Carrington Fisk

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If You Want a Job I Don’t Want You

June 7, 2017 by cgfisk@gmail.com Leave a Comment

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.

 

Filed Under: Company Culture, Personal Growth

Why You Stay in a Futureless Job

June 2, 2017 by cgfisk@gmail.com Leave a Comment

 

My give a damn’s busted…

That’s true for more than 50% of workers today. Despite not caring about their job performance, despite not having any motivation and even despite a toxic work environment, these same workers will stay… for a really long time.

Why would people stay in a job they hate? Why would someone languish in a futureless position or stay in a toxic environment?

Here are 12 reasons people stay in a job that just isn’t working anymore:

Risk is Scary. Anything unknown is going to carry some level of risk. The very nature of “new” mandates that there is a degree of uncertainty. People fear risk and uncertainty so intensely that the avoidance of that specific pain outweighs intense desire for something better.

Learning something new is hard. You’ve spent months, years, maybe even decades learning not just a specific skillset but specific personalities and processes that make your company work. It’s true, you would have to start over – meeting new people, learning new processes, developing new skills. It’s hard, but it’s rewarding. It’s new, but it’s exciting. Afraid of making new work friends? Just watch an 8-year-old on a playground and take notes.

Golden handcuffs are the American Dream. People complain about their “Golden Handcuffs” as if a) they have no control over staying or going or b) good pay and benefits is some penance they are paying. “I’d leave if the pay wasn’t so good.” “These benefits would be impossible to replace.” Maybe true, but everything has a value. Sit down and figure out what your benefits are worth and negotiate that into your next chapter. Factor it into your sales goals and objectives. Talk to enough people and you may think that being held hostage by good pay and benefits is the dream to which we all aspire.

What Would Other People Think? What would my parents think? What would my friends think? They will think about themselves. They will project their fear onto your situation. If you have a specific reason for leaving, explain it. Bring those closest to you into your decision-making process. Tell your story, tell it well, and fear not for your reputation or what other people think. That’s what I have been doing and who knows? Maybe you will set someone free.

I secretly love complaining. Human beings love complaining. To rail against a common enemy brings us together. My baseball coach my freshman year was the specific object of enmity which transcended him into our solidifying source of team camaraderie. Misery loves company and martyrdom is more fun in groups. Shared discontent is a temporary fix. Alignment of work, life, and values is a permanent one.

But My Title! Being afraid to lose a title, or change a title to one less impressive falls directly in line with the fear of what others will think. You may be the Vice President of Awfulness at a job you loathe, but you’re still a VP right?

I’ve had titles real and self-appointed ranging from Salesman (my least favorite) to Dictator for Life (my second favorite and self-appointed), Fund Manager, Seminar Director, Coach, Husband, and Father (tied for my favorite).

Your title, at the right company, is nothing if not temporary. Don’t like the title at your new gig? Work your butt off to get a better one or ignore it and stack that paper. Or, you could start your own business and make yourself Dictator for Life or Chief Badass… your choice.

There’s Month Left at the End of the Money. You’re not getting ahead, but you’re not getting behind. Money is as tight as a drum, but at least we’re not dipping into savings. Wait, we don’t have any savings. The National Institute on Retirement Security estimates that more than half of Americans have less than $10,000 saved for retirement. If you’re not getting anywhere, what the heck are you doing? Risk a month, two months to change everything. How nice would it be to not have to worry about the thermostat setting during a cold New England winter?

Comfort is King. Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to any change in its state of motion; this includes changes to its speed, direction, or state of rest (Wikipedia). It’s our Comfort Zone, our Box, insert whatever cliche you want – we don’t like change and resist it with an incredible amount of energy. Don’t allow what always was to keep you from what could be.

Commitment Bias. There is a glitch in our brains that forces us to stick with a decision once it’s been made, regardless of whether it was right or wrong. This bias comes up in relationships, in politics, and also in the workplace. We want to stay consistent – if you’re known as the pretzel guy, the insurance gal, the queen of ad sales, you subconsciously want to maintain that persona and consistency. Who do you want to be next? Look forward and become what your next moniker will be.

Avoiding the Hard Choice. In 2008 I was faced with a really difficult decision. I had to choose between comfort and the unknown. I reached out to my mentors, my friends, and my family. My sales mentor simply told me “The hard choice is invariably the right one. If you’re scared, you’re growing.” Thanks Adam.

Feel Guilty. Sometimes, the need to leave a company, to leave a job, is nothing more than the wrong fit. Sometimes its a great company, a great job, fantastic growth potential… Don’t allow your guilt at potentially leaving your former employer in the lurch. It’s ab ig world out there and despite how talented you may be, you are replaceable – especially if the job doesn’t speak to your why.

Lack of Belief. It all boils down to this. Belief in one’s self is not only important for any kind of change, but it is freedom. If you believe in yourself, you will overcome the fear of something new. If you believe in yourself, you know you will make it work… regardless of what you decide to do. Take an inventory of your skills, your talents, your network, and the opportunities available to you. You may be surprised at what you find. 

Look, I know this may read like the latest ad for Amway or a script for the late-night real estate guru sales pitch your Cheetos-covered fingers tuned the television into a few nights ago. That’s not the point. The point is that you have to find something that gels with what you really want, what you need to feel fulfilled.

I’ve tried the entrepreneur route. I’ve tried the corporate cogwheel route. Neither was quite right for me. I landed at Beyond because I own my results. I am directly responsible (in both directions) for my income. I’m also a W-2 employee with benefits, direct reports, and people to whom I have to report. I have a marketing department, a leadership team that can’t be beat in the industry and a service center whose ultimate goal is to make my job easier.

It works for me – it’s a combination of entrepreneurship, extreme ownership and a mutually aligned support structure from beginning to end.

 

Filed Under: Life, Personal Growth

The Disappearing Annual Raise

May 31, 2017 by cgfisk@gmail.com Leave a Comment

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.

A jar of cash on the table.

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.

Filed Under: Company Culture, Life, Personal Growth Tagged With: annual raise, motivating employees, retirement planning

He Had Talent, but He Couldn’t Commit

May 24, 2017 by cgfisk@gmail.com 1 Comment

I have certainly been guilty of this many times over. Perhaps you may have been as well. I saw something that seemed like an opportunity… I tried it out, it didn’t work. Why didn’t it work? I’m talented, reasonably intelligent, likable, and pretty well-connected. I should be able to tackle just about anything right?

The reason it didn’t work is because I didn’t commit.

Don’t dabble – find something you can dig your fingers into – something that feels good in your gut and get after it. Maybe it’s scary, maybe it’s terrifying. Just because you’re scared, doesn’t mean you aren’t right! Don’t tip your toe in, own it and dominate!

One of the greatest presenters I ever worked with was a man named Adam. He didn’t ooze charisma. He wasn’t the tallest, the fittest, the best looking. His backstory was good, but it wasn’t the best.

There was one area in which he was a standout talent… he knew people. He quickly learned what people needed to get over themselves, to get out of their own way to get to their goals. A line he would repeat over and over again:

If you’re scared, it means you’re growing.

I’m committed to my path, to my family, to my why. In many of my sales roles in the past, I didn’t study my craft. I relied upon talent to get me through. Part of these posts is to help me work on my writing, to work on putting together compelling copy – to tell a story. I’m reading books, listening to audio, studying YouTube resources.

What are you doing to perfect your craft? Are you working to better yourself? While you are bettering yourself, are you being rewarded for better results?

Filed Under: Personal Growth, Quotes, Sales Tagged With: beyond, commitment, fear

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