Working with Johnathan is very interesting because he has a high degree of formal leadership, but he tries to downplay it every chance he gets.\u00a0\u00a0He is the CEO and co-founder of many of the companies I am working under, but I can tell he really tries to act as if we are of similar status even though CEO and intern could not be further apart.\u00a0\u00a0I am always yielding to him offering to do menial work like deliver things or ship packages. Whenever I suggest that I do that because he is the CEO of multiple companies with many, many more important things to do, he always asks, \u201cAre you sure? I can deliver it tomorrow. Just let me know.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0He honors my time, and it is almost as if he feels guilty asking things of me that require no creativity or problem solving.\u00a0\u00a0The level of respect he has for me deepens my appreciation for him and makes our working relationship stronger.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, his hesitation to ask me to do things causes a slow work day.\u00a0\u00a0He doesn\u2019t want to give me jobs that are boring or that I\u2019m not interested in, so I occasionally have to pry tasks out of him.\u00a0I was helping him with his business social media and offered to run it for him.\u00a0\u00a0He responding saying that would be great and he wasn\u2019t sure if I knew a lot about it or would be interested in it.\u00a0\u00a0I think if I constantly let him know that I\u2019m open to taking on jobs even if it\u2019s something I\u2019m unfamiliar with, then he will be less timid about delegating things to me.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Overall, the level of trust between Johnathan and I is very high. He has given me access to all kinds of confidential documents (including the delicious cookie recipe), and he asks my opinions and advice on major decisions.\u00a0\u00a0It is really cool that he values what I have to say and will follow my advice if he thinks it is smart.\u00a0\u00a0I think this has a lot to do with the size of his organizations.\u00a0\u00a0I am pretty much his only employee, so he has to trust me if he wants to lighten his workload.\u00a0\u00a0His demeanor with those he works with is his own insurance policy.\u00a0\u00a0No one would dream of violating his trust and betraying him because he is such a stand up, nice guy.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I think Johnathan is so well-respected by everyone he does business with because he is so humble and clearly has amazing character.\u00a0He truly wants to make a difference in his community and cares deeply about his family and creating things that lift others up.\u00a0\u00a0Because he is so selfless, open, and honest, even about hardships he might be facing, that people admire him.\u00a0\u00a0This might be something that is unique to the non-profit world because everyone is striving for the betterment of a cause greater than themselves.\u00a0\u00a0Wall Street and finance jobs might have more of a self-centered atmosphere (I\u2019m stereotyping based on books and movies), which could dampen how people view them.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
P.S. I think Johnathan would be a great speaker during the school year. Read more about him and what a great guy he is here: https:\/\/richmondmagazine.com\/news\/sunday-story\/father-figure\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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