“You either see the obstacle or the opportunity.” That was a Tweet from Kevin DeShazo that really resonated with me.
Perspective is a superpower, and a choice. At Service Express, I often say, “Run to the problems.” That’s how you build a career. Don’t chase money or titles, just focus on solving problems and helping people. That’s the real path to getting ahead.
I say this until I’m blue in the face, yet still I have people tell me, “I want this title or I’m leaving,” or “I want this raise or I’m out.” To me, that’s a shortcut that won’t work in the long run.
Every quarter at Service Express, we do a State of the Company meeting where we share three things:
- Our wins
- Our challenges
- Our focus
I always encourage people to really pay attention to the challenges. Every department has wins, and every department has challenges. That’s been true since the day I started, and it will still be true the day I leave. That much I know for sure. If you want to create opportunities for yourself, look at the challenges. That’s where they are.
No matter what company you’re at or what season of life you’re in, personally or professionally, ask yourself: Where are the challenges? If you lean into them and try to solve them, you’ll be amazed at how far ahead you can get. But if you sit back, complain, do nothing and drag others down with you, that’s the fastest way to kill your career.
No matter where you go, there will be challenges. If you leave here and go somewhere else, there’ll be challenges. The same is true if you come here from somewhere else.
What matters most is how you respond to challenges. Do you see them as an opportunity? Or something that gets in your way?
Kevin followed up, saying, “Every successful person you know has failed more than every other person you know. They just didn’t let failure stop them.”
So run toward the problems and try to solve them. Just by trying, you’ll already be in the top 5 or 10%. If you actually solve a few along the way, watch your career take off. And the money and the titles you’ve been chasing will start chasing you!
