Pott Holes and Flowers
Sometimes Career Growth Requires The Right Road
Many of you know that I grew up in Detroit Michigan. In 1985, after graduating with a B.S. in Medical Technology from Michigan State University, I packed up everything I owned in the trunk of my 1967 Cutlas and moved to Atlanta. GA. People sometimes ask me why I moved from Detroit, and I jokingly respond, “Well the taxes were too high, and the potholes were too deep.” Actually, that’s not too far from the truth. Don’t get me wrong, I love Michigan… State… not the University of! Sorry – did I mention, I bleed Spartan Green and White! But, I am not a fan of the snow and ice. I was speaking to my mom the other day. She is perhaps the wisest woman I have ever known (with the possible exception of my wife). My mom said, “Andrew, (my whole family calls me Andrew, but publicly I go by Andy). She said, “Andrew, now I understand why you moved to Atlanta. In Michigan, we raise the taxes to fill in the potholes in the street. In Atlanta, your taxes are for flowers.” Wow! I told you that my mom is wise.
Bad Decisions
Life is sort of the same way, in your personal life, and in your professional life. Are you working really hard to fill in or patch over some of the potholes that you have created in your life? As you look back on your professional career growth did you make some bad decisions that ended up creating a pothole? Perhaps you made a decision that you believed was going to be a shortcut. Or perhaps you thought that this deal was going to put you in the express lane. Either way, it left you with extra wear and tear physically, relationally, professionally, or emotionally. Now you are filled with regret, and you have to spend time, talent, and treasure going back and filling in that pothole.
Career Growth & Development
Moving to Atlanta, GA allowed me the opportunity to invest in professional growth & development. I did not have to fill in potholes and get my life back to even. I invested my time, talent, and treasure in planting flowers and growing my life upward into abundance. I found my first apartment and I bought my first new car. As an aside, my first new car was a 1986 4-door Chevrolet Celebrity! It wasn’t sexy. I wanted a Mustang GT or a Datsun 280-Z, but my first sales manager advised me against it. “Wrong type of vehicle for a medical sales rep,” Jim said. He was right. And I was just wise enough to listen to him. Moving to Atlanta forced me to make a new network of friends, find a career in medical sales, and buy my first home.
Short Cuts and Express Lanes
By avoiding the pitfalls of life, like looking for a shortcut or trying to jump into the express lane, I was able to make wiser decisions. And those wise decisions resulted in better outcomes. I was able to plant flowers in my life instead of spending time, talent, and treasure filling in potholes. Because I planted flowers in my life, I got to admire their beauty and enjoy their fragrance. And because I was not constantly running my life over those potholes, I sparred myself the wear and tear physically, relationally, professionally, and emotionally.
Decide to Go for Career Growth
I want to encourage you. You can do it too! You can plant flowers instead of filling in potholes. You are really just one decision away. Maybe, if you find yourself, your team at work, or your organization in a hole, then maybe you just need to decide to put down the shovel and stop digging. Congratulations! Maybe you need to decide to finally invest in yourself professionally. Maybe you need to invest in professional career growth development for your team or your organization. But, you need to decide. No one can decide for you. You have to decide that you are not going to fill in potholes. From now on you are going to plant flowers.
Not everyone starts being a gardener from birth, it requires learning and many times someone to teach you. The same is true for career growth. While college is great and HIGHLY recommended, sometimes you need a coach to guide you and cheer you on. At Fort Leadership we pride ourselves on helping young entrepreneurs, sales teams, and companies to grow in the industry, market, and business they desire. Let us start planting the seeds now for dynamic, profitable career and business growth. Contact Us Now, Call Us at (770) 597-9005.
