Definiteness of Plans Emerges in Uncertainty

Years ago, I heard a story of a traveler stopping at a farmhouse along a country road to ask for directions. As the traveler spoke with the old man sitting on the front porch, he noticed that the dog laying beside him was constantly moaning, albeit quietly. The traveler asked the old man if there was something wrong with the dog. The man replied, “He’s laying on a nail.” That made no sense to the traveler so he asked why the dog didn’t move. The old man explained that it apparently didn’t hurt enough yet to be worth moving.

I had been working seventy or more hours each week for two straight years with none of the fulfillment I had drawn from the role I held prior to accepting the human resources position. I was that dog and my weekly routine was that nail. The 2013 performance review drove the nail a little deeper, but the glowing 2014 review that led to a promotion and 20% cut in overall compensation was exactly what I needed to realize my only option was to get up off that damn nail.

As we looked at the ripple effects of scarcity, I shared how tight personal finances forced me to master details I would have preferred to ignore and to create a definite plan for digging out of that situation. Just so it’s fresh in your mind, let’s take one more look at how Napoleon Hill defined this fifth leadership attribute in Think and Grow Rich so many years ago: “The successful leader must plan their work and work the plan. A leader who moves by guesswork, without practical, definite plans is comparable to a ship without a rudder. Sooner or later they will land on the rocks.”

Hill listed Definiteness of Decision as the fourth leadership attribute, defining it by saying, “The person who wavers in their decision, shows that they are not sure of themselves, cannot lead others successfully.” While I came up with a definite plan immediately after learning that my new title and increased job responsibilities were worth $1,000 less each month than I had been earning, and I had been carrying out that plan with vigor by applying and interviewing for nearly any position I was even remotely qualified for, I still hadn’t made a firm decision to move on. We’ll dig into how that unfolded next. First, though, think about a scenario where you may need to lean a little bit further into Definiteness of Plans. What seed of purpose have you drifted away from and what’s one small step you can take to nurture it?

The Decision to Transition - Burning the Ships

I had been with the same organization since I was 19 years old and was at a spot where I earned four weeks paid time off each year when I received the demotion promotion in late July of 2014. I would max out at five weeks in March 2016 when I hit the 20 year mark, the most a salaried employee was eligible for. That said, I had only used 40 of the 160 hours in my PTO balance by mid September - and at least half of that was in partial day increments as I interviewed with other organizations. In mid-September, I received a written offer from a small, locally-owned company to serve as their primary human resources and payroll person. 

The initial screening process was handled by a third party so I wasn’t even sure who I’d be meeting with when I went for the interview. But from the time I met who would become my new boss, I knew it was meant to be. Even then, though, the offer came in at 20% less than my current salary - after the pay cut that accompanied my promotion. However, the new company was very clear about what they expected in a standard workweek: 7a to 5p, Monday through Friday. They were emphasizing what they saw as a high demand; I saw it as nearly part time compared to what I had been doing. All in all, the compensation was more than adequate given the amount of time I’d have outside of work if I accepted the position.

I got to my office the morning after receiving the offer like I had for nearly two years leading up to that point, around 6a. When my boss showed up just before 8a, I followed him into his office and closed the door behind us before he had a chance to say a word. I reminded him of my comment several weeks earlier that he’d need to find someone else to sit in my chair within six months. I went on to share that I had received an offer and would be starting with a new company on October 6. While it was more than the standard two-week notice, I still assured him that I’d do everything in my power to make the transition as smooth as possible. I don’t remember him asking me a single question.

I went back to my desk and dug back into the pile of applications I had to work through every day. Later that morning, my boss came to my office and told me that the plant manager wanted to talk with me. I expected one of two things to happen: receive a counter-offer to stay or be escorted out. I had no intention of entertaining a counter-offer; if they believed I was worth more, that’s what they should have offered with that bullshit promotion two months prior. And given I hadn’t taken more than a full day off all year to that point, I would have been just fine if they told me to leave then and there. Neither happened. The plant manager asked if I had indeed made my final decision. I told him they made that decision when they cut $500 each pay period and added more responsibility, I was just backing it with action. He wasn’t amused. He then told me that this was the biggest mistake of my career. I shrugged and told him it sounded like our conversation was over, then went back to my office. 

Definiteness of decision requires courage to walk away from the familiar; these moments clarify what truly matters and build self-control. Without each adversity leading up to that point, I don’t think I would have had the courage, self-confidence, or self-control to step away from the organization I had been a part of my entire adult life. But building on the foundation of all those adversities, I didn’t waver one bit.

I worked my tail off each day of the final three weeks with that company; not for my boss or the plant manager, but for the team members I had worked with for so many years and so I could hold my head high when I left. Starting with the new company was a bit of a rebuilding process, and we’ll work through that next. Before that, I’ll challenge you to identify one current or past pattern needing a decisive pivot. Commit to one clear first step and track your progress moving forward.

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, doing that well required far less time than I put into just managing the havoc I stepped away from. 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.