What Have You Built that Lasts?

If you're searching for meaning in work, this might be an answer

Welcome back to The Workaround. I’m Bob 👋

You’re in good company with thousands of fellow entrepreneurs and innovators who follow my stories from a career in tech startups and corporate innovation.

I’m here to make you think, smile, and discover a shortcut to success or a trap to avoid.

You can listen by hitting the play button above, or with your favorite Podcast app. Or watch me speak and share silly images on my YouTube channel.

From out of my storage bins, products that got onto store shelves because of my work. Some lasted longer on those shelves than others…

I’ll bet there’s a German or Japanese word for the sudden pop of a long-forgotten, meaningful memory that suddenly comes back like a strike of lightning.

I had one of those “memory pops” last week when reading Paul Fisher’s post, “You Can Learn Anything from Anyone.” In it, Paul shares the story of a steelworker who was proud to point at a skyscraper and tell his children that he was responsible for placing the beam on the 45th floor.

My mind went back to my childhood and the tale my Dad told of working on a road survey crew in Lexington, Kentucky, while getting his degree in civil engineering. It was hot, buggy work, and he still had the machete he used to hack through weeds to set up equipment and lay down markers. He worked on multiple roads throughout Fayette County and an I-75 bridge spanning the Kentucky River.

My Dad went on to do many great things in his business career. He flew around the world as a change management consultant, worked with senior government leaders, and wrote multiple business and fiction books.

But I think he was most proud of his work laying out roads that have benefitted millions of people (and counting).

Although he has been gone for several years, this is proof that he can still teach me today. I’m so glad Paul jogged my memory. Now, I’ll share my story.

Seeing My Work on Shelf

It’s Fall 1997, and I’m sitting in a classroom at the NYU/Stern School of Business. My wife and I had just moved into our tiny, mouse-infested apartment in Greenwich Village for my two-year MBA program.

In undergrad, we had a year or more to explore potential majors. But this MBA program was different. We took classes on how to write our resumes before opening our first textbooks. Internship interviews would be coming up quickly, so there was little time to play the field.

I sat in this classroom, listening to a panel of second-year students answer questions about why they chose consulting, finance, or marketing. Each intrigued me, but I wanted to get into this new “Internet Thing” that was rapidly changing the world. Alas, there was no major or clear career path in Internet Thing, which only got started two years before.

As I listened with open ears and mind, the student who chose Marketing said something that struck me. When asked what she liked about this career path, she replied:

“There’s something cool about seeing your work appear on thousands of store shelves and in millions of homes.”

That insight grabbed my mind on multiple levels: The competitive challenge of winning share, the chance to learn about how stuff is manufactured and brought to market, and the many decisions I’d get to make and learn from along the way. And I could see how new product development and digital brand marketing would eventually help me cross into a career in Internet Thing.

But more than this, something about the “proof of life” of seeing your work on display like this pushed deep buttons within me.

I quickly chose to major in marketing and went on to an internship and full-time brand management position at Procter & Gamble. My hopes of positively impacting people’s lives through these products came true.

My highlights were launching Mr. Clean Magic Eraser—with just a shoestring digital sampling budget—and upgrading the stain-fighting formula of Tide, a brand used in 50 million homes each year. I also worked on some products that barely stood on shelves long enough to gather dust.

I went on to join a digital agency, where we helped many other brands launch physical products into the world. Our creative work was a lot harder to point to in the real world, but we shared in our clients’ successes and collected awards that I still treasure and display in my home office.

At the agency, I wrote a book published by McGraw-Hill. That experience led to another life highlight: a family trip to my local Joseph-Beth bookstore, where my daughters and I posed with my work on the shelf.

This May be Your Missing Meaning

Countless posts and books offer guidance on finding meaning in our lives. Here’s a summary of everything I’ve read:

Meaning is important, but it is different for everyone. Try a bunch of things until you find yours.

“Proof of impact” has been special for me, maybe it can be for you, too. Paul says it well:

“What can you point to? We all need “career trophies.” It isn’t about being better than someone else. It’s about being proud of something you’ve put your blood, sweat, and tears into. It’s about showing those you care about what you do or have done.”

