Saturday, May 26, 2012
"From Paperboy to Boomer" is a 64-page quick-read that is an illustrated paperback, and tells the stories about the 10 Skill Sets we all learned as kids.
It describes work standards, people practices, business basics, and leadership skills that we Boomers learned while we were only 13 & 14 years old, and defines the foundation of the Boomer Work Ethic: Self-discipline, self-initiative, and self-motivation!
I've started this blog to accompany my new book, and want to hear your stories of the lessons you learned while you delivered newspapers and mowed yards.
My book also includes a "Tool Kit" appendix for business owners to use to interview, train, and evaluate their employees, based on the 10 Skill Sets.
The website for the book is BoomersBook.Biz and on Facebook at "Boomers Book." The new book was released by Dementi Milestone Publishing in September 2011.
This blog will be the starting point for lots of memories and stories for you to continue telling. Let's start collecting our thoughts and maybe it will become the follow-up book!
The Paper Stop
On Sunday mornings, all the paperboys in the neighborhoods would gather before sunrise at the "Paper Stop" to unpack all the bundles of the big Sunday paper. It came in 2 sections that we had to put together before it hit the porches! We had a choice: We could put them together at the "Paper Stop" or we could put them together as we rode our bikes from house to house. The first option took extra time before we began our delivery. The second option meant we could pack them up in our baskets, and combine them one at a time, as we rode our bikes while put together the bundles on the handlebars! We used dexterity, hustle, and planning as we rode our bikes on our Sunday route to get all the papers delivered on time. As business owners of our paper routes, we learned to manage our time, systems, and cash flow while we were just 13 and 14 years old!
Sweat and Perseverance
The hardest lawn I ever had to mow was Mrs. Tierney's yard on Pine Lane in the Briarwood neighborhood. I remember it felt like acres and acres of thick green grass (but it was probably less than an acre in reality).
I especially recall one hot, humid day in the middle of summer, when I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to finish mowing the yard. You see, this huge yard had no trees in the front of the house, which meant no shade, no landscaping curves, and nothing to break the long rows of pushing the lawn mower.
There was just the one long sidewalk down the middle of the yard, all the way to the street. And lots of neverending grass that was very thick, very tall, and it made the lawn mower cut out too many times on that hot, humid day!
I was sweating to death, but I knew that if I quit, I'd still have to come back and finish another day, which meant I wouldn't get paid immediately.
There was something about getting paid right after you ended the job that made you persevere and persist to the end. Getting paid for when the job's complete sure develops self-motivation and self-initiative in a little kid, unlike other types of job.
And that work ethic instilled into me that day pushed me to finish the lawn, get paid, push the lawn mower home, and go get a shower... at least I think I took a shower!!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
JR. HIGH SCHOOL
I don't remember ever going in Middle School. Back then in the '70's, we went from Elementary School to Jr. High School. Jr. High School sounded very grown up, even though we were just 13 or 14 years old!
When we weren't in school, we played all kind of games around the neighborhood, like Capture the Flag, and we also worked around the neighborhood. Part of our growing up was learning responsibilities from delivering newspapers and mowing lawns.
I never remember my parents saying that I had to go to work, but I followed my two brothers' paths of paper routes and lawn mowing. My older brothers had morning paper routes, but for some reason, I ended up with an afternoon route.
I have distinct memories of riding my bike to the "paper stop" and loading the papers in my bicycle basket. The papers were packed in a plastic band that I cut and then put in the basket. Every paperboy with an afternoon route also had to deliver the Sunday morning papers, which had bigger sections of papers that we had to put together as a bundle.
That was one thick paper to fold, rubber-band, and throw on every porch! I remember sometimes folding and rubber-banding at the paper stop, and sometimes folding and rubber-banding as I steered the bike. I think I had over 100 houses to deliver the paper to, so that was a lot of folding and rubber-banding!
Going to Jr. High School and delivering newspapers were just a natural part of growing up as a kid back in the 20th Century! We were the young Boomer generation growing up and learning how to work! It was a natural!
When we weren't in school, we played all kind of games around the neighborhood, like Capture the Flag, and we also worked around the neighborhood. Part of our growing up was learning responsibilities from delivering newspapers and mowing lawns.
I never remember my parents saying that I had to go to work, but I followed my two brothers' paths of paper routes and lawn mowing. My older brothers had morning paper routes, but for some reason, I ended up with an afternoon route.
I have distinct memories of riding my bike to the "paper stop" and loading the papers in my bicycle basket. The papers were packed in a plastic band that I cut and then put in the basket. Every paperboy with an afternoon route also had to deliver the Sunday morning papers, which had bigger sections of papers that we had to put together as a bundle.
