Assistant to the CEO

I have "hired" an assistant. Finally.

Well, that's not entirely true. My son is 13 and three short months ago we sat at the dinner table and talked about plans for the summer. I had gathered brochures and information from a variety of camps, clubs, and activities the 13-year-old me would have booked in a heart beat. He could not be bothered.

Instead, he wanted to spend the summer unscheduled, relaxing, and ready to live life by the seat of his pants. We are one month into summer, and so far he's done a bunch of staring at the walls, calling his list of friends (who are all busy with camps/clubs/activities), and wandering aimlessly around our house. He is a boat without a rudder.

Not one to waste an opportunity, I've used this as a "win" for me and have started dragging him (sometimes kicking and screaming) with me to meetings, events, errands, etc. He is my new assistant.

The good news is that I get an extra set of hands to help lighten the load. We're also spending "quality time" together. He's realizing that planning some summer activities is a good thing. And, I hope, somewhere along the way all of this business jargon that he's overhearing is resonating.

And so far, I've gotten away with paying him in milkshakes and the ability to stay up 30 minutes past his bedtime. I fully intend to use these proven negotiation tactics when I'm truly ready to expand and hire.