"Folks, it is not hard. All we do is put things in boxes." I remember hearing this line as an Area Manager at my first All Hands meeting. I was fresh out of the Army with no private sector experience. A respected leader got up in front of the leadership team and asked if our jobs were difficult. A few hands went up immediately. Then, a few more hands followed suit. Eventually, every hand was up indicating that everyone in the room thought their job was hard. This leader then said the aforementioned line. A few of my peers left the meeting mumbling things like "can you believe that guy?" Or, "he just has no idea how hard it is." I left the meeting trying to reflect on why such a respected and results oriented individual would use that as his message. Is our job hard? I think we would all say some aspects of our jobs are difficult. Others are easy. Some people excel as technical individual contributors, but struggle to lead organizations. Others have organic soft skills and can lead multiple teams, but struggle to figure out why 1.24 comes up as a date instead of a decimal on excel. I promised myself walking out of that meeting that I would dedicate my professional career to figuring out my team's "why" and inspiring them through what motivates them, not what motivates me. I am proud in my career both as an Infantry Officer in the United States Army and as an Operator and Program Manager at both Chewy and Amazon that I have an excellent track record of developing talent. I made it my priority that as I continued to grow and develop personally and professionally, I would do the same for my organization. I now have several of my former direct reports that serve in positions two to three levels above me. I welcome development courses for my teams and attempt to teach and train everywhere I go. Is my job hard? At the end of the day, I create programs that make putting items in boxes easier and more cost effective for a team. The better question - is my job rewarding? - YES! I am rewarded when I see a new program implemented by the hungry leaders Amazon employs. I am rewarded when I see a leader take a skill or tool that they did not possess three months earlier, and use it to build a strong connection with their employee base. I am rewarded when I see members of my team take on new opportunities and share their talents with external organizations.If you value professional development as much as me, feel free to connect! I'd love to chat and learn what tips and tricks you've used to foster growth within your organization.