think I should consider before going into ________?

You don’t have to have all the answers, but it’s a good idea and a great time to start asking some questions.

Still, it’s recently become clear to me that my preference for off-line communication is completely irrelevant.  People are talking about Vector Marketing online, and my professional reaction is:  “Hey, I want to and we need to, be part of that conversation!”

So despite my initial misgivings, it is with great enthusiasm and excitement that I write this inaugural blog post.  The folks here at Vector have worked with literally tens of thousands of young people for nearly 30 years.  With this blog, we’re going to share what we’ve learned from them and what we learn from YOU about building life skills, growing professionally, and keeping things in perspective.  We’ll write about applying basic work skills to a variety of careers, and bring in outside experts to talk about job choices, personal growth, and other things you ask us about.

We’ve read some of what’s being said about Vector Marketing in cyberspace.  Most of it is hooey (or fill in your preferred term for stuff that’s just plain wrong).  So we’re eager to get in on the conversation.  Have a question about working with us?  You’ll find the facts here, and we’ll answer your questions.

So here are the ground rules:  When leaving a comment or asking a question, keep your language clean, stay on topic, and don’t get into personal attacks.  That’s it.  Easy enough, right?

Keep coming back and here’s to a healthy, happy and prosperous 2010!