What was your first job? In celebration of Labor Day, The Ticker asks 10 local leaders to look back in time to their first forays into the workforce – and to the lessons they learned from those jobs that they have carried with them to this day.

Diana Baribeau, executive director, City Opera House
“My mother worked for the Lecture Concert Series at Michigan State University. As a teenager I was recruited to help usher and sell tickets to the rock and roll shows on campus – shows the older ladies in the ticket office didn’t really like to work. (This was the late ‘60s/early ‘70s.) I worked and saw some great shows on campus and ended up falling in love with this business. In 1978, I took a job at MSU in the fundraising office, and in 1990 moved to the Wharton Center in the ticket office. The first words out of my mother’s mouth were: ‘Who in their right mind wants to work these kinds of hours?!’ Within two years, though, a new director saw something in me he liked and promoted me to director of operations – and a few years later, to general manager. I’ve spent the next 30-plus years in show business, loving every minute.”

Warren Call, president and CEO, Traverse Connect
“My first job, outside the family farm, was as a busboy at the Cherry Hut restaurant and bakery in Beulah, Michigan. I was 14 years old and did a little bit of everything: clearing tables, washing dishes, baking pie, making jam, and eventually working the cash register at the front counter. Leonard Case, the owner, taught me key lessons including treating the customer well, never cutting corners, and always hustling. Dennis McCarthy from Blarney Castle Oil Company would occasionally stop in for lunch and would read the Wall Street Journal. On more than one occasion, when he had finished with the Journal, he handed it to me and said ‘You should read this.’ That’s how I started taking an interest in finance and business.”

Mike Carey, chief operations officer, ATLAS Space Operations
“My first jobs were all kitchen work and doing dishes at various restaurants in Gaylord. When I went off to college after – I joined the Air Force, but then I went to college – I realized that I needed a job. I went to a place called the 94th Aero Squadron in Orlando, figuring I’d get a job washing dishes again. They asked me, ‘Do you have any experience in cooking?’ And I said, ‘Well, not fine cooking, but I worked at McDonald's, and at KFC, and at a pizza place in Gaylord, Michigan.’ And they said, ‘Great, then you know the importance of moving quickly, fulfilling orders, and getting food out in a timely fashion. You're now our grill chef!’ A few years later, I wanted to teach college as a part-time job while I was an officer in the Air Force. I had applied for a position to teach government at a community college in Colorado, but they called me back and asked if I would teach business computers. I told them, ‘I don't know anything about business computers.’ And they said, ‘Well, it's not that hard!’ I took the job, and ended up getting rave reviews as an instructor for their computer class. What those things taught me is that somebody might see themselves in one way, in terms of applying their skills, but other people can see capabilities and opportunities in you that you might be blind to. As a more mature adult, I've tried hard to see beyond my own limitations – and more importantly, see beyond others’ limitations of themselves – for what the true potential might be.”

Betsy Coffia, Grand Traverse County Commission; candidate for state representative
“From age 11 on, I mowed lawns, helped my mom with her house-cleaning business, and babysat. But my first adult job was as a news reporter for a locally-owned publisher of five weekly newspapers in northern Michigan, at age 19. I became a newspaper editor for the Elk Rapids Town Meeting by age 20. I was so lucky my first year on the job to have an awesome editor in Jim Bumpus, who took me under his wing as someone very young and quite introverted. He mentored me and taught me how to ask tough questions, look at different sides to issues, and ask what might motivate the actors involved when it came to something controversial – that whole ‘Who benefits?’ question! I learned a lot about critical thinking and fairness from him. The lesson in retrospect is that good mentors are hugely influential. Jim always took me and my abilities seriously. He bolstered my confidence and helped me take myself seriously as a 19-year-old interviewing community leaders and people in authority on a regular basis.”

Richard Lewis, mayor, City of Traverse City
“My first job was working at a Dairy Queen-type business for a week, then a Burger King-type business for a year, and then at a full-service gas station. All of this while in high school. Made me realize that a post-secondary education would be a good alternative for consideration! I ultimately went to school to get a BA in political science, followed 10 years later with an MBA.”

Nick Nissley, president, Northwestern Michigan College
“My first job, after graduating from The Ohio State University with a degree in geology, was with a mining company. My business card read, ‘Environmental Geologist/Corporate Environmentalist.’ As a young, idealistic, self-proclaimed environmentalist, this job title created tension for me. I felt torn between, ‘Am I this?’ or ‘Am I that?’ I was forced to reconcile what felt to me like two conflicting interests: ‘corporate’ and ‘environmentalist.’ Today, 33 years later, I’ve come to realize that our lives are richer for having to navigate such tensions. This first job helped shape my thinking – to look beyond positions (e.g., ‘corporate’ or ‘environmentalist’) and seek to understand the shared interests that connect what initially may appear to be a dichotomy. I hear the words of F. Scott Fitzgerald, who wrote: ‘The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.’ That’s what I learned from my first job and job title: the ability to hold two opposing ideas in my mind, and not only function, but provide meaningful connections that transcend perceived limitations. It surely benefits me today, as a college president.”

Kat Paye, executive director, National Cherry Festival
“My first official job was at the Traverse City Dairy Queen, over near Pirate’s Cove, during the summer of 2000. When I think back to those days, the best lessons I learned were time management, teamwork, problem solving, customer service, and a love of ice cream – and, of course, how to make a Blizzard! I also learned how to create the perfect ice cream curl; I can still do it to this day, and it comes in handy in our National Cherry Festival ice cream tent.”

Eric Roberts, executive director, 20Fathoms
“My first job was as an engineer in a Kimberly-Clark manufacturing plant out in New Milford, Connecticut. (Think diapers!) I recall that, one time, we had an executive named Chuck Hansen come out for a visit from the home office in Wisconsin. Chuck said something that had a profound impact on me: He said, ‘Leadership is not power or position, it’s influence. If you want to figure out who the real leader is in your organization, look for the guy or gal with the influence.’ I really took that to heart. As a young professional, I was years away from managing other employees or holding any kind of executive role, but Chuck’s words meant that I could be a leader right from the beginning. That lesson reinforced how important it was to win people over and inspire ‘followership.’”

Tina Schuett, owner and brewer, Rare Bird Brewpub
“I can't really say what my first real job was. I grew up helping out at my family's veterinary clinic back in Wisconsin. As a kid, I would go in on Saturdays with my dad. Then in high school, I was actually on the schedule doing the boarding side, and even eventually worked as a technician assistant. I really thought I was going to be a vet until I was about 18 and realized that I’d rather just enjoy pets and not have to work with them as my job.”

Heidi Yates, executive director, Cherryland Humane Society
“My first job was at an ice cream store downstate. I remember one night, right before close, a man placed an order for himself and his son, and then realized that he had left his wallet at home. I told him not to worry, and that I would pay; they were all set. A few days later the same man came in and handed me a piece of paper, good for two free dinners at the restaurant he owned downtown. He said he appreciated what I had done for him and his son and he wanted to return the favor. I learned that small acts of kindness can have a big impact on others.”