How Do You Wear The Apron ?

Every year, Progressive sponsors a contest for employees where the selected winners are awarded an opportunity to travel to the Opening Day baseball game at Progressive Field in Cleveland Ohio.  The requirements to be selected as a winner vary each year.  This year's contest asks each person to answer the above Blog Post Title Question in 200 words or less.

I was extremely fortunate to attend Opening Day 2012 (our 75th anniversary year as a company) and now that I am eligible to attend again (every other year to make sure more people get the opportunity) I will be re-applying every year I can.

Here is my entry for this year ... wish me luck

In 1998, a young man left a promising career in retail to join a company he had never heard of before: Progressive.  There was no apron then.  Just a progressive company growing fast while changing everything anyone ever knew about insurance.

Fast forward to 2014; Notice that this not-quite-so-young-anymore man has an even more promising career at Progressive (and how grateful he is!)  There is an apron on his chest every day, as he dons one of his dozens of Progressive branded shirts.  But it runs deeper than that.  The Thread of Progressive flows through his veins and he could not be more pleased with this symbiosis.

This man and Progressive have grown together over these years and their influence on each other is unmistakable.

From the Blended, WFH, and Sales Academy teams he leads to strong performance success through application of the Core Values, to his support of our Diversity and Inclusion initiative through leadership in various ERG functions, this man and Progressive are linked.

So what does the future hold?  At least two things are certain: Progressive will continue to thrive and this man will grow old wearing his love for all things Progressive prominently on his sleeve.

 

 

Song Of The Day:

It is probably a BIG stretch to say that winning the opportunity to go to Opening Day 2014 would be "The Best Day Of My Life" but the song by American Authors is too good not to share as soon as possible.  This linked video version is super cute too, as it features the song from the perspective of a dog who needs to be adopted. 

...

What Do You Wanna Be When You Grow Up ?

We ask kids this question all the time it seems.  And they are so full of life and motivation and hopes and dreams.  The whole world seems open and available to them.  Even the sky is not the limit ... you can go beyond that!

Then something happens.

Dreams start to be distant memories.  Careers turn into jobs.  Aspirations become what-could-have-beens.  Goals get modified from grand to general.  Instead of running your own company you start planning to pay off a student loan (yours or your child's).

Even as we are progressing along the path to what we thought or planned to be "when we grow up," circumstances change and what we thought we wanted, turns out to be a bad goal.  Maybe "bad" is the wrong word.  Perhaps the goal is just no longer applicable based on experiences we've had that have shaped how we view the world and our place in it.

All this is just to say I've definitely felt that lately in my life.  Some might say it's a mid-life crisis sort of situation, but I don't know about that.  I am coming up on 15 years of time with my current employer (Progressive).  I'm very happy with the company and my role within it and the direction it is headed.  I'm not bored with my day-to-day work, nor am I actively (or even passively) seeking something different.  But I have had a large change in my career goals.  The role and position I felt like I was working toward doesn't appear to be what I thought it was.  The things I would have to give up to be eligible for and successful in that role are not entirely in harmony with my preference for leading and teaching people.  The odd thing is: I'm okay with that.

Time will tell what happens.  Perhaps the role I was seeking will become what I envisioned it to be.  Perhaps I will find that I no longer have the same passion for coaching and leading people so I will need to seek other career options.  Or perhaps I will remain in my current role for many more years and just find joy and happiness in it.  That doesn't have to be a bad thing.  It might be just what I should be when I grow up!

Song Of The Day:
I'm thinking "Right Here, Right Now" by Jesus Jones ... because I'm honestly happy where I am.  The line "there is no other place I'd rather be" sums things up pretty good.

...