How UPS changed me.

ups1990

Well-Known Member
There's no doubt, UPS has molded though out the years. Just like many of you, I started at a very young age and now with many years invested, I've come to develop personal traits that my character lacked as a young man.
Public speaking was my Kryptonite. It affected my education because I lacked the ability to relay my thoughts and ideas to a large crowd thus gaving off an aroma as being soft spoken or low key. This is no more the case , as a driver you go into offices with large waiting rooms or into situations where all of the attention is focused on you and you have to quickly take charge of the action, you have to dictate what the course of action will be. To be passive is only asking to be taken advantage of and have to wait for a signature. People are always curious of what our job enatails and ask us questions and so they look at us and are hearing to what we have to say. My ability to keep the conversation interesting and keep folks laughing has been something that has taken me years to polish. I'm more comfortable walking into any situation at work or away, thanks to UPS.

I know that some here, are very bitter towards ups and will have negative comments given the chance and we see them at our centers as well. They come to work in the morning with that look of just eating a s!&t sandwich. It would be interesting to see how others have been shaped while at UPS.
 

gorilla75jdw

Well-Known Member
keep your chin up as we know how hard we have worked (mentalily and physically) to get to where we are , these people have no idea ..
 

curiousbrain

Well-Known Member
In my short stint at UPS thus far, I've learned some new things, and it has reinforced others that I already thought I knew.

The single thing that has been heavily reinforced at UPS has happened since I was moved into "management": the quickest path to success is to let everyone else fail around you, while you go put in an average (or above average) effort. If you can put in a solid effort day after day, month after month, that is something most around you cannot do - thus, their failure is your shine. It's a little Machiavellian, but then again, I am not encouraging anyone to fail or be crappy at their job - they do that all by themselves.

This is something that may not be applicable to union jobs because the amount of effort is not a requirement for pay; that is not a knock against the union, but merely a statement of how some people exploit the situation. I wanted to make the move into management from the day I started at UPS, so I was willing to eat mountains of crap until I got a small toe in the door.
 

GolfCart

Well-Known Member
I guess I'll take the high road today , Ups has taught me to do everything right hand turns , go to light to leave parking lot , instead of waiting to turn with no light ( left hand turns ) . Heck I even shop , cut grass ( weed eat ) in a loop . No wasted time ! Work smarter not harder . Safe driver for sure . Made thousands of friends over the 20 + years . Its funny , I forget thier names , but I still know some of thier address. Bought tons of stuff out of peoples carports or back yards ( made alot of cash selling it !!) I just ask hey ' " I like that dirtbike , want to sell it ? " They say No or yes , then I move on . Even been a UPS police officer a few times :) , found a house with door kicked in , called in many drug deals going down . So I am always calling my local police dispatch for the small stuff, 911 if its a big deal . THE OLD UPS taught me alot , the new UPS , well ............ like I said going to take the high road and not talk about the evil and hate today :) . Very happy to have a job at UPS , but like any job thier are many problems .
 
P

Playdoe

Guest
UPS is what you make of it. UPS has provided excellent benefits for me and my family of 5. I am 29 years full time 28 years safe driver. Package and Feeders. 99.99% great co workers. Five years college ala UPS. 10 thousand + audio books. UPS is ALPHA male training seassoned with cliches like, "Show Up, Keep Up, and Shut Up. Sometimes it is better to listen than to talk. It is what it is." The point is that I never take the job home. I do not take the job personally. I use the tools offered, eg. contract, methods, training, etc., to be the best and win every situation. It is an easy gig for the money.
 

Cementups

Box Monkey
How has UPS shaped me? It shaped me BIGGER and ROUNDER. I started driving package car in 1996 at 200 pounds and over the next several years I plumped up to 270 in December 2009. I since had lost 40 pounds.

As far as your public speaking avenue, I've never been a big speaker in groups of 5 or more, even to this day. But wearing this brown uniform is kind of like a super hero costume. It even makes it that I can talk to random strangers and stops.
 

ups1990

Well-Known Member
Great replies so far, cementups, we have drivers that were always overweight and since becoming drivers have lost the extra pounds and now have physical regiments outside of work.
 

Catatonic

Nine Lives
UPS has taught me many things and I feel I grew up at UPS and the work ethic, ideas and morality demonstrated by other UPSers helped to shape my life.

- I learned that there are no absolutes, one has to adapt to changing conditions

- I learned that there are no perfect solutions but there are optimal solutions

- I learned that perfection is an idea but reality is a balance of acceptable results balanced with cost to provide

- I learned that Quality is not perfection but adherence to a set of specifications

- I learned that if a group of people set their mind to achieving a goal, seemingly unrealistic goals can be reached

- I learned to breakdown complex tasks into smaller manageable groups of deliverables

- I learned to balance my family life against the demands of work

I learned so many more things but one thing I absolutely learned is "It is what it is" ... adapt and deal with it.
 

old levi's

blank space
UPS has taught me many things and I feel I grew up at UPS and the work ethic, ideas and morality demonstrated by other UPSers helped to shape my life.

- I learned that there are no absolutes, one has to adapt to changing conditions

- I learned that there are no perfect solutions but there are optimal solutions

- I learned that perfection is an idea but reality is a balance of acceptable results balanced with cost to provide

- I learned that Quality is not perfection but adherence to a set of specifications

- I learned that if a group of people set their mind to achieving a goal, seemingly unrealistic goals can be reached

- I learned to breakdown complex tasks into smaller manageable groups of deliverables

- I learned to balance my family life against the demands of work

I learned so many more things but one thing I absolutely learned is "It is what it is" ... adapt and deal with it.

Adaptation is the key to survival.
 

code5

Well-Known Member
I have learned that you shouldn't ever fight the system because you will never win. Play within the system the best you can, but don't get the point where all you do is kiss butt either. Don't let yourself get taken advantage of, but don't go above and beyond everyday either - it gets you nothing but a bad back and spinning brain cells!

I've learned to enjoy your customers because we really don't have co-workers. Treat these people like you like to be treated and it comes back to you X 10.

I've learned to tell my kids not to take big money too early on in life cause it will come back to haunt you. Get an education and try a few low paying jobs first if it leads to good experience to what you really want to do.

I've learned that i'm in the position I'm in because of my choices and nobody has put a gun to my head.

I've learned that grass isn't always greener on the other side. UPS isn't the only organization that seems rather goofy, there are lots of them.

I've learned that UPS isn't as bad as I make it out to be, i've simply been doing the same job for far too long.

Finally, i've learned that if I play my cards right, I will eventually get anything i've ever wanted, but nobody is gonna hand it over to me.
 
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