As a double immigrant who worked his way through high school and university, I’m a big believer in the lifelong benefits of working on the front line of a service business early in life.

One of my first front-line jobs was in the retail sector working at one of the biggest sports stores in Toronto. This job taught me how to work with diverse colleagues and adjust to the grueling demands of store managers trying to hit their numbers while handling dissatisfied customers wanting a better deal.

After an initial test period, the store manager, a tough but fair French Canadian who loved the sports retail business, allocated his staff according to their talents, moving us around to the departments where we performed best. He also had an eye for talent. He was particularly interested in quick learners who could conquer a complex department like ski equipment or hockey skates and outsell others. Looking back, he managed an informal talent marketplace in one of the world’s most diverse cities extremely well. It was an incredibly diverse meritocracy: Jamaican kids rose from selling track shoes to managing winter sports, and women moved from apparel to assistant manager roles overseeing budgets and purchasing.

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