Scott, Scotty, ELSM, Dude, Bossman, King of the House, Boss, Sir, Bowana, The Great White Hunter, he has had many names over the years, but at the end of the day, he has always been Daddy. I know what you’re thinking, working for my dad must be tough. Everyone knows that we are the same person and that we butt heads….often. He is a perfectionist, slightly OCD, a control freak in the weirdest ways, writes in all caps, and an engineer that always does things the most efficient form possible. (Not kidding you he cuts across lawns instead of using the sidewalk if it is a more direct path to get where he is going.) But this is what makes us such a great pair.
Why I stay.
I get him and he gets me. I know what makes him tick, and when he can’t seem to get his point across to anyone with his words, I’m his translator. See, I am his longest standing employee. I have been working with him since 8th grade, yes 8th grade. We have had our ups and downs, there have been tears on both ends, but at the end of the day, I have always stayed. I have always stayed because I’m a complete Daddy’s girl and everything he does and how he does it completely fascinates me.
one time I took a break.
There was one time that I took the summer off to do an internship with a restaurant company to support my marketing major. It was a great experience. I wanted someone on my resume that just wasn’t my dad. He hated every second of it. Every time we talked he told me how much he needed me back. I spent the summer learning things I would have never learned without the internship, I accomplished what I set out to do. I experienced another company, but at the end of the day, I just wanted to work for my dad. So I went back. To very open arms I might add… and a stack of receipts waiting to be entered into Quickbooks.
why I went back.
You see the easiest answer is that he is my dad. Why wouldn’t I work want to work with him all day? But if you want the nitty gritty truth is that he was the first one to recognize my potential, and forced me to recognize it in myself. He was the first one to push me intellectually outside of a classroom setting. He is the best teacher I have ever had and still continues to be. He keeps it strictly professional during business hours, expecting nothing but professionalism from me even at the age of 13 as I sat in on City Planning Meetings. He has given me useful skills that I can roll over into my personal life. (Hello to filing taxes.) He knows when I’m having an off day and although he keeps it professional the second 5 rolls around he has a hug and a shoulder waiting. He is flexible with my schedule, and although hates it, doesn’t say anything when I come in with no makeup on after taking two finals and basically not sleeping for 36 hours. (Because he knows me being there is a miracle and he has to take it or leave it. LOL but really) He has given me opportunities to travel and meet the coolest people. He has demonstrated appropriately having religion in the workplace and credits everything he accomplishes to the man upstairs. He has shown me that raising a family, having a healthy marriage, and a successful career is something that actually is attainable. He taught me that although I have awful timing sometimes that I do have a voice that is worth being heard. He taught me that I am more than what he would call a “pretty face,” but that I have a brain and that is my most powerful weapon. Most importantly, he has taught me to never give up.
If you ever wonder what it is like to work for my Daddy, Scott McLain, Commercial Property Developer, it is freaking awesome. Yes, sometimes we turn red in the face and want to strangle each other across the conference room table. Sometimes his OCD and my OCD don’t match up and he drives me crazy. Sometimes momma has to separate us or put a no work zone on the dinner table, but working for Scott is pretty darn cool, and the paycheck isn’t half bad either. The biggest favor my dad ever did for me besides loving me, my mom, and brothers the way he does, was employing me as his Administrative Assistant.
Thanks Daddy for everything you do and the lady that you have encouraged me to be each and every day, I’ll see you at the office in a little while!
xoxo,
Lex
