Changing Perspectives: Work in Progress
An early career story and broadened perspectives on an old book
Early Career Moves
Reflecting on my career, one of the best changes I made was one I had no control over. It was a rotation where new hires, around the 2-year mark, were shuffled in and re-dealt. It was discomforting but that was the point.
I was at a large company and started my first role in the world of ‘making’ products. I spent time in a lab, running experiments in a pilot facility, or traveling to and experimenting in commercial manufacturing operations around the US. Desk work was spent analyzing data and writing reports. Generally speaking, it was more technical work.
Could I have stayed here? Yes. I remember loving it. I also didn’t know any different. And the rotation program didn’t let me.
So at 2-years, I and several others moved to new roles. I went to a different division, which came with some culture change and an entirely new team. Functionally I moved from ‘making’ to ‘developing’ products. I went from more technical work to more consumer-oriented work, which was the start of a new path in product development.
The First Product I Developed and Launched
It was this. It made bathing more fun for toddlers.
And easier for parents…because washcloths are…hard?
No not really, but we humans have an affinity for convenience and this was that.
More broadly, a competitor had launched a similar product in Europe so we were racing to get into the North American market first. It was also an expansion of a broader baby toiletries line.
Fast forward, this isn’t made or sold anymore, though I guess you can find it on eBay! Regardless, this launch gave me exposure to some new business trade-offs while gaining some memorable career firsts.
Business Trade-Offs
In my first job, my focus was more on the quality of the product and how to make it really fast. In this new role though, I was defining the quality spec. Determining what to make and how to make it appealing to consumers.
Our business goals were to get to market fast, make it fun (so parents buy it and kids want to use it), and keep costs down. This introduced some memorable trade-offs.
We developed the concept, designs, and scents that parents and kids liked. And we wanted a variety of SKUs to meet the ‘Alphamals’ Clean Team concept we had identified. But not too many. And they needed to work in the US and Canada.
So not only were we making bath time fun for kids, we were also introducing them to animals that translated to the same first letter, in English and French!
See image above:
Is it a horse (cheval)? No.
Is it a donkey (âne)? No.
It’s a mule (mule). Meet Molly the Mule. Toddler bath time fun in en-us, en-ca, and fr-ca!
We also had Carly the Crab. Carly was the cutest and most loved character. We wanted her cute face displayed in the window of the package.
Though Carly nearly killed me.
Metaphorically speaking. I may have cried once.
You see, Carly was red. Do you know what a red crab printed on a white, soapy mitt does?
Like when you put a red shirt with white clothes in a washing machine and everything comes out pink.
It bleeds. This problem also did not manifest well in a bathtub.
Stabilizing red dye on the product (and in the package) was a problem that took many months and iterations to solve. But kids liked Carly, and so we worked it out!
Contract Making
Given the experimental and speedy goals of this launch, the most cost-efficient way to make it — was for someone else to. This was different from my previous manufacturing experience and earned me a 6-week stay in Suzhou, China.
I supported daily start-up tasks. While also training a human quality system to spot red dye problems, which in hindsight, was a master-class in visual communication.
As…mule is not mule in Chinese.
This trip was a life experience and work experience all in one. Learning made possible by a forced development move, which I had the privilege to gain, early in my career.
How Can You Gain Similar Early Career Experiences?
- Does your company offer rotational programs, ‘boomerang’ roles, or other methods that allow you to take a walk in new shoes? Ask.
- If there aren’t formal programs, ask your manager for stretch assignments or to shadow someone in a different area.
- Find a peer doing different work than you. Spend a day teaching each other about your respective jobs.
- Find someone on LinkedIn doing interesting and different work. Reach out and ask for a career exploratory chat.
- Study abroad. Travel. Immerse yourself in a different place.
- What else would you suggest?
Challenge 3 Reflections
Now onto my challenge series, and it’s time to share from Challenge 3.
For this challenge, I asked you to revisit a book that you read over 10 years ago. One you remember liking, challenged your assumptions, or left you intellectually inspired. And to now read it again.
- How has your perspective changed since you read it last?
- How does your life experience shape your interpretation now?
This book didn’t change but I have and it was interesting to see how thoughts and emotions with broadened life perspective came in.
My Changing Perspective
For this challenge, I read a book called Our Stolen Future. I first read this in 2001, when I was a student and researcher. I remember feeling a sense of outrage and wonder. Disappointment in human choices as I read from a scientific view. My life view then, naive and simple, though the book made a lasting impression and I’ve kept it since.
Now, it still makes an impression. Though with a kaleidoscope of life as a filter, my feelings are more complex.
The topic of the book is endocrine disruption, stemming from pollution at the height of the industrial revolution. It explores population impact and birth defects in animal species. Evidence pointing to chemicals that mimic estrogen, resulting in ‘hormone havoc’ and fertility problems, passed from one generation to the next. And then there are cancer-causing effects and suspected links to behavioral disorders.
If these topics interest you, I suggest reading the book. There are many scientific articles that have also been published since. This continues to be a widely researched and complicated issue.
Yes. Reading this again now, my feelings are more complex.
As a woman, family member and friend — affected by fertility challenges and cancer diagnoses — my life has more color than the 22-year old student-researcher. I still feel disappointment, though with a weight of lived experiences as well.
As a mom and advocate for teachers — I feel gratitude for the scientists and medical professionals who continue to study generational impacts and develop treatments for those who need it.
As a business leader — I have more developed views on corporate responsibility standards and the need to continuously improve.
Inspiration from a Pioneer
Another lens I’ll add perspective from, is one of a mid-career professional. Theo Colburn was one of the authors of this book and whose research was the foundation of the story.
She died in 2014, at the age of 87.
Re-reading it made me want to explore her life further. She had a full and fascinating journey — inspiration for anyone considering a career change!
- As a retired pharmacist in her 50s, she returned to school driven by her passion to solve problems she perceived her generation to have started.
- She earned a PhD in zoology with minors in epidemiology, toxicology, and water chemistry at age 58.
- She went on to spearhead efforts across academia, government and non-profit and held advisory roles in the EPA and World Wildlife Fund.
- She brought scientists from around the world together to unify research efforts, and ultimately coining the term ‘endocrine disruption’.
- She was a published author and lecturer, and at age 76, founded a non-profit dedicated to her cause.
I love reading stories like hers — a lifetime of world-changing impact, pursuing career and personal passions, and a pioneer in her field at that!
Follow me on LinkedIn and Medium for future articles. And check back soon for the next growth challenge (it’s going to be a big one).
