The Boss Might Be Paying Our Wages, But Ultimately We Work for Ourselves

I was eighteen years old, and completely terrified. I was one slip away from death, one mistake away from my life ending before it had really begun. Yet it was one of the best things that ever happened to me. And it was there—full of fear and adrenaline—that I learned one of the most valuable lessons that any business leader can ever hope to learn.

I was the youngest crew member aboard the Atlantic Sea, and we were one week into our journey hauling fertilizer from Germany to Japan when we hit the English Channel. The winds picked up and the waves started playing with us like a cat with an injured mouse.

Soon we were pitching and rolling drunkenly, and between the wind and the waves the ship started to suffer. The antenna snapped off, leaving us without radio. Replacing it was an immediate priority, but instead of handing the job to one of the old-timers on board, the Captain informed me that I was going to do it.

I looked up at the fifty-foot mast. It was lurching violently from side to side. I had no idea how to get up, let alone how to deal with the antenna.

Part of me hoped that the Captain would see my hesitation and ask somebody else, but deep down I knew that if I backed away from the challenge I would regret it.

The crew loaded me up with wrenches, ropes and bolts, and clipped the spare antenna to my work belt. I climbed onto a narrow wooden seat attached to a long coil of rope and let them hoist me all the way up.

It was worse than I feared.

The ship’s motion was magnified up there, and each pitch and roll sent me flying wildly from one side to the other. I chanced a quick look down, saw the ocean crashing over the deck, and felt my fear intensify.

Gripping the mast with both my legs and one arm, I used my free hand to remove what was left of the old antenna and reattach the new one. Everything was constantly in motion—the waves, the wind, the rain and my little wooden seat. I thought I might fall at any moment.

By the time the job was done and I was lowered back down to the deck, I was exhausted and frozen numb. For the first time in my life, I was seasick, but I was also happy. I had overcome a mighty fear and earned the praise of the crew. I had proven myself worthy of the Captain’s trust. I was eighteen years old but I had proven myself to be a valued member of the crew. My confidence could not have been higher.

But the greatest gift the Captain gave me that day was not a boost to my ego or a sense of being valued by my peers. It was the work itself, and the knowledge that I had just been able to do something of value. I wasn’t just a scrawny eighteen-year-old with little to offer, but a part of the team that made the journey a success.

Decades passed and I became an engineer, then built thriving manufacturing businesses. I became an entrepreneur and a philanthropist, but I never forgot the lesson learned at the top of that mast.

When I became a business owner, I was determined to create a workplace culture that would allow both my employees to feel that same sense of ownership and value. I didn’t want my staff to feel like they were just another faceless hired hand working for a paycheck. I wanted them to feel valued and to know that the success of the business was directly linked to them.

So I pushed them, just like the Captain pushed me. I set expectations high, gave them opportunities to thrive. At times they were a little daunted, maybe even a little scared, but I made sure that they didn’t fail. I gave them all the support that I could, and show them the direct link between their efforts and the business’s success—giving regular bonuses and always sharing the profits.

We can’t all be business owners, but I believe that good employers strive to develop a sense of ownership among their employees. By consistently encouraging staff to develop their skills and add to their experience, by paying well, and by supporting fully, we find that staff performance, satisfaction and retention all improve. And when that happens, we all get to win.

Generosity is not counter to profitability. Ownership is not the preserve of the few. When we find real value and meaning in what we do, it can transform anything—even a near-death experience in the middle of an ocean storm.

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Written by: By George E. Danis

George E. Danis is a successful businessman, organizer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Born into poverty in rural Greece, George entered the U.S. as an illegal immigrant, yet decades later was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in recognition of his philanthropic endeavors and promotion of democracy. His new book is Go Far, Give Back, Live Greek (Amplify Publishing Group, Aug. 6, 2024). Learn more at georgedanis.com.