A business lesson in faith from an R.I. millennial

As young professionals, we strive for the opportunity. It may be an app, or even just a concept. But it’s not what previous generations would consider something substantial.
Recently, I was fortunate enough to be presented with just such an opportunity. It involved starting a new venture. It was an attractive business proposition for sure. But it was so much more.
The opportunity represented a change from understudy to principal. But it also represented the forfeiture of a place in the family business, something that has been carefully constructed over the course of six decades and three generations.
As the token millennial within the company, my vantage point differs from my colleagues. My generation perpetually changes jobs. We take one position in order to apply for another. Computer use is a habit, not a privilege. We purchase organically and dress in business casual.
However, my seven years in the real world have taught me that the millennial generation is not always well-respected, especially in an aging Rhode Island corporate structure. My generation’s openly collaborative nature and free-flowing thoughts are a far cry from the “Mad Men” grey suit and black-tie monotony of years of long cubicle work.
And so my inner millennial said take the opportunity. But something, maybe a holiday light shining the word “faith,” made me hold off on making the call.
Where was my faith? Faith in the process. Faith in the fact that building something worthwhile seldom occurs in an instant.
Piece by piece, the aged company has evolved. From operations to staff and on to facility, the foundation has been fortified. And while not obvious at first, the big picture reveals miles, not inches, of progress.
With this perspective, how could I jump ship? The opportunity was not elsewhere, but rather it was teed up and ready for the taking. Was I ready to take it? Take the road less commonly traveled today. The benefits, although sometimes latent, do exist. All along, the opportunity was not to move on, but rather to stay.
So with this, I challenge the millennial and more senior generations to have faith, in the value of each other and of institutions built over the years, not just overnight. •


Gregory A. Paolino Jr. is general manager of the Paolino Insurance Agency Inc. in Providence.

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