Posts Tagged service milestone

John-Morgan

My company has an intranet home page where they post service milestones.  One of the guys who was featured this week has hit the 40 year mark.  FORTY YEARS AT ONE COMPANY! Wow.  These guys must be as rare as 300-game winners in baseball.  It’s like Cal Ripken playing his entire career with the Orioles.  I guess I should applaud his longevity.  But when I see people who hit these milestones, I think to myself, “What’s WRONG with this guy?  Hasn’t he ever taken a chance on something new?”

Why move around?

Now, I’ve been working a lot less than 40 years, and I’ve worked for many companies in many different industries.  I’ve learned new skills by jumping around, as each industry has its own nuances.  Working for different bosses has exposed me to a variety of management styles.  I’ve been able to glean the best practices of each company that’s employed me.  I’m not saying that my career path is for everyone, but I think variety is the spice of life.  Working for one company only exposes you to one point of view.  In order for a baby bird to fly, it needs to leave the nest.  To grow professionally, eventually you need to change jobs.  Otherwise, you’ll become a one-trick pony and stagnate.

Spreading my wings

You could argue that while I’ve changed companies throughout my career, I’ve stayed in the same field.  True, to a certain extent.  But each job that I’ve held was a departure from the previous job’s procedures, responsibilities, managers, coworkers, and customers.  Not to mention friends.  It’s a bit scary to leave your friends and start over as a stranger at a new job.  But I think that I’ve helped the companies that I’ve joined by bringing a fresh perspective to their organization.  Being an outsider, I could approach a problem from a different angle than everyone else.  But not everyone will welcome your new ideas.

Who does this guy think he is?

If you try to share your successes at your new job, be prepared for some resistance.  Everyone’s leery of the New Guy.  They don’t know what your true intentions are.  I’ve had some of my plans sabotaged by old-timers who wanted to see the New Guy fall on his face.  So when you start out, remember to tread lightly.  Nobody likes a showoff.

But we’ve always done it this way…

Even after you’ve been accepted by your new coworkers, you may still run into resistance.  People like to stay in their comfort zones.  I’ve heard “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” more times than I care to remember.  Most people are resistant to any kind of change, even if it’s for the better.  But keep at it.  If you’re reading this blog, you’re probably inclined to embrace change.  I say, do more than that.  Become an agent of change.

How to survive the new job

I say, take the leap.  Sure, you’ll be apprehensive.  You’ll probably HATE your new job for at least a few weeks.  I know that I did, many times.  You won’t know the procedures, and you’ve been dropped into a new corporate culture.  You may have a different lunch hour, or maybe you can’t talk on the phone.  You’ll feel like a fish out of water.  Even when I left a hellhole job, I missed my coworkers.  It’s easy to second-guess your decision when you wind up eating lunch by yourself, knowing that your former colleagues are out enjoying Pizza Day.

Now, spread YOUR wings

But don’t let that feeling of unfamiliarity stop you from growing.  If you want to make an omelet, you need to break a few eggs.  Your career is the omelet.  Your new job is one of the eggs.  Or maybe it’s the onions and peppers.  Whatever.  My message is: DON’T BE AFRAID OF CHANGE!

Or in forty years, YOU may be celebrating a one-company career.

Follow me on Twitter: CorpBarbarian

• 10 Best Cities for Job Growth lumaxart Yahoo Real Estate had an article which listed the top 10 cities for job growth. Here's the list: Huntsville, Alabama Albuquerque, New Mexico Washington, D.C. Charlottesville, Virginia Athens, Georgia Olympia, Washington Madison, Wisconsin Austin, Texas Flagstaff, Arizona Raleigh, North Carolina While energy and finance drove job growth in......
• 5 Things to Know About Social Security Photo by alan(ator) Yahoo! Finance recently published a guide to the five most common questions about Social Security benefits.  You can read the original article by clicking on the following link: What You Need to Know About Social Security Given all of the doubt that the entitlement program will......
• 10 Jobs that Require No Bachelors Degree Attention high school grads: You don't have to rack up a mountain of student loan debt in order to secure a good career.  And you don't have to go to the School of Hard Knocks, either.  A recent Yahoo! Hot Jobs article listed ten jobs that require no bachelor's......

• Bass Instruments: The History of the Bass Guitar Instruments teach the people who use them a great deal. For playing an instrument, you can have your first example of love without need of love in return from a person loving their instrument, you can learn notes and patience and many other valuable lessons, some of which have to......
• the common thread in your bad jobs is YOU If you're like me, you probably complain about your job. It's too boring.  You aren't paid well enough.  You don't get enough experience, or enough exposure to the Grand High Poobahs of the company.  You don't have enough staff.  You get no respect.  Your job sucks. Yet the pattern......
• Your calling doesn't necessarily fund your retirement by itself The Simple Dollar recently offered up a post on retirement planning for a low-income career, aimed at people like some of his friends who have "made the financially difficult choice to follow their heart" into careers that are very fulfilling, much needed and, perhaps consequently, low-paying. The advice he offers,......