Don't Underestimate What Your First Job Taught You
A few summers ago, after delivering my "Human Edge" keynote, I led a breakout session that still has me reflecting on it. Breakouts after keynotes are one of my favorite things to do because it allows us to take a deeper dive into the content, learning, tools, takeaways and most of all CONNECTION.
We spent time reflecting on our first jobs and the emotional intelligence and business lessons they taught us. What struck me was how many of the skills we rely on today were first learned in those early roles.
One participant shared that his first job was delivering newspapers. He introduced himself to the families on his route and asked if they'd prefer their paper delivered to the front door. Many of his customers were elderly and appreciated the extra effort. The more care he took, the more tips he earned.
What looked like a paper route was really an early lesson in emotional intelligence.
He learned:
Customer service
Initiative
Relationship-building
Communication
The value of making people feel seen
My first job in high school was at a local bakery. I loved talking with customers and getting to know them. Looking back, I wasn't just serving pastries - I was learning how to connect with people.
Later, in college, I worked at The Juice Stop making smoothies for an hourly wage. Eventually, I was promoted to shift manager, and during my senior year, the owner asked me to manage his Kansas City store for the summer. He gave me a car for the summer too - BIG BONUS! Thanks Laird Noller for believing in young Tara :)!!
That experience taught me everything from time management to accountability to problem-solving. But perhaps most importantly, it taught me emotional intelligence:
How to communicate with different personalities
How to build trust
How to handle conflict
How to motivate people
How to take ownership when things go wrong
Those relationships led to my next opportunity, too. Each week, I delivered paperwork to the accounting firm that handled our books. Through those interactions, I built relationships that eventually turned into a marketing position.
Both of my sons have worked at McDonald's, and I couldn't be more grateful for the experience. Beyond earning a paycheck, they're learning responsibility, teamwork, resilience, customer service, and respect for every person who shows up and contributes.
If you lead people, here's a simple team-building exercise:
Ask everyone on your team to share their first job and one lesson they learned from it.
You'll uncover stories about grit, service, leadership, adaptability, and human connection. More importantly, you'll remind people that long before they had titles, they were already learning how to work with people.
What's one lesson from your first job that still serves you today? I'd love to hear from you - drop me a note!!
Keep shining - be who you came to be!
