I have had a Dirty Job (more than one actually) and thought I would share it. I think they’ve made me a better entrepreneur, recruiter, manager, and person.
Here’s the story:In the early 90’s, I lived in Minnesota while finishing my degree at Bemidji State University…and helped out my then father-in-law who ran a 300 cow-calf pair operation. For those who don’t know, that means, they had 300 cows that had 1 calf each season. Our job? Make sure the calf survives and thrives after birth.
My role was to help bring in the calves once they were born (this is where it got exciting).
To set the stage, we had 300 wild Charolais cows. They would charge, kick, bawl, and go absolutely bananas if you tried to get close – especially when with a calf. February was the calving season (-40F temperatures w/o windchill). We took turns watching for cows ready to calf. We had to watch carefully, as temperatures were so far below freezing, babies wouldn’t last long, wet and on the snow. Once a cow gave birth, we’d hurry out with a 4 wheeler equipped with a “sled” made of the hood of a pickup turned upside down and attached by chains to the back.My father-in-law & I would distract the cow through various crazy antics and he would grab the calf. Then I would hurry to sit in the hood of the sled, waiting for him to drop the 70-100 pound, wet, struggling “baby” into my arms. Here’s where it got tricky…
At that point, we had to wait until the (mad) cow got close enough to catch a scent of the calf. If she didn’t catch the scent, she wouldn’t follow us to the barn (the reason we couldn’t just toss the calf in the back of a pickup). Struggling calf in hand, scent caught, the momma cow extremely agitated, we would take off - bouncing off snow, little trees, shrubs, etc. 2000 pounds of angry cow flesh bawling, snot blowing, lumbering behind us while I struggled to hold the calf and stay in the sled. It’s hard to believe how strong a newborn calf is, until you (try to) hold it. Then, once inside the barn, I’d release the calf…and run like hell out of the way. If all things went well, we’d have momma and baby in the barn…and we’d come out unscathed.
I have to admit that it was an adrenaline rush…eye to eye with that cow’s bawling face, huge body and wild hooves running after me…holding the calf in my arms…bumping along the ground. And, it was also extremely satisfying.
While the excitement of recruiting can’t compare most days (I rarely feel endangered for my life), the pleasure of submitting a great candidate to a cool client, or getting someone their dream job, is pretty fantastic…for myself (the matchmaker), the client and the candidate. I believe what we do really makes a difference.
But today, let’s honor the Dirty Job. Thanks to all of you who have or had a Dirty Job. You know the saying, “it’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it!”
I think Dirty jobs build character – what do you think? Tell us…have you had a Dirty Job?
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