Lessons Learned: The William Penn Inn
Party City: Lessons Learned
Lessons Learned: Iron Lions High School Rugby Club President
Lessons Learned: Iron Lions High School Rugby Club President
About the Iron Lions
- I played for the Iron Lions sophomore through senior year of high school
- As a club team, we enveloped multiple schools from the surrounding area (this became a challenge when it came to event planning)
- I was the president and B-side (JV equivalent) captain for two years and was responsible for assisting and/or spearheading recruiting events, team building activities, and helping transition new players into the sport
Working To Earn Your Place
The lesson here has everything to do with mentality. Attempting to do the bare minimum or not give your full effort was considered unacceptable. To earn a position in the starting lineup you absolutely had to come to practice and expend every ounce of energy and effort you possibly could. In addition, my role as president of the club was a result of my initiative to schedule out of season team building events, car pools, and other activities.
Support
I vividly remember wanting to quit more than I was compelled to stay season after season. Yet through perseverance, personal adversity, and most importantly an overabundance of support I managed to grow and develop at an exponential rate which has shaped me even to this day. My coaches watched and pushed as I gained confidence, challenge myself, and earned my place year after year.
How to Succeed as a Team
Anyone who knows a little bit about rugby knows that it is a sport built around unity. “Ubi concordia, ibi victoria” Is a Latin phrase my head coach always told us, it is roughly translated into “Where there is unity, there is victory.” What strengthened us as a team on the field, were our personal connections we shared off the field. These bonds allowed us to build a high quality of trust in one another. Trust became essential as we fought harder and harder to defy the league that tried bumping us down to division II at the beginning of the season. By the end, we not only proved the league wrong, but we achieved unimaginable success as we played an undefeated regular season and went on to win the state championship.
Continual Improvement
Year after year, I trained harder in the off season, learned more at practice, and set a new standard for my personal best. By the end of my time with the Iron Lions, I was showing up early to practice and was playing in the starting lineup in some of the most defining matches of the season.
Continuing the Legacy
As I moved onto college, I still show up to the high school practices and games to show my support for the team. The network of coaches and players are still supportive of me as I transitioned out of the team. I know the coaching staff will always be willing to support me in the future. I will always have the “Iron Lions Pride” instilled into my character.
Lessons Learned at the Linx
Lessons Learned at the Linx
The X-Factor
In line with Patrick’s ,Peoplelinx’s co-founder, philosophy of over delivering, the X-factor was incorporated in everything I did and tried to do. I have always believed you shouldn’t do something unless you can give your all. Little things can have a huge effect, from a firm handshake to a high res logo.
Personal Growth comes from Stepping Outside your Comfort Zone
My goal from the start of the internship was to be pulled out of my comfort zone. Projects varying in every functional department and problem solving scenarios expanded my mindset and tested my logic. In every instance, I did all that I could and relied on guidance in unfamiliar territory. There are multiple lessons to be learned here but they all relate to the same idea of personal growth and I don’t think I even recognize how far I’ve come since day one.
Gotta Have Passion
There was never a dull moment throughout my internship at PeopleLinx. Every day there was lots of work to be done in combination with a steady supply of pressure to keep you alert. And after burning the candle at every end possible, I don’t think I would have made it through if it wasn’t for the determination derived from my passion towards the learning experience. Everything that came across my desk was exciting and educational, if it was on my desk than I knew it had a purpose and fulfilling that purpose is what kept me going.
Work Hard, Play Harder
In the words of Wiz Khalifa, “Work Hard, Play Hard” (With regards to Patrick), my LinkedIn summary has always said, “The day I can’t come into work with a smile on my face is the day I shouldn’t be working there.” PeopleLinx was the perfect work/play combination; an abundance of positivity made the loads of work feel much more manageable.
Ask Questions
Lesson #1 from the top of the chain was to keep asking questions. If it interested, energized, and/or confused me, you bet I had at least one question to ask. I’ve heard Nathan say “You don’t know what you don’t know” and in the past I’ve always said “If you don’t know something you need to know, I can guarantee you’re going to learn really quickly what it is.” Well by asking questions I avoided learning the “hard way” and if someone asked me what I’d do differently if I could do the internship again, I’d probably ask more questions.
Bococelli: Lessons Learned
Lessons Learned: Bococelli
About Bococelli
- Bococelli was a small custom printing company (mostly clothing) that I ran throughout my senior year of high school until the start of the fall semester of my Freshman year of college
- I was the sole proprietor of Bococelli and ran all business functions
- Most of my time was spent researching business concepts and information on the production processes
Match ambitions with ability
“I respect the man who knows distinctly what he wishes. The greater part of all mischief in the world arises from the fact that men do not sufficiently understand their own aims. They have undertaken to build a tower, and spend no more labor on the foundation than would be necessary to erect a hut.”- Johann von Goethe
Easily one of the hardest learned lessons. Bococelli taught me that I can’t be a good student, dedicated athlete, productive employee, and entrepreneur simultaneously. So my entrepreneurial endeavor was eventually put on hold in order to keep everything else running smoothly.
Growth
Though Bococelli didn’t earn a profit, there was a lot of maturing and professionalism that were required of me. I was placed in difficult situations and forced to solve all types of problems. As I progress through my career, I will always look for room to grow and develop.
Prioritization
I learned quickly from this experience the need and methods to prioritize. School came first on my list. I started rearranging my work schedule to ensure I had adequate time to study, keep my rugby commitments, and most importantly sleep.
Resourcefulness
This skill became a quick necessity in my experience. Being able to cope with my limited resources was always a challenge. I used all 24 hours in a day, built things from scratch, and found creative alternative uses for household items to accomplish what needed to be done.
Lessons Learned and Passed Down
There were so many things I learned about business, myself, and everything else. I am committed to being a lifelong learner but I also strive to be an active mentor. “The road to success is never lonely” is one of the philosophies I choose to embody. Whatever I learn, I hope to pass on to others to help them accomplish whatever they set out to do.