Recently, after a round of golf, I was sitting around a
table in the club talking and one of the guys starting to speak about his son
and the soccer team he was on. This gentlemen
told us about a discussion he had with his son regarding his enjoyment, or lack
thereof, with the team.
Apparently this kid is only playing about 6 to 8 minutes a
game. Because of this, the boy isn’t
happy, doesn’t look forward to practice or the games. His Father, in an understanding yet unsympathetic
way told him, “You went out for the team, you made the team, you are unhappy
with the time you play. What you have to
do is show the coach something special during practice to convince him to give
you more game time. You could quit, but
you could also find that spark that made you go out for the team to begin with
and make an effort to make it worthwhile.”
After hearing this, I started to think about how this
applies to the business world as well.
We apply for a job, we get the job, but then we become bored,
malcontent, and distracted. Why? Either we were given an assignment or task
and fell short of expectations or we just “punch in” and “punch out” acting
like we don’t care. In both cases, the
boss, manager, or coach hasn’t really seen you perform nor has reason to expect
anything special out of you.
If you feel more distracted, distant, and on the verge of
quitting, then find the spark that made you apply for the position and ask for opportunities
to improve. Perhaps there is a research
project you could do, maybe you could tag along on a meeting or listen in on a
conference call. Just standing up and
showing interest will make him/her consider you for the next opportunity.
In the end, this kid got some great advice from his
father. Hopefully, regardless of how he
chooses to deal with the soccer team, he will have a great compass to guide him
in his future endeavors. This father
could have been very compassionate, told him to quit, take him out for ice
cream and all will be ok. Instead, he
picked up his son, dusted him off, and said try it again.
Whether you are a consultant, in sales, part of a team,
there was a reason that you applied your skills in such a manner. Make it worth your while as well as make your
boss feel good about the decision he or she made in hiring you and get back in
the game.
