Leadership does not start with a title. It starts with opportunity, responsibility, and trust.
In Episode 6 of The Joe McNeil Podcast, I sat down with Mikayla Ramos, our Marketing Director at Short Game and the longest tenured non McNeil on our team. Mikayla’s story is one of the clearest examples I’ve seen of what happens when you give young people real responsibility early and then let them grow through it.
She was hired at 16 years old before the building even existed. Literally. There was land, a plan, and a vision, but no facility yet. What stood out was not that she needed a job. It was that she talked about leadership, growth, and wanting to become more. That matters.
Getting Hired Before the Doors Opened
Mikayla reached out while she was still in high school, looking for work. At the time, Short Game had not opened yet. We were still building, planning, and preparing. She ended up taking another job in the meantime, but I kept her email. Something about it stood out.
When we finally opened, she was there on day one.
Opening day was chaos. New systems, new staff, new expectations, and plenty of mistakes. Training days included way too much Domino’s pizza and a hot dog roller that probably should have been retired earlier than it was. Mikayla knew nothing about golf, but that never mattered. What mattered was her willingness to learn and her attitude toward responsibility.
Why Culture Matters More Than Perks
One of the things Mikayla shared was how different Short Game felt compared to her previous jobs. It was not just a place you clocked in and clocked out. It felt like family.
She talked about how our team felt more like brothers and sisters, how we laughed a lot, pranked each other, and actually cared about each other. That culture did not happen by accident. It came from shared work, shared stress, and shared wins.
Culture is built when people feel safe enough to make mistakes and supported enough to learn from them.
Growing Into Leadership at a Young Age
Mikayla started at the front counter. Over time, she grew into a team lead role, which is not easy when you are 16 and managing people older than you.
She was nervous. She questioned whether people would respect her. That is normal. Leadership is uncomfortable when you are doing it right.
What she learned was simple but powerful. Respect people, work alongside them, and do the job with them, not above them. Leadership is not about authority. It is about responsibility.
Discipline Transfers Everywhere
One of the most impressive parts of Mikayla’s story has nothing to do with marketing.
She ran her first marathon.
Training meant early mornings, discipline, and consistency. At one point, her longest training run was over 20 miles. She talked about working out at 4 a.m. and hearing people say they do not have time. The truth is, we all have the same 24 hours. Discipline is how you use them.
That discipline carried into school and work. Mikayla is on an accelerated college track at UIW, taking heavy course loads with no real breaks. For her, college is a stepping stone, not a destination.
Learning Marketing in the Real World
Mikayla did not discover marketing in a classroom. She discovered it by doing.
She started helping with social media, flyers, and promotions. People noticed. She noticed. She found herself researching marketing and business on her own time. That curiosity is everything.
We did not wait for her to get a degree to give her responsibility. We let her try, fail, adjust, and improve. Some things were rough early. That is part of learning. You are supposed to be bad at things at first.
Growth comes faster when embarrassment does not stop you.
Leadership Development and Imperfect Action
As a team, we read Pound the Stone together and talked about it in meetings. Leadership development is not about motivation quotes on a wall. It is about habits, consistency, and doing the work even when it is boring.
I am not a perfectionist. I misspell things. I put flyers out that should have been proofread better. We had a menu item misspelled so badly it became a running joke. Instead of hiding it, the team laughed about it.
Letting people fail without fear creates growth faster than demanding perfection.
Customer Service and Protecting the Team
We also talked about the realities of customer service. Most customers are incredible. A small percentage are not.
Mikayla shared stories about difficult customers, negotiating aggressively, raising their voices, and crossing boundaries. One of my responsibilities as a leader is to protect the team. I will not allow adults to intimidate young employees.
We always aim to give a great guest experience, own mistakes, and make things right. At the same time, protecting your people matters just as much as protecting your brand.
Advice for Young People and Leaders
Mikayla’s advice for students is simple. Try things. Shadow people. Get exposure before locking into a path. You cannot decide what you want to do if you have never seen it up close.
My advice to leaders is just as simple. Give young people responsibility earlier than feels comfortable. Invest in them whether they stay with you forever or not. If they leave better than when they arrived, you did your job.
Final Thoughts
Episode 6 is about more than marketing. It is about growing leaders early, trusting people before they feel ready, and creating environments where learning happens through action.
Mikayla’s growth did not come from waiting. It came from stepping into responsibility before she felt qualified.
That is how leaders are built.
🎧 Listen and Watch Episode 6
Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/2W1Fcn3BKTFhbB5akLxsE1
Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-joe-mcneil-podcast/id1871753318
YouTube
Episode 6
Leave a Reply