The Grind of Rebuilding

October 6, 2014 was my first day in a role with a new company since I was 19 years old. When the nail I had been laying on became uncomfortable enough, I had no choice but to develop a definite plan for making a change. Even then, though, definiteness of decision was what turned that plan into action. While accepting a position in a completely different industry for a salary equal to what I made in an hourly role (with no overtime) several years prior seemed like a step backward to the casual observer, especially when that included giving up nearly twenty years of seniority in a global organization. But regardless of my now former plant manager’s comment about it being the biggest mistake of my career, it was the best decision I could have made - and one that opened doors to so many more equal and greater opportunities.

In all those years with the manufacturing company, I had earned a solid reputation, developed relationships with each of my nearly 650 coworkers locally, and built a strong skill set in every role I held. All of that experience came with me as I started in my new role, but no one in the at company knew it or cared. The first day in any new job is filled with paperwork; day two, however, was where the grind of rebuilding began. While most of my skills were indeed relevant, all the systems were different and the industry was a world apart from anything I had ever seen. And like every other position I had held in my career leading up to that, I had no positional authority whatsoever. I jumped immediately into doing the only things I knew how: learn all I could about the work and get to know everyone involved. 

It took time, but those two things were critical in earning the influence I’d need to be effective in my new role and to prove to each of them that I could offer a level of value that they hadn’t expected. And since this was in a company with less than 50 team members that operated Monday through Friday, 7a to 5p, I was able to do all that in what seemed like part time hours. Rebuilding after a pay cut or transition is where mastery of detail and responsibility take root; consistency turns loss into strategic growth. That consistency was one of the few things I felt like I had truly mastered through each of the adversities leading up to this, and I leaned into that more than ever.

The steps involved in grinding through this rebuilding process were simple; showing up, caring about each of my new coworkers, and being quick to own the mistakes as I learned the ropes made the transition as smooth as I could have hoped. There were certainly bumps along the way, but the significant reduction in responsibility (and drama) meant I could do all that in far fewer overall hours than I was putting in at my previous job and have far more time for family priorities that had been suffering. And in complete transparency, it felt great to be able to provide some of the insight I had learned in a large organization for a family-owned business that may not have gotten it otherwise; not that mine was necessarily better insight, just a different perspective.

Seeing how that experience could add value to a smaller company, coupled with all the time I had gotten back in accepting this new role, Cindy encouraged me to take on something new - mainly for fulfillment. Next, we’ll look at how that helped me clarify my purpose, a purpose I had been working toward while I was still in the behavior-based safety role years prior. Right now, though, I’ll challenge you to track one ongoing habit or resource strain you’re dealing with over the next week. Note the hidden costs and one change that could shift the pattern.