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The Dreaded Conversation
6This morning, I had the conversation with my youngest son that I’ve been hoping I would not have for several more years. Below is an actual transcript of the conversation as it is now forever burned into my memory.
William: “Ummmm, Dad. I need to ask you something.”
Me: “Oh yeah? What’s up?”
William: “Well, we were talking about some stuff at school and I just didn’t know what to say.”
Me: “What do you mean? Who were you talking to?”
William: “My friends… at lunch…”
Me: “Yeah, and what were you talking about?” (now covered in a fine sheen of shvitz)
William: “Well… we were talking about grown up stuff… and…”
Me: (dying slowly while pretending to still be sorta watching Mike & Mike on ESPN2)
William: “... and… well… let me ask you something first…”
Me: “Okay.”
William: “Dad, do you have a job?”
Me: “Yeah, baby, I have a job. That’s what I do when I go to work.”
William: “Okay. Right. Okay. So… ummm… what’s your job?”
Me: “Oh… my job? Well… let’s see… I… uhhh…” (now in full panic - how do you explain IR to a 6-year old?!!?)
I think I mumbled something about helping companies tell their stories to people and help them answer questions when people have questions for them. I may have even mentioned something about intangible assets. Whatever I said, it felt lame but he let me off the hook as he came right back with “Yeah, I thought so. I could do that too when I’m a grown up. Hey Dad, can I still be a fireman and do what you do too?”
Me: “Of course, baby. You can be anything you want - and I know you’ll be great at doing it!”
So I gotta know - how have you explained what investor relations to your kids?
The Conversation
Mariela Castro on February 22, 2010
Rob Berick on February 22, 2010
I love that idea - using Disney is sheer brilliance! Thank you so much for that suggestion… I’ll keep you posted! In the meantime, if you have other ideas, pass them along.
ProxyHound on March 01, 2010
I told my dad I’m a fireman - things are just easier that way.
David Niederman on March 04, 2010
OMG. I just had this with my 6 year old on the drive to school last week and I’m sure I flubbed the answer big time. However, it did strengthen my resolve to take her to a (business) meeting in a couple of years, if I can make sure everyone is on board with it.
Rob Berick on March 05, 2010
A fireman - now why didn’t I think of that?!?
Re: bringing her to a meeting. I think that’s a fine idea but be sure you bring her DS or iPod for when she gets bored 
There are still meetings I wish I had mine with me - LOL
Paul Gallagher on April 08, 2010
My three sons were all in the 5 to 10 range when I moved into IR. Old enough to ask the question, too young to understand the answer.
So I told them that I was in charge of making my company’s stock price go up. Shameful, I know. But I had an ulterior motive.
I told them that if they watched the news every night, they could tell whether I had a good or bad day at work by whether the stock price went up or down. My goal, of course, was mainly to get them to watch the news, not to understand my work.
Almost instantly, they started greeting me at the door with smiles or hiding out in the dining room, assuming that my mood would match the day’s result.
One day, they were at the door with quizzical looks. “Dad,” the middle one said, “You ‘unched’ today. What’s an ‘unch?’”
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About rob
Position:Senior Managing Director
Rob oversees Dix & Eaton’s investor relations practice and is a member of the firm’s Leadership Committee. Over his nearly 20-year career, he has developed and executed investor relations programs for companies in a wide range of industries and market cap sizes.
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Rob, this is sort of explaining how babies are made… we always try to choose the “correct” words.
When I have an idea, and I want to explain it to others, and want them to understand and believe me (and to love my idea, of course), I am inspired by Dan and Chip Heath, in “Made to Stick”. Make your idea simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional, and add a story to it. You don´t need to use all of these elements at the same time, but you can combine them depending on your audience.
In the case of explaining IR to a 6-years-old boy, I would try to adapt it to Disney universe or characters, for example. Because it´s something related to his own experience. How Mickey deals with so many friends at DisneyWorld and with so many visitors (children like you, William!). How he can be in so many different places (movies, toys, mugs) at the same time, and how he has a bunch of people who help him doing so… and that you are one of them… not for Mickey himself or for Disney, but for companies that are like Disney, that have a story to tell, people to entertain etc.
Would it work?? 6-years-old children are sooo unpredictable!!
best, Mariela