Who's got Gas Money?
By: Kevin Shea, Vice President, Recruiting Operations
When I was in college my friends and I would take a lot of road trips – long weekends in Montreal, spring break on the Cape or the occasional trip to New Hampshire to buy beer on Sundays. There would always be a point in the trip where the driver of the car would turn around and ask for gas money. Inevitably, there would always be a guy or two who would say, “I am short on cash, I’ll get you next time – I’m good for it.” Honestly, I was one of those guys a few times and probably still have some unpaid I.O.U.’s on the books with my friends.
Fast forward to my professional career, and if you are like me, you have been in many situations where you are asked to take ownership of a project and drive it to completion. Your company trusts you with a valuable part of their vision and wants you to move it to the next level. In doing so, you will see sights previously unseen, overcome obstacles never before attempted and gain experiences in areas not yet discovered – it could be the “road trip” of a lifetime. In return for this opportunity, your company needs your “gas money” for the trip. Gas money in terms of commitment, enthusiasm, drive, initiative, personal accountability, energy, dedication…all the values that will fuel the project to a successful completion. Unlike in college though, if you are not willing to bring those qualities to the table, then don’t get in the car and take the trip.
So the next time your company trusts you with a project, don’t reach in your pocket and pull out an I.O.U. Dig deep and pull out your GAS MONEY, work hard and enjoy all the benefits that come with the ride. When presented with the opportunity to be a part of something great, don’t just DO your job, LOVE your job!