Now, cue the challenge: Most of our work is incredibly impermanent. The world of work is increasingly comprised of 1’s and 0’s, and they don’t last very long. Software is upgraded, companies are bought and sold, and store shelves are increasingly virtual.

You can still find proof of impact if you pay attention. Customer reviews, for example, are valuable and lasting (I’m still getting them for my book almost 20 years later).

But this is another area where great leaders can make work more meaningful.

For example, Steve Jobs had his original Mac team sign their names on the inside of the computer. You don’t learn this kind of stuff in MBA classes—it comes from leaders who truly care about their work.

That’s why I’ve always been liberal with our swag budgets. Nothing makes me happier than seeing people wear the company logo. We took this idea to the next level at the end of my last company’s run: We made a Yearbook with over a hundred pages of stories and photos, and then we signed each other’s copies among beers and tears on one of our last days together.

I swear, this Yearbook and my company t-shirt collection will be the first things I grab if there’s a fire in my home.

Today, it’s People

A few days ago, a friend asked me if there are specific types of businesses or industries that I would like to invest in next through our holding company—in other words, what new area would I like to make a visible impact on?

I considered her question for a moment and answered: I don’t care what kind of business we work on next. I just want to have a positive impact on people. As the world goes completely digital and artificial, I’m seeing more “proof of life” in how we create each other.

Minutes before starting to write this post, my inbox delivered a quote from Bill Walsh, a legendary NFL coach who believed that building people well would result in team victories:

I learned through the observation and study of tremendous teachers. Consequently, when I look back on my years as an assistant coach and head coach, what gives me great satisfaction is not necessarily a Super Bowl championship or an award, but the experience of recognizing ability in a person and then teaching that individual how to reach his potential in ways that helped our team.—Bill Walsh, The Score Takes Care of Itself

I, too, have been molded by wonderful people throughout my life: My wife, Stephanie; my parents, Robert and Linda; amazing bosses like Sheri, Joe, Ann, and Brian; and my close friends.

When I look back on my career, I see proof of my impact on the people who worked at my companies. Today, they write best-selling books, lead large organizations, start their own companies, raise wonderful children, and give back to their communities. I claim zero credit for their success, but I believe I was one of many small influences that helped them find the right path for their lives.

I write this Substack to continue making a more permanent impact. Nearly every week, I get an email from someone who finds my writing at a critical time. Maybe that will be you next week.

Thank you for the opportunity to make these lasting impacts.

If you like my writing, feel free to click the ❤️ or 🔄 button on this post so more people can discover it on Substack 🙏

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How we might work together…

• Fleet is our holding company for services businesses. We invest in leaders who are ready to start their own companies (we also do some M&A). If this might be you, Hit my Office Hours link.

• Revelin is our consulting practice that helps with revenue alignment, growth management, and other RevOps functions. CEO Jess Shuman is standing by to share a no-cost assessment of your business.

• Shipwright Studio is our software development agency led by Ross Lewellyn, a CTO who has led multiple successful startups. He loves helping turn your dreams into reality, and our clients trust us for software built to last.

• Hearty is our boutique recruiting service. Our difference is that you get C-level partners—including me!—to source and screen, resulting in killer talent in less time. When you’re ready, let’s chat.

• A2 Influence is our content development agency that helps some of the biggest brands and retailers create and distribute authentic content at scale, including social+influencer. CEO Rob Reinfeld would love to share our approach.

• Feel free to schedule a chat during my Office Hours to discuss questions, feedback, networking, or any other topic. Seriously, any topic! You can also reach me on LinkedIn or by email.

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BONUS: Cool Content of the Week

A little something I found meaningful. You might agree…

The Real Meaning of Life

Steve Bryant is a brilliant writer and marketing+content strategist. A few months ago, I came across this image on his Substack and made it the background of my desktop screen.

Whenever I am feeling down, disconnected, or searching for…something, I look at this image and am reminded of what life is all about: