Have you ever been thrown into a situation where you felt totally unqualified and in over your head? Within the first month of my second job out of college, I had my trial by fire.
Before I finally left corporate work and focused on my mission of being a professional coach, I worked as an engineer. It’s funny how every situation can teach you lessons if you look deep enough.
When I started working for AHRI, I had just left what I now consider the worst company I ever worked for. You know, the kind where you hope that it just burns to the ground as soon as you turn in the key and walk out the door for the last time.
AHRI would prove to be a completely different atmosphere; one that would help me grow professionally and as a leader. My work at AHRI started by managing testing of geothermal equipment. Entire production lines can hinge on the pass or fail of a single prototype. In this particular situation, I found myself having to mediate a dispute between a manufacturer and the lab where we did testing.
This was a dispute that had gone unresolved for several months and cost both parties dearly in time and money. Have you ever felt like the last guy who had your job screwed things up out of spite? That’s how I felt having to clean up this mess.
Digging up old meeting notes, emails, and test reports didn’t help much because there was way too much information; and I didn't have the technical expertise or experience to make heads or tails of the situation. Imagine being thrown in the deep end of the pool on your first swimming lesson.
Whenever I got either party on the phone, they kept trying to bully me into making a decision in their favor.
Finally, I decided to call a meeting with my bosses. After all, wouldn’t you want to 1) get the best people together to solve the problem and 2) cover your ass so that the ones giving your 1-year review would buy into your decision?.
Brand new employees don’t usually call meetings with the Department VP, Senior VP and Direct Manager, but I was determined to get to a solution as quickly as possible. Also, what did I really have to lose?
We discussed my proposal late into the evening. The next day, I got their decision.
My bosses were so impressed by my initiative to recruit their expertise, get their buy-in and come up with a solution that they said,” We will support any decision or plan that you propose because we are confident that you will follow through and you can deal with whatever happens afterwards.”
As it turns out, my predecessor was fired for letting issues like these go unresolved. By approaching the problem head-on, being willing to mediate, gathering the right information, and pulling my bosses into a meeting to come up with a solution, I built a reputation for my willingness to take on “problem customers.”
As it turns out, “problem customers” were just frustrated about being ignored. Go figure, right?
(This was me after I Implemented "Suspender Fridays")
When you take on challenges, you gain confidence. Even when you don’t “win,” you still get a sense of accomplishment from trying.
With each challenge, your willingness to do more grows.
Eventually, you become the “go-to” guy; and that feels great.
In order to grow, you need to seek out opportunities and step out of your comfort zone, knowing that each of these opportunities is a path that brings you closer to leadership.
As a dad, roughly 80% of situations you experience are way outside your comfort zone. If you’ve got a better percentage, then I’m looking forward to your next book. If you’re like me, you’re 1 of 2 or the sole source of income for your family.
Excelling in your career can mean the difference between paying cash up front for your kid’s college tuition or resorting to predatory student loans just so they can have the best chances of success in life. The sooner you see this and act on it, the sooner you become the leader that your family needs.
In my Unshakable, Unstoppable, Immovable training module, you’ll learn how to gain the confidence to perform beyond your limitations, gain strength of character by stepping outside your comfort zone, and be seen as a hero for doing so. You’ll learn how to stand out among your peers and colleagues; and how to consistently gain the respect of your bosses. More importantly, you will build confidence from within. Trial by fire becomes less scary when you have the confidence to walk on burning coals.
For more information about Project: Warrior Dad, contact me at coach_rup@roninmonsterfactory.com.
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