The Most Important Job I Have Ever Had
By Kevin MarshallPresident and CEO of Marshall Advertising
I have been many things in my career . salesperson (and the many derivatives: account executive, SENIOR account executive, marketing consultant, accounts manager, blah-blah-blah), sales manager, vice president and now president/CEO/owner. I haven't really saved any lives, created the next big thing or necessarily even improved anybody's life in the course of doing these jobs but I have had some important roles within the confines of the little business world I have lived in.
We all fancy ourselves doing something important with our "job." Some of us do and some of us work simply to make money. Some of us have balance in our lives and some of us are consumed by our career. Some of us are defined by what we do and the title we ascend to. Some of us value what's really important in our lives.
I have come to realize that right now I have the most important job that I have ever had . and will ever have. No, not that fancy "president/CEO/owner" title I listed in the paragraph above. The job I am talking about is my job as "dad". I am a dad. I am daddy to Keely, Liam and Fiona. OK, maybe you are thinking that does not really count as far as a career goes. I would challenge you that it does indeed. If it makes you feel any better I can construct a fancy title for being a dad . how about Lord of the Marshall Family? As Lord of the Marshall family it is my role as a dad that is most important. That is where I can improve lives and make a difference in the world.
Are you now openly wondering what being a dad has to do with business and this magazine? For starters, this magazine is called CEO. There are many challenges that come with being a CEO. One of which is finding balance between running a successful business and a successful family. Lucky are those that are able to simultaneously find success in both. Maybe you are like me and you started a business around the time you started a family. Perhaps you started one before the other. I left a family business that demanded a ton of travel when my second child was born. It was then that my wife, Jennifer, and I started our advertising agency business out of our house. The idea was that we were going to start this business in order to make our family a priority.
As much as I would like to say it was easy in the beginning, it wasn't. Starting a business is not easy. Starting a business while starting a family is even harder. There were certainly challenges along the way but we made it work. Jennifer and I knew at times we would have to make sacrifices as a family in order to make the business work . in order to make our family a priority. There were definitely times early on that we wondered if starting this business was best for our family. There were crazy hours working and parenting. There were times when we were trying to work and change diapers at the same time. Times when you are talking on the phone to an important client and the dog is barking at the mailman. Lots of nights where you put the kids to bed and then you go back to working. It seemed that I worked more and harder than ever. I know that Jennifer did. At the same time, I was no longer traveling and I was able to put my kids to bed every night. I never missed a first day of school or any important school function. I read in each of my kids' classes and volunteer along with Jennifer for the various sign-up things each school has. There have been school parties where I was the only dad who showed up with mom.
I love being a dad. I love owning a business. While I struggle at times to not be consumed by work I feel that I have been pretty successful finding balance between my two careers. It has taken me a while but I have started to "enjoy the journey" and "stop to smell the roses". A lot of that involves stopping (when it's not the best time) to spend time with your kids. I know that Jennifer would like for me not to check my Treo so much at night or the weekends but I am working on that! Seven and a half years after starting our business I still do not miss any school functions. I have coached my children's baseball and soccer teams. In fact, one spring I coached my son's baseball and soccer teams and was the assistant coach on my daughter's soccer team. That was a little crazy for the business AND the family!
In order to be successful at being a dad while running a business you have to have great support. You have to have a supportive partner . which I have in Jennifer. Not only was she supportive she was as responsible for the success of the business as I was. I could not have done it without her! You also need support from your employees and your clients. Every single person that we have hired understands that they are joining a family business. When I mean family I mean that it is more than just a husband and wife business. It is our entire family . husband and wife, 3 kids, dog, cats, guinea pig . and the list goes on and on. Everyone understands that our family is important to us and so far everyone has been supportive of me spending time away from the office with my kids! I believe that they like the fact that they contribute to me being able to do that. I also try to foster an environment in my office where the folks that work with me are able to do the things with their families that they want to do.
Don't get me wrong, it is a lot of work still. I still turn on the computer at night and I am constantly checking email. I get calls and emails while I am on the baseball field coaching. When I take time off with the family to travel I am also in communication with the office. It is worth it. I feel that I have done a pretty good job in the role of "dad'. I love my job. My "Dadship!" It is an important job. It really is the most important job I will ever have. It is also the most important job you will ever have.
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