January 18, 2018: Question Series #3
Written By: Marc Moskowitz
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Everyone has a story, some more crazy and colorful than others, but everyone has one. Your career story is who you are, and has likely defined what your successes and failures have been. I’m always fascinated by people’s career stories, and enjoy learning about how they arrived at the place that they have, regardless of their spot on the corporate ladder. It’s likely the amateur sociologist in me finding my true calling late in life, but I love it!
The stories I enjoy the most are the ones surrounding the decision to leave a company, how they landed at their current company, and the craziest/riskiest life-altering circumstances and achievements that they’ve encountered, good or bad. These are the kinds of things that alter personal histories, and define who we are in the business world and in life. Start to ask yourself:
- What would have happened if I had taken this job for more money, but also required more travel?
- What if my start-up company had never failed, where would I be now?
- How did I get so lucky to be in a great position so young or with such a prestigious company?
- Why did I come to this interview so prepared, but everything we spoke about was so off-topic?
- Is there anything I regret about my career, or did I learn something from every stop?
Those are just a few of the “deep thought” questions a lot of people might ask themselves from time to time. I know I do. Take a minute and think about your career experiences. Use the following words/phrases to help spark your thoughts: amazing achievements, lowest point, unemployed, risky decision, good/bad manager, family life, money, first job.
Now that you’ve had a few minutes of reflection, I want to play my favorite ice-breaker game of all time, Three Truths and One Lie. However, I’m going to expand it a bit to Nine Truths and One Lie, because there is too much fun to be had to limit us to only three! The typical goal of this game is to introduce yourself to a new group of people by telling stories about your past, one of which stretches the truth or is a flat out lie. It’s a lot of fun, and if you learn nothing else from this article, use this game next time you need an ice-breaker.
The goal for me today is not to tell you all my deep, dark personal secrets of years gone by, but to show you how all of us can learn from our career journey, even the crazy and not so believable experiences. Too few of us sit back and reflect on our experiences in order to enable more success in the future. Further, I want to show you that there is no such things as a “normal” career experience, that it’s ok to not follow the dollars all the time, and that you can thrive even when you are seemingly in over your head; all you need is confidence.
Let’s get started. Below are my nine career truths and one career lie, followed by what I learned from each one. It’s your job to figure out which one sticks out as false, and to take my learning and reflect upon your own experiences. After that, I urge you to take your learning points, and use them to make yourself and your colleagues better than you are today….We’re off:
I left the company that I liked most, twice: Yes, you read that right. I know, I know, sounds silly, but there are legitimate reasons why, and they were both calculated decisions: The first time was to join a start-up company with the opportunity to lead my first technology department and work at the executive level with Fortune 50 clients. The second time, I was recruited to start a PMO office for a multi-billion-dollar company and own an eight-figure program budget. You might think those opportunities sound like my decision was easy, but it wasn’t either time. I really liked this employer, and still think they are the best company I’ve ever worked for. They treated their people extremely well and with respect. So, what did I learn?
- Taking calculated career risks without ever second guessing yourself is ok (as both of my new ventures ended more quickly than I wanted; one was a start-up running out of money and the other was because of an acquisition)
- That opportunity for new, bigger success was a stronger force than the status quo, even when you liked the status quo.
At 25, I was the last executive left after the CEO, CFO, and Operations Director were all fired: Only in a start-up world is this possible. After a new investor came in and let go all the other existing executives, I was the last of the “old guard” standing as the VP of Technology. While he was putting his new executive team in place, I inherited many more responsibilities, including overseeing all of operations. The company didn’t survive too much longer after this transformation was completed, because of the dollars required to go forward. I sure learned a lot from this crazy experience. I learned:
- That telling the truth is always best, even when it’s ugly
- That knowing the underlying business of your company well will always give you a leg up as a technology executive
- That being confident in one’s self, regardless of your age, makes a huge difference. I was in the early part of my career when this all happened. Side Note: I also learned, ten years later, the technology my team had built was still being used, after being sold to another company. That made me feel really good!
