One thing that I've learned in my time of being this thing that people call a "Young Professional," is that you never stop working. That would seem like a sobering thought to the fresh kid out of college (who is going to revolutionize the advertising world), but it has turned into one of my favorite things about being in the working world.

As an employee (and stop me if you've ever heard this one before) you are the face of your company.

I remember the first time that it hit me. I was working with Ann Arbor Radio for about a month, and had gone out to grab a sandwich between sales calls. The person in line behind me was wondering out loud about why one of our stations had decided to change some of it's programming. Not wanting to butt in, I continued to mindlessly look at the menu board, even though I had decided long before what I would be ordering. Then, she turned to me and asked what I thought about the topic. I gave my opinion, as well as some insight into how I "imagined" the decision had been made.

Her expression changed and she tilted her head (a change in body language that I've become accustomed to), and she said, "What, do you work there or something?" Not sure if it was a good thing or not, I came clean and let her know that I did indeed work for the radio station in question. She then vented about what songs she wanted to hear more of, what DJ she liked and which ones she didn't and how she felt when the programming change had been made. In listening to her rant, a realization came to me like a smack in the face.

To her, I WAS the radio station. I was now her place to come with all of her joys, frustrations and criticisms. I was no longer Kyle Stuef. I was my job, and I never stop working.

The reason that this has come to the forefront of my brain is that I had my first experience like this as a contributor for AnnArbor.com today. As a new company (venturing into a new media) there are plenty of questions about how we do business, why we make decisions and how are we going to do things differently (or the same) as the Ann Arbor News. You can ask Tony Dearing, who did town hall meeting after town hall meeting before the site was launched, about how many questions people have for us and how impassioned they are. I (we) love it. I (we) need it. If we don't listen to wants and concerns of the community that we write for, we will miss the mark and fall right on our faces.

It was a normal day for me. I walked to the gas station to grab an Arnold Palmer while I waited for my new tires. I strolled past the counter, found my tea/lemonade, and pulled my dollar out of my pocket. As I walked back to the attendant, I found that he was fielding questions about our Thursday print issue. He didn't have all of the answers, so I chirped in with what I knew on the subject. His one question about delivery turned into two questions about how we choose our articles. Then came that look. The head tilt, the smirk and the slight squint. I beat him to the punch (I told you, I know this look pretty well now). "Yes, I work for them," I said as opened my Arnold Palmer. I knew that I would be there for a few. After all, I now was AnnArbor.com. One person eventually turned into three and after 20 minutes or so, I was paying for a half drank beverage and walking out with a basket full of ideas for new topics and some questions for my boss that I didn't know how to answer.

The moral of the story: Whether you like it or not, when you work for a company (or own your own) you never stop working for them. At the movies, at your kids soccer game or even killing time waiting for new tires, you can become the face of your company at the drop of a hat. You control what people think of the company (irrational or not) and it is important to be aware of it .... to a certain extent. Make sure that people know you are a person. A fully functioning, free thinking person who is not simply a corporate robot. You must be able to listen (really listen, not just nodding and planning your next statement) and relate so that people feel heard. I know this now, because I was not so good at it my first few times as the face of my company. To me, it came down to the age old golden rule. I make sure that I listen to people just like how I would like to be listened to. If I were in a deli with a guy who worked for my cable company, I'm sure I would have a few things to share with him, a question or two and would like to know that my voice was heard.

You never stop working, but it doesn't have to be a bad thing. You can learn a lot about what you do, and who you are really doing it for.

Kyle Stuef is a marketing professional who blogs on Internet/technology trends, and being a young professional in Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor for The Deuce and AnnArbor.com

Thoughts? Suggestions? Favorite type of ice cream? Contact me at any one of these outlets: kstuef@gmail.com @KyleStuef www.linkedin.com/in/kylestuef www.facebook.com/kylestuef