That was one thick paper to fold, rubber-band, and throw on every porch! I remember sometimes folding and rubber-banding at the paper stop, and sometimes folding and rubber-banding as I steered the bike. I think I had over 100 houses to deliver the paper to, so that was a lot of folding and rubber-banding!
Going to Jr. High School and delivering newspapers were just a natural part of growing up as a kid back in the 20th Century! We were the young Boomer generation growing up and learning how to work! It was a natural!
Friday, July 1, 2011
THE BLACK GLOVE THROUGH THE WINDOW
Growing up as a kid, my 2 older brothers and I shared one big bedroom (that was actually the den). My oldest brother Freddie was a paperboy at the time and he slept on one end of the room, and Robbie and I slept in bunk beds on the other side.
One time in the middle of the night, Robbie and I were woken up by something at the window right next to our bunk bed. We looked over and saw the big Venetian blinds moving, and then saw a black glove come right through the window just inches from us!
So Robbie and I did what any kid would....we starting screaming, hoping maybe somebody would hear us! I remember we starting screaming for Daddy, but the first voice we heard was Freddie's. But then Daddy came in and starting fussing at Freddie.
It turns out that it was Freddie's black glove that we saw, and that he had been delivering papers before dawn, and had locked himself out. So not to knock on the door, he decided to sneak in the window so he wouldn't wake up anyone!
That story has stuck with me for over 40 years and is evidence of just one of the many hazards of working a paper route as a kid. I don't think Freddie ever locked himself out again!
One time in the middle of the night, Robbie and I were woken up by something at the window right next to our bunk bed. We looked over and saw the big Venetian blinds moving, and then saw a black glove come right through the window just inches from us!
So Robbie and I did what any kid would....we starting screaming, hoping maybe somebody would hear us! I remember we starting screaming for Daddy, but the first voice we heard was Freddie's. But then Daddy came in and starting fussing at Freddie.
It turns out that it was Freddie's black glove that we saw, and that he had been delivering papers before dawn, and had locked himself out. So not to knock on the door, he decided to sneak in the window so he wouldn't wake up anyone!
That story has stuck with me for over 40 years and is evidence of just one of the many hazards of working a paper route as a kid. I don't think Freddie ever locked himself out again!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
COCA-COLA
I remember mowing Mr. Johnson's yard one summer. He was the postmaster at the Churchland Post Office in Portsmouth, VA where I grew up.
Mr. Johnson lived about 4 blocks away, and had a pretty big yard. I was about 14 or 15, but don't recall too much about that yard, but I do remember the incentive! Almost every time I finished mowing his yard, he would bring me a nice cold Coca-cola!
I don't know how much he paid me, or how long it took to finish, but I had the reward of a cold drink when I was done, and I'm sure it made me work faster and hurry up to finish. It's things like that ice cold reward (just as much as the cold cash) that instilled self-motivation in my work ethic.
I also remember Mr. Johnson had a police radio in his garage, and we would listen to it while I was cooling off after I was done.
Those were the simple days of working: Get the job done, drink a Coke, spend some time talking, and get paid. Work Ethic 101!
Mr. Johnson lived about 4 blocks away, and had a pretty big yard. I was about 14 or 15, but don't recall too much about that yard, but I do remember the incentive! Almost every time I finished mowing his yard, he would bring me a nice cold Coca-cola!
I don't know how much he paid me, or how long it took to finish, but I had the reward of a cold drink when I was done, and I'm sure it made me work faster and hurry up to finish. It's things like that ice cold reward (just as much as the cold cash) that instilled self-motivation in my work ethic.
I also remember Mr. Johnson had a police radio in his garage, and we would listen to it while I was cooling off after I was done.
Those were the simple days of working: Get the job done, drink a Coke, spend some time talking, and get paid. Work Ethic 101!
Friday, June 17, 2011
BOOMER STORIES: Paper Routes and Lawn Mowing
"From Paperboy to Boomer" is a 64-page quick-read that is an illustrated paperback, and tells the stories about the 10 Skill Sets we all learned as kids. It describes work standards, people practices, business basics, and leadership skills that we Boomers learned while we were only 13 & 14 years old, and defines the foundation of the Boomer Work Ethic: Self-discipline, self-initiative, and self-motivation!
I've started this blog to accompany my new book, and want to hear your stories of the lessons you learned while you delivered newspapers and mowed yards.
My book also includes a "Tool Kit" appendix for business owners to use to interview, train, and evaluate their employees, based on the 10 Skill Sets.
The website for the book is BoomersBook.Biz and on Facebook at "Boomers Book." The new book will be released nationwide in mid-August 2011.
This blog will be the starting point for lots of memories and stories for you to continue telling. Let's start collecting our thoughts and maybe it will become the follow-up book!
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