Inevitably there will be times when you have setbacks or things don t go your way. Maybe you didn't get a job you thought you were sure to get. Maybe you lost a job unexpectedly, didn't win a contract, or lost a major client. Your car always seems to break down right after you've had some other unexpected expense. These kinds of situations immediately place us in crisis. They don t feel good, but sometimes they re what we need in order to grow. The beautiful thing about crises is that they force us to take a step back and reevaluate what s going on in our lives and rediscover what we truly want and need. When we get over that initial shock and feeling of disappointment, we might realize that maybe that job wasn't really the best for us anyway. Maybe, just maybe, that wasn't what you really wanted to spend your life doing. Maybe that friend was holding you back instead of pushing you forward. The way I deal with crises of these sorts is simple: If something doesn't go my way professionally, I try to create a situation that would be more rewarding than the situation originally planned. A while ago, I was offered a job that looked very promising. After I accepted the offer, they pushed the start date back three times, later informing me (via e-mail) that they wanted to bring me on in the near future but I should feel free to explore other options. I was extremely disappointed. I felt disrespected and angry, but decided to make the best of the situation and follow my dream of working internationally. I then flew to Santiago, Chile and had great professional and personal experiences I wouldn't have had otherwise. Later, reflecting back on the original opportunity, I realized that working for a company that avoids a start date three times and then can t pick up the phone to explain the situation is probably not where I need to spend my time. Use setbacks as an opportunity to put your goals in order and act on them. In the moment, it s difficult to look at a setback as temporary, but they are. They happen to everybody. It s how you respond to them that will determine how they affect you.
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I had the unique opportunity to study business from a person who had a passion for business, leadership, and people. Dr. Don Parks taught me how to use the institution of business as a means rather than an end. Both in and out of the classroom, he represents all the characteristics that form a great leader. I’m honored to have had the chance to study and work with him, listen and participate in his lectures, and call him mentor. This past year, he retired from Southwestern University, but I’m sure his journey is far from over. During his retirement ceremony, he gave a speech about leadership and provided a list of recommended reading. You can download that list here.
Sometimes somebody can say what you want to say better than you can. That is the case with today’s post. Today, I’d like to introduce friend and colleague Jake Negovan, his thoughts on free agency in the workplace, and how it can benefit both workers and employers. Jake is a columnist for the San Antonio Current and regular contributor to Red, Brown and Blue. I’m honored that he took the time to write a piece for this blog. For more articles by Jake, visit his blog here.
Sounds like every job hunt, right?
Ok, maybe. But there’s an important difference, and it’s not the amount of money. It’s the terms. The NBA free-agents are going to choose an employer and they’re going to choose the duration of employment. You, too, can make the same choice as a free-agent employee (sometimes called a consultant or freelancer). This is a choice that few of us make when seeking work, usually because we don’t realize that it’s an option. Most employers don’t realize that it’s an option either. As the free-agent, though, you have the power to make it so.
When you take employment for a pre-specified duration, you’re doing a service to both parties. You establish yourself as a specialist, chosen because you have the expert knowledge and talent to accomplish a particular task. You’ll do the job you were hired for and then leverage that successful experience to land a more lucrative assignment, either with your current patron or another company. As you move from one assignment to the next, your professional profile increases and your network grows as you find yourself in new environments and circumstances. Employers also benefit from utilizing free-agent employees. Not only are they generally free from the overhead associated with benefits for a full-time permanent hire, they have less reason to fear attrition of focus and work-ethic from someone who knows exactly when their job ends. A free-lancer doesn’t have the luxury of coasting for a paycheck.
Educating your current or potential future employers on the benefits of free-agent employment is a powerful bargaining strategy that can net you more money, experience, opportunity, and freedom. The only thing they could lose is you.
In an environment where time is of the essence and we expect instant gratification, it shocks me how many times organizations think it’s okay to push deadlines. Sometimes unforeseen circumstances arise, forcing a change in deadlines. A natural disaster, lack of raw materials, sudden turnover, shift in technology, etc. can severely disrupt expectations, but these are not the delays I’m talking about. I’m talking about the delays caused by weak organizational infrastructure, poor communication, ineffective logistics, and other internal fallacies.
I’m still flabbergasted to hear, “Just tell them we’ll get the document out to them next week,” or “They’ll be okay if we send them the proposal a day late. They’re not going to look at it until Monday anyway” Having an attitude like this about your work shows those with whom you want to do business that either you don’t care about them, aren’t passionate about what you do, or don’t have the capacity to handle the work – all of which will push organizations to look elsewhere to serve their needs. It also sends a message that if you can’t handle the solicitation phase, you probably can’t handle the scope of work.
Sure it’s better to be late than never, but never late is better.