Sales. Life. Growth
When I was younger, I practiced signing my name on every baseball I could find. I knew that I would play pro ball someday. I wanted to be a millionaire. A million dollars… it seemed like such an enormous sum. Today, it’s a billion. But the billion I want isn’t for me. [Read more…]
My good friend Russ would always say “You can’t soar with eagles if you’re hanging with turkeys.” I’m sure I misquoted it and I think he might have gotten it somewhere. Russ had a stable of one-liners and the confidence to deliver them without remorse.
He’s right. If you desire to change your circumstance, to rewrite your story, to become more, then you absolutely must surround yourself with the right people.
I started a job four years ago. It was just until I figured out my next step. Four years I spent and I developed great relationships with my customers, learned a lot, and developed new skills. It was supposed to be temporary… It wasn’t.
Four years I spent slowly shifting my gaze from up to down. I looked down and watched as I wore the soles off my shoes on my treadmill of a job. I became the grind… I started to commiserate with anyone who would listen. I started to settle. That’s just not me.
I was the kid who “played business” in elementary school. I’m the kid whose favorite encyclopedia was “M” because there in the middle in full grayscale glory, was a spread of all the US currency ever printed. Even at a young age I dreamed of success… a success that isn’t going to come from a job.
I need to feel a passion for what I’m doing. I need to feel my impact. I want to grow, achieve… I want to win. I want to be the best provider for my family. I want to enjoy and believe in what I do.
These are my expectations for my team at Beyond.
If you need a job, you’re not the right fit.
If you need more… if you want a true opportunity… if you are tired of being a cog in a wheel… then this might be the team for you.
Onward and upward my friends. Let’s go Beyond.
This isn’t news to many, certainly not to me, but the annual routine of granting incremental pay increases is fading away. As job markets continue to tighten for good paying jobs, companies are looking for more impactful ways of rewarding good performance.
The annual raise just doesn’t work. For starters, it’s far too infrequent to make a difference. Once a year based on an often arbitrary review of performance does little to nothing to change the motivation of an employee.
Second, how much is 3% really worth? That’s the average increase for the average employee, with stellar employees receiving an average of less than 5% according to a Bloomberg article written in July 2016. Kiplinger expects the average rate to drop in 2017. If you are making $45,000 per year, what is $1,200 per year really going to do for you?
Our costs keep increasing, and often outpacing the pittance offered in this annual raise. While some companies are fleeing the annual raise model for a more performance based bonus structure, others are doing away with it altogether. The annual raise is not a reward, it’s to keep you from leaving.
How many raises do you have left before you retire? I often forget that I am closer to 40 than 30. If I were to count on annual raises to get me to a comfortable retirement, I’d have maybe 20 left if I didn’t get let go for a younger, less expensive model. No thanks, I’d rather own my income – literally.
Where does that leave strong performers? Consider a bank manager or salesperson who grows their center revenue by 5% year after year. Fast forward 10 years and that person, without a significant promotion, is making no more than $15,000 more than when they started.
If $15,000 over 10 years as a pay increase works for you, then stop reading now. While it seems like a lot to some, I promise you that money goes quickly. Apple’s new iPhone is supposedly going to cost over $1,000 and I haven’t met a trip to the grocery store that settles at less than $150.
You need to take control of your income. I left a job for which I was paid well. I had good benefits. Even if the company culture was strong, which it wasn’t, I couldn’t stay. I saw guys 10, 12, 18 years in making only slightly more than when they started. They were treading water for decades and after four years my legs were already tired.
Go where growth is part of the culture. Find a place that hires and promotes from within. My last job hired two outside people for top tier sales positions, ignoring the contributions of internal highly qualified producers.
Be a part of something that matters. This isn’t mandatory by any stretch, but consider this: doing a kindness for a stranger is the best anti-depressant available. Sometimes, even when you’re paid well, have a good culture at work, enjoy what you do… you look for more.
There’s two options, get involved, or join a movement. Find an outlet for helping people – head up a non-profit event or two, work a soup kitchen line from time to time, volunteer to help those who need it. Another path to take would be to do what I did. Join a company whose mission is about giving back, not just paying out investors. When a great cause IS a shareholder, when the employees ARE shareholders, shareholder primacy starts to make sense.
I’ve led sales teams, run routes, worked for small and large companies in a variety of different industries. Something I have recently begun noticing and researching is company culture.
If you were to ask me five years ago how much company culture mattered, I would have said very little. I used to think if you paid your people they would show up and do their job.
I have learned through experience that while compensation will keep people coming to work, culture will get their best work.
My previous work environment was pretty intense – a lot of firedrills and last minute objectives to meet. I thrive in that kind of environment, so it was exciting for me. I was paid well and had excellent benefits.
The culture though wasn’t strong. There were very few “company fans” and despite the salesforce being one of the best compensated in the industry, morale was lacking.
I wanted something different. I wanted something I could rally behind. I wanted to be a part of more than a strong sales performance. Thus began my interest in company culture.
Simon Sinek, author of Start with Why speaks to audiences around the world about finding the true reasons behind behavior, obviously leading to several discussions on company culture.
The key to a strong company culture is first having a strong company purpose. Shareholder return is not a strong why. Year end bonuses, monthly bonuses, pay increases – these are not “why”. Watch the five minute video below to inspire you to find your why and see if you can find your company’s why.
What is my why? The purpose of these posts is for me to find some clarity in my life, in the balance of work and family. The reason I share it is because there might be someone else interested in exploring the same in themselves or their company.
My why is my family. Why earn more money? To spend more time with and create more experiences for my kids. Why volunteer as a Cub Master? To make a mark on our next generation and teach responsibility and resiliency.
For the first time in my professional career, the why for my company is the most crystallized and transparent lesson taught to not just its leaders but its clients and all employees. Our why at Beyond is about Giving Back.
Imagine a company built around building up its employee-owners and providing debt-free education to those who need it most. Imagine being a part of that? I did and I am.