280 – What made you famous?

Today is 280 paychecks till my official retirement!

12 years ago I found myself in the thriving metropolis of Polokwane visiting customers. There was a chain of wholesalers which was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and their problems were fairly evident to everyone who walked into that particular store.

We were met by the store manager who had in his hand a paint brush as he had just been painting a pile of cardboard boxes. He greeted us with a huge smile, his passion for the business shining through his energetic handshake. I remember him saying something along the lines of “I want it to be like the old days. You will see”.

The store was running its famous casino themed promotion where the lucky draw for shoppers was done along the lines of a spin and win roulette machine. The store manager was painting boxes so he could build a cardboard box slot machine product display in store. Apparently in the 80’s and 90’s cardboard box slot machine displays really worked well in enticing shoppers to spend more. I was stunned.

The reality was unfortunately less comical as the independent businesses surrounding this store were beating it hands down due to their aggressive pricing and trader networks. What the passionate store manager was doing was reverting back to what made him famous. Such passion in an earlier era was rewarded with promotions and more than likely that is the path that got this store manager from young entry level floor worker to the prestigious title of store manager. I have seen this tendency for people to revert to what made them successful (famous) in times of stress so many times in my career. I am guilty of this a lot of the time too.

Maybe you are the guy who was famous for working 14 hour days and got promoted because of your visible work ethic? Maybe you are the person everybody got along with and advanced because you were friendly and likeable? Do you find that whenever under pressure you revert back to the tried and tested techniques that advanced your career 15 years ago?

From the outside in it is very frustrating to hear people moan about any change. There is some comfort in being the best at doing something and when that skill set becomes obsolete it can be nerve wracking. Or when a particular leadership style was more relevant 20 years ago and one tries to force it down the throats of millennials in today’s world. I honestly believe that when under extreme pressure people will revert back to the techniques that helped them succeed in the past. At least you know how to do them, even if they are not bringing the desired results.

So where does this leave us? I love that question. I think I will make it my cliche for the blog. I believe that for those of us in the 300Paycheck world it is important for us to recognize what made us famous in the past. It is important to realise that this particular talent or skill set will not always work in the future. And to recognise the instances when we are reverting back to the comfort of tried and tested techniques.

It’s that, or do for your career whatever is the equivalent of painting cardboard boxes in Polokwane.