Hello, Jade!

I was back in Brooklyn this past weekend with my son David to visit with my folks. I had intended but didn't get the chance to drive by the site of the best job I ever had. That would be my four years as a delivery boy (aka, Pharmaceutical Distribution Engineer) at Jade Pharmacy which was located at 1778 Utica Avenue between Avenues I and J. I worked there from August 1972 to September 1976. After 33 years in the corporate world, I still consider it my best job because I learned more of practical use at Jade than I learned at Brooklyn College during the same four years.

From the customers I learned that there are all kinds of people and all kinds of personalities. I learned when to speak up and when to shut up. I learned what to laugh off and what to challenge. I learned that most people are nice, but some aren't. And I learned how people react to words and that the words you choose are important.

From Herbie, the owner and my boss, I learned the difference between real urgency -- the kind where something important is at stake -- and artificial urgency -- the kind we impose on ourselves for no reason. I learned to work with others, that not everyone works the same way I do and that that's all right. (In fact, I subsequently learned that very few people work the way I do.) I learned that no matter how routine a job is (e.g. stocking shelves) or how physically demanding (e.g. carrying a case of Pampers up 5 flights when the elevator was out.) work can be fun if you're connecting with other people. And I learned that you can be a professional and still put your family first. (I also got to drive around in a Gremlin, which at the time was something I wanted very much to do.)

It took me a while after I got my first "real" job to stop answering the phone, "Hello, Jade!" But today, whether I'm writing a speech or working with a reporter or dealing with an irate employee, I know that I'm tapping the things that I picked up at the pharmacy all those years ago. (Thanks, Herb!)