trying harder
I’ve been on the same career path for most of my adult life. A path not chosen but sort of stumbled upon accidentally. I’ve tried my best to remain out of vision.
“Keep my head down and do my job”. However, in sales, that isn’t the best policy towards growth and it has prevented me from truly shining. I’ve struggled with my career “choice” for much of my life, yet I’ve never truly given it an honest attempt.
With that in mind, I recently applied for the newly opened sales manager position. This was the first time in my career that I applied for a new position within the same company. Every other time I’ve been restless in a job, I looked for change outside of the company.
It took a lot to convince myself that I was both qualified and ready for the promotion and once I was sure, I submitted myself for it. A few days later, I was contacted for an interview. My regional manager flew out and interviewed 6 people. I think I realized that it was time to grow up and be the adult and do the job I’m being paid to do. The very process of self-exploration and risk may have jumpstarted me because I’ve found a new sense of purpose and drive. I’ve pushed myself to give it another go and be more successful in my efforts… and it seems to have paid off.
I didn’t get the position. It went to my colleague Sam, who is much more qualified and deserving of the it than I. Sam has been with the company for 14 years and has been sort of a mentor to me since I’ve joined the company. It was disappointing that I didn’t get the job, and I’m sad about it, but I’m also excited about Sam’s leadership potential and the potential he has to improve upon things within the sales structure of the company.
But I tried. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and I interviewed and I reached inside. The process scared me but I’m glad I went through it.
Career advancement is kind of like exercise. It’s easy to shrug off just doing it, sometimes there’s fear, but when you do actually make the effort, no matter how small, you feel proud of yourself for at least trying. A sense of accomplishment has a high of its own. Okay, so it’s not as high as some junk you could put inside you, but it lasts a lot longer and it gives you the confidence to try again and again. Congrats and good luck. Your life seems to really be getting better for you the past year or two, but taht’s mostly due to your own actions. Don’t stop now.