When my alarm went off Thursday morning, I got up, started to get ready and then thought to myself, “Wait a minute! I’m the CEO!” I was back in bed faster than you could say, “Laura Zanzal, managing partner and founder.”
To prep for my job role as Steve, I carefully packed my gym bag and studied options for my turkey burger. All kidding aside, my day as Steve was informative and flew by. It was an eye opener to how demanding his schedule can be as well as how many impromptu, yet important, meetings Steve is expected to attend. Furthermore, it was interesting to see how “quick on your feet” and confident you have to be in this job role. In one particular meeting I sat in on, Steve was expected to work with a select few to come up with some humorous ideas for a client – in just a few hours. While I’m used to brainstorming and deadlines, I’m not in a position where I’ve ever had to think of an idea and run with it almost immediately. It was definitely interesting to watch ideas bounce off one another, with a more serious tone than what’s typically found in a brainstorm.
Being Steve though definitely had its perks. Between a spacious office with a—gasp—door to a personal assistant who happily called my roommate with Happy Hour specials, it was definitely comfortable and I look forward to these perks as my career progresses. As much as I hate to say it though, I did miss being in the trenches. I was disappointed that I didn’t know the “gossip in the cubes” and missed all the casual conversations through the cube walls. Once you are all alone in an office, it really makes you realize how fun your Peppercom family truly is.
All in all, I think the job swap was an excellent idea. During my reign as Steve Cody, I found myself telling everyone about the swap – from friends and family, to even those employed at Steve’s gym. The common response, “Wow, your boss is really cool. I wish I could do that.” More companies should embrace the job swap, since it was a great learning experience for both myself and Steve, and I think both of us now have a greater appreciation for our jobs.
Sarah, thanks for the comment. The job swap was a great experience and I’d love to do it again – maybe even next time swap with Ed just to experience the parts of the business he manages. And by the way – Dandy really enjoyed explaining Turtle Bay’s Thursday night specials to my roommate.
Laura, your writing does a fantastic job of showing how demanding Steve and Ed’s jobs are, while humorously peppering in comments about the plus sides of being the boss ;). I really love how Peppercom does this switch–it’s good for both parties involved in the experiment. You didn’t REALLY ask Dandy to call your roommate with Happy Hour specials did you?!