The Search

I saw a memory flash up on Facebook this week. Four years ago I was lamenting that I no longer believed that I can change the world. This feeling made me eventually make a career change to go back to selling.

I was becoming increasingly frustrated with a lack of focus on the mission. The idea of returning to sales was very appealing because the mission was so clear. I knew that everyone would be on the same page. It is that way. There is no doubt about what is expected and where the focus needs to be. That part of my professional life is much happier.

All that being said, I find the focussed mission of sales to be rather singular. There are an increasing number of days I miss the multi-faceted days of my past. I miss thinking about all the ways that a change will impact the organization. I miss helping others achieve great moments. I miss being the go to person for so much.

As I look to the past I realize that the broader my responsibilities, the better I do. I don't like stove pipe organizations and I whole-heartedly believe that they stifle creativity. As well, the broader your responsibilities, the more chances you can take to have a shot at something magical.

If you emulate really good people, you can get really good results. However, if you go out on a limb you can change how everyone thinks. I need to find a way back to a place where I can change the way people think.

I realize a lot of people want a predictable life but I seem to thrive on a life of the unpredictable. I'm getting an itch to be entrepreneurial. I'm feeling like I need to be the boss again. I think there is going to be some risks in the future. Smart risks. Risks that will lead to reward. I'm fairly tolerant to risk and I'm getting close to taking advantage of that again. I used to present some crazy ideas. I used to be told on a regular basis that my ideas are a bit too much. Out of all that came some great improvements and I miss that.

Maybe I can change the world and all I really need to do is get back to thinking big and making everyone around me elevate their game and their thinking.