As a mentor of young men and women, overseeing a large organization and assisting others with their personnel, I often see development errors. There are those that feel they deserve the reward, before they have actually earned it, as if it is a credit card for achievement. One must lay the ground work of success before they expect prosperity.
When I was younger, I wanted to get a new T.V., a big 40 inch plasma with surround sound. The going cost for this was $10,000 at the time. I did not have $10,000 sitting around to use for that, so I did what every normal american did, and charged it on a credit card. That was about 15 years ago, and oddly enough, I still have that T.V. but the cost I had to pay in interest on that purchase was not a wise investment.
The heartache people have when they are put into successful positions when they are not ready are the similar to me paying a ton of interest. There is frustration, anger, loss of motivation and often feeling overwhelmed. Why? Because you are not there yet. Ask yourself a few questions to get you where you need to be to get you the success you want.
- What are you stepping into? Do you know exactly what your stepping into or is it just the glamor and glitter of having power and money? If you don’t know what your stepping into you will definitely be frustrated. Figure out what you are stepping into and map it out before you make your decision.
- Where are the tools you need? Do you need training or do you assume you already know it? This is the most dangerous mistake you can make and generally those will be passed when an evaluation or promotion come out. Spend time crafting your skill.
- Can you be the village idiot? Get off your ask! Ask the questions about this task or reward. Not from the people higher up, but those in that role. Research what mistakes they might have made and what what they learned from those mistakes. Look for the answers, develop yourself into success.
I always do my research. For instance, when I wanted to make a 9 foot cup to set a Guinness World Record I would call several manufacturers to ask how to make a 9 foot cup and of course they would act like I was on drugs. I am if you count Chick-fil-A as drugs, because I have had many costumers tell me we put crack in our chicken. now, if they could not help me, I would always finish with….. Do you know anyone that CAN help me? Generally they would tell me someone whom may know more than them. Eventually I got it done.
In my opinion in most cases experience trumps degree, not all, but most. If you want that award, that position, that recognition, or success, remember this;
The real sign of intelligence is taking action. – Napoleon Hill; Author, “Think And Grow Rich.”