Has it been 6 months already? My life on the Lysol brand team

Hello!  This is my first post as a member of the RB blogger team, and I am excited to have the opportunity to share my thoughts and experiences with you in the coming months through my weekly contributions to My RB Opportunity.

I thought that the title “Has it been 6 months already?” truly sheds light on the speed and intensity of my career experience at RB thus far.  I have hit the ground running, and I haven’t had a moment to look back yet!

It was the morning of Monday, July 13, 2009 when I walked through the doors of RB’s U.S. headquarters in Parsippany, NJ, and joined the Lysol brand team as an Assistant Brand Manager for Toilet Bowl and Bathroom Cleaners.

There was little orientation and I wasn’t the “new guy” for long, immediately becoming a contributing member of the team and immersed in the day-to-day activities and projects of the brand, many of which I soon started managing and leading on my own.

It is very exciting and humbling to be on such a nationally-recognized and universally-trusted brand.  And while some people out there may not think too deeply about the world of household cleaning products, I have learned just how much thought, research, analysis, time and effort goes into every one of those products sitting on the retailer’s shelf.

I have also learned what it takes to be in brand management.  A brand manager is in many cases the general manager of a business, and he/she often acts as a project manager or the hub of a cross-functional team.  A brand manager must be a solid relationship builder to keep teams strong, cohesive and productive, and must be “dangerously” knowledgeable in all the areas of the business in order to make meaningful and effective decisions for the direction of any given project.  It’s not easy; however, RB has given me this challenge and I am proud to have the opportunity to face it head on.

I can’t believe how fast my first six months have flown by, but that just goes to show you how engaging an opportunity is at RB.  It also helps that you get the opportunity to work with other similarly-motivated, ambitious individuals, as RB does a great job selecting team members whose values and motivations align with the company’s 4 Core Values: Achievement, Ownership, Team Spirit and Entrepreneurship.

Now, working on Lysol Bathroom Cleaners and Dual Action Wipes, as well as being a cross-functional team lead on the Lysol web team, I look forward to sharing more of my RB experiences and stories with you in the coming weeks!