I once drove two and a half hours for an interview with a hiring manager in a five-star restaurant to see that he showed up in flip-flops, torn khaki pants, and an untucked, wrinkly polo shirt: Pretty funny, huh? I received an offer 30 minutes after I left, while still in my car. My key learning:
- Never judge a book by its cover
- That going out of my way to make someone else’s day more convenient can send back positive vibes, and an offer in this case. All company cultures and people are different, and I personally liked this relaxed kind of atmosphere. It told me all I needed to know about what I was signing up for.
I believe my biggest career achievements are people and team-building related. I’ve been blessed to have the opportunity to manage people since early on in my career. It has enabled me to do great things when it comes to building high-performance teams, fostering an environment where my people could grow, and accomplishing things others thought impossible with the same group of people. I don’t say all of this to pound my own chest, but use it as motivation for others. Building a great team is 90% of any battle, regardless of what discipline or industry you are in. It should be any executive’s or manager’s number one priority. What I’ve learned from my team building experiences are as follows:
- Everyone is motivated by different things. Take time to find out what’s important to your people and manage them that way. Make it personal. The best reward I have ever received in my career was not a bonus or a raise (though those are always nice), but it was some help with purchasing tickets to the World Series to see my beloved St. Louis Cardinals. That was not only personal to me, but a priceless memory I got to share with my father.
- Don’t underestimate your ability to coach and mentor your team. Most managers and executives are not strong in this area, yet it’s very important to most employees. It’s time well spent. I’ve seen and directed a lot of miracles when it comes to growing and achieving with teams, so I know it can make a significant difference.
- Give all the credit to your team. This philosophy has probably hurt me with my own career, but I’m not going to change my style anytime soon. I’m a big believer that a manager/executive is only as good as their team, and all the credit should go to them. The leaders who take all the credit may win the sprint, but often stumble in the marathon. Good leaders will get their requisite recognition, but that should come from others seeing the positive work, not from self-promotion.
I’ve turned down offers for more lucrative jobs more than once: You read that right, more than once. Money is always important, but it’s definitely only one of many factors that make a job worth keeping or taking. Things like travel time, corporate culture, what you’ll be working on, your boss, future opportunities, and your current relationships should all come into play. I’ve watched many of my friends and colleagues jump from job to job, just for the extra money. Almost universally, they regretted a lot of those moves or found themselves in situations that were less than perfect. What I’ve learned from turning down these opportunities are the following things:
- It’s hard, very hard, to say no to more dollars
- Unless it’s a lifestyle changing amount of money, take money completely out of the equation
- Step back and think through all the factors of the new offer/company, when you’re in a relaxed state with a clear mind
Talk through the pros and cons with a trusted friend or mentor. It will bring your thought processes full circle. I haven’t regretted any of the decisions I’ve made to date.
I’ve traveled all over the world for work and believe it makes me a better leader, a more valuable employee, and a better person: With all of the technology that is available today, a lot of companies are restricting travel for their employees and managers. I believe it’s wise to travel only when necessary, but also believe there is a lot of value to be gained from doing so in the right circumstances, especially when you have teams located all over the world (interesting article on the same topic here). Here’s what I’ve learned from my travel:
- Meeting a colleague face-to-face almost always makes a work relationship stronger. People are more likely to go out of their way for you, and it’s easier to convey what you each need from one another. Trust is built more rapidly
- Spending time around different cultures made me a better leader and global citizen. You truly get to understand what the world is all about and how amazing people of all kinds are. It will teach you how global organizations function, and what’s important in different regions of the world to be successful in business
- Celebrating successes in person with your global teams is critically important. A lot of companies, big and small, have development centers in emerging/developing-market countries. The employees/consultants in those centers work extremely hard and often make or break your project or company success. Get yourself or your management team to those centers on a regular basis and celebrate. It builds long-term trust, value, and memories. It goes a lot further than you would expect
