What my first company taught me
Three lessons from a wild first job, and why people remain the point.
My first company was a wild place to start a career. Three things stuck, and nothing else really did.
Grit is a superpower. Proactive beats reactive. Listening to other people talk about their hard lessons does not shortcut your own, but it changes how you receive yours when they arrive.
Connecting with people did not come easily to me growing up. It has become the thing that matters most. Every company I have joined, I joined for the people, or for the idea of who they could become together.
Building a team takes grit. It takes determination. It takes showing up proactively, not reactively, and doing the small things that protect trust before it needs to be repaired. It takes clear communication, showing up honestly, and trying to do the right thing every day. That is the job.
I used to work more hours than I cared to count. I work smarter now. Some days still demand the hours, and I am fine with that. Effort is the clearest way to show a team you are in it with them.