All of us have heard the advice “Fail Fast, Fail Often”, with the guidance being there is valuable knowledge to be gained through failure that can lead to future successes. I agree with this advice, but I have always tried to add an extra layer – “fail fast and often early in your career by shooting for 150% of your perceived capacity.”
Throughout my time at my current company I have mainly occupied positions that have not previously existed and I have been given the leniency to fill the role out as it develops. While I have inevitably become better at this process, it was through many bumps and bruises that I developed, and earned, a reputation as someone who could handle an amorphous role description.
My favorite example of taking on an out-sized task was in my second year. In my first year I was part of a team that pioneered a new position, Industrial Cold Callers. Our leadership team thought that cold calling industrial spaces could be a cost effective way of driving sales leads for the business and we were hired to find out. We found ways to be successful, driving in highly qualified leads to our industrial sales team and our owner wanted to build the program out.
The owner was fond of selecting personnel for task based on who he believed could best execute his vision, regardless of previous experience or role. I was selected as one of two heads of a new Cold Call division that would employ, train, and manage up to 22 new hires. Our goals, KPIs, and responsibilities EXPLODED compared to the previous year and while we had 1 year of experience to lean on we would need to innovate in order to grow at the pace the business expected.
What I found on the other end of this experience was the lesson that this was a win-win for the business. While this was a huge opportunity for me, the new Cold Call division was never going to make or break our year, but the business was able to gather data regarding the validity of the program and I was able to gain valuable experience leading a team. Put yourself in a position to bite off more than you can chew, I guarantee you can handle more than you think!
Name: Adam
Title: Team Member
Industry: Industrial Manufacturing
You have experience that would help others. Why not share it? Share your Real Life Experience with us!
Photo by Brook Anderson on Unsplash