I sold One-Million dollars worth of consulting in my first full year of running my own company: It wasn’t my intention to start my own consulting business at the time, but I didn’t find any other jobs that called out to me. After the acquisition of the company I was working for, I started working on small contracts. It turned into a consulting business where I was able to sell over a million dollars worth of projects for myself and others in my first full calendar year. It was extremely challenging and rewarding, all at the same time. It was also a dream fulfilled that more people should try. It’s not for everyone, but it’s liberating in so many ways that I will write about it in a future #QuestionSeries article. For now, what I believe I learned from this is the following:
- Don’t ever be afraid to follow your business dreams; I’m sure I will again at some point in the future, when the time is right
- Having your own business is something special, but extremely challenging
- Being on the hook to sell your own paycheck and other people’s paychecks will make every other challenge you face at future jobs seem like a piece of cake
I have never been fired or let go, though I’ve lost very good colleagues at every place I’ve been: It’s just the reality of our times, but every company now uses layoffs as part of their normal operations. The sad truth is it’s easier to do this, than to do longer-term planning well and reduce the need for it. I truly applaud the companies that use layoffs as a last resort versus those that do it consistently to squeeze out every last penny of costs or make up for overspending. I’m a big believer that in the digital/knowledge age, the only competitive advantage you have are your employees. If you look at all of the financial research on companies with happy employees you will see a big difference in their financial returns versus those companies that rank lower (a few supporting articles: Forbes, FastCompany, Inc). I’ve learned a few things over the years while watching my colleagues get released:
- It’s never easy to see your colleagues go through this process, as for many of them it can be a life-changing event. It’s also never easy on those that remain, as it usually means more work piled onto less people
- Always be prepared for this reality, as it will likely happen to you one day
- Offer help to those who were released, they will need it. Resume reviews, networking, introductions, interview preparation and being a cheerleader are all things that will be appreciated. It will come back to you many-fold with good karma down the road
- In most cases it doesn’t matter if you are a top-performer or a below-average performer, it’s usually about the almighty dollar. That said, being in the bottom tier of performers never helps
I’ve worked for a CEO who raised millions of dollars for a start-up company, hired dozens of his buddies, blew the money within a year, got fired, and then watched the company shrink back down to 20 people, on the verge of bankruptcy: It sounds like an unbelievable story doesn’t it? It nearly cost the company it’s life. Fortunately, the company was able to rebound and still exists today stronger than ever. It took years for it to get back on track. Going through all of this, and having a first-hand view (since I worked for said CEO once he joined), taught me a lot about the small company world, and what kind of damage a less than competent executive can have on an organization. I learned:
- Financial management matters. The CEO of said company was poor at it, and wasted a lot of money on his unqualified friends and other needless expenses. It cost him his job and his integrity
- Integrity is a must. It matters for every level of employee, and it’s something I’ve learned to hone in on when hiring for my teams. It’s even more important for the executive level, as they have more power of the purse and over people’s lives
- It’s OK to question the boss, as long as you do it appropriately. I saw a lot of things I didn’t like during this time. I did push back when it warranted, but always did so with respect and facts. I didn’t win all of my battles, but I was satisfied that I had done what was appropriate and everyone knew where I stood.
I’ve been through an interview (and accepted an offer later on) with a very prestigious company where they didn’t ask a single question about my accomplishments, education, or skills: Hard to believe, right? There are a multitude of different interview styles and techniques out there, but this one was the most interesting of any interview I’ve ever done. I literally chatted to the interviewer about my love of St. Louis Cardinals Baseball and Florida State Football for an hour. It was truly an amazing experience, that I wasn’t sure how to interpret at the time. Looking back on it, it wouldn’t be a style that I would use to determine the best candidate for a job, but I did learn the following things from it:
- You never know what you’re going to get when heading to an interview
- Communication skills are key to most jobs these days, so being able to chat it up with someone on any number of topics is a good skill to have
- People hire who they like, as many people will have similar skillsets to yours. Be likable during an interview, and you’ll increase your odds of getting hired
You’ve now read all about my career journey and the things that I have learned from it. Now it’s your turn to decide which one is not true? I’m only going to reveal the answer once I have enough guesses in the comments section.
What has your career journey taught you? Please comment below so we can see what more of our colleagues can teach us.
Thanks for reading!
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