What do you do when you’re marched into a room and told that your job has been eliminated due to no fault of your own? This has happened to me and my decision was to invest and reinvent yourself. Change is constant in life, and no different in the business world. The time is now to prepare yourself for change and train yourself to adapt to the evolving environment.
Nineteen years ago, I was a surly bike mechanic, happy to toil over my work and not be bothered by people. But when the season ended and I wasn’t needed anymore, I found a way to invest and reinvent myself as a salesperson. I asked the manager for help, watched, listened, and learned over the course of seasons, and developed into the number one salesperson and eventual manager as well. These lessons have not been lost on me as I continually reinvest and reinvent myself in the business world, most recently as Marketing Manager at Clifton Gunderson CPA. I can teach these skills to people and show them how to grow as well, because I’m the Marketing Mechanic. (Actually, I pay the guys at Rasmussen Bike Shop and Bike World to work on my bikes, now.)
I’ve been friends with the Admaverick since the ice age at the Des Moines Register. We’ve seen a ton of changes since that time in the advertising and marketing world, in our friends and families, and moreover, our careers. Here’s how you can reinvest and reinvent yourself – it’s not easy, nor will it happen overnight, but a continued responsibility:
· Be Creative – bring ideas, insights and excitement to the table. Each of us have a niche, a cause, a hobby that keep us sane and happy. Use that as leverage to think differently and get outside of that box we all complain about.
· Networking – ask for help if you’re not comfortable, but start with friends and work out from there to develop new friends, peers, referrals, and more. Give of yourself and you will receive much more and appreciate it as well!
· Education – whether it is a lunch & learn, or graduate degree, continue to challenge yourself and invest. (BONUS – if you do this, you’ll likely engage in the previous two bullets!)
· Volunteer – find a cause you’re passionate about – anything less and you’re lying to yourself. I’m a Crohn’s patient since 1999 and have run annual fundraisers for the cause. I’m a huge advocate of Des Moines’ downtown, so am active in the Des Moines Downtown Chamber of Commerce. (EXTRA CREDIT – you may be able to engage in THREE of the previous bullets with this one!)
It is never too late to start – the hardest step is that first one. Looking back over the past thirteen years of my professional career, I see the groundwork was set by watching my parents with school, church, and community. After the requisite high school sports, band, orchestra, and theater, I became very involved with my fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha, Homecoming and VEISHEA at Iowa State University. Various mentors at The Des Moines Register, Storey Kenworthy / WorkSpace Inc / Business Furniture Warehouse (guess who got me this job?), the Davis Brown Law Firm, and now Clifton Gunderson CPA have helped me navigate my professional career. Friends at the Iowa Association of Business and Industry, Technology Association of Iowa, the Des Moines Downtown Chamber of Commerce, Western Gateway Business Association, MarketWISE, and Breakfast of Champions, have helped me expand my network and friendships exponentially. What I’m saying is, it doesn’t hurt to ask for help. Des Moines is one of the best places in the world to connect as we’re ONE DEGREE OF SEPARATION from anyone you want to meet or work with.
While this post may seem like the ramblings of a madman, I offer that it isn’t much different than the usual fare on Advmaverick, except for the fact I’m just a little better looking than the editor.
See you around and keep investing and inventing!
P.S. How did I get this new gig? All of the above and LinkedIn.
