I believe in ultimate accountability in your professional life, which I define as taking responsibility for absolutely everything that happens to you even when it seems completely out of your control. I believe that the amount of money you earn, the position you have, whether or not you get fired, and everything else in your professional life rests solely on your shoulders. Sure there are external factors that can influence these things but at the end of the day you need to own your circumstances. By taking full ownership and accountability of your professional life you will be able to better determine your own fate, even when it seems completely out of your hands.
You may be thinking, “But I just got fired as part of broad layoffs where they let go of 10,000 people. I did my job well, to the point that I was promoted multiple times over the last 10 years. But they still let me go because of ‘budget cuts’. How is that my fault?” Trust me, I get it. But here’s my point: What good comes from casting blame on anyone or anything else?
You were fired. You can blame everyone you want but at the end of the day the result is the same. Blaming corporate America, the boss, or anyone else will do absolutely nothing for you except make you feel good for a few minutes. It pushes the blame elsewhere and makes you feel better about yourself for a brief moment. But when you completely cast blame elsewhere it prevents you from reflecting and using that reflection to grow.
Instead you need to take time to reflect and take accountability for your strengths and weaknesses that led to your circumstances, even if they seem unrelated to the actual event. In the example above you did a good job, so much so that you were promoted. That’s a strength. You are good at what you do. You need to embrace that and figure out how you can use that going forward.
The problem is that you worked for a large company that simply cuts people based on numbers on a spreadsheet when times go bad. That was your weakness in this situation. I know, it sounds unfair but hear me out. You were the one that chose to work for a big company. When it worked it worked well. You received promotions, got great benefits, great 401k matching, maybe even some stock. But when things go bad those same types of companies are quick to make cuts. You knew the game when you walked in, at least you should have if you did your homework. And I am not saying it’s a bad thing that you worked for a big company. You took advantage of those promotions, benefits, and 401k matching while you were there whereas you might not have been able to get those things at a smaller company. But the good comes with the bad. Now it’s time to face the bad.
Going forward you have to look at your weakness and decide how you want to proceed. You have three options:
- You can go work for another big company to get a nice salary, benefits, and 401k match. But, you need to know that the exact same thing can happen again and, if it does, you need to own that.
- You can go work for a smaller company where maybe the salary, benefits, and 401k match aren’t as good but at least you know you will be valued as a true contributor instead of a number on a spreadsheet. When you show value at a smaller company they are less likely to cut you as a number just because things aren’t going well. They will first cut nonperformers.
- You can strike out on your own and start your own company. There is a lot of risk that comes with this option, but you will be able to control your fate much more than in any of the other options.
My point is that unless you take full responsibility for what happens to you, you won’t be able to use your circumstances to propel yourself into a better situation the next time. You will simply cast blame elsewhere and change nothing while you hope for the best in the future. Hope is not a strategy.
Think I’m full of it? I have practiced what I preach. I was screwed over on a sale at one of the companies I worked for and it seemed completely out of my hands. I did 100% of the work on a deal and was even told that in writing by the Senior VP. But, the company decided to give 25% of the credit for the deal to another person that did 0% of the work. I was furious. It personally cost me $10,000. The day after this happened I received an email saying my commission was being cut by another $1,500 because I sold over 500% of a specific product and once you cross that barrier they actually enact decelerators that lower your pay. What sense does that make?!? Again I was furious. I had watched about $12,000 walk out of my bank account in just two days.
But after I calmed down, I realized that I put myself in that situation and that if I didn’t change my circumstances it would surely happen again. I was the one that decided to work for a company where they treated me like a number instead of a valued employee. I knew that going in, so why was I upset when the proverbial hammer fell on me? I told myself, “At the end of the day I’m the sucker”. I’ve always liked smaller companies but I took the easier road. I wanted the benefits, the “security”, and the retirement account. I sacrificed my preference of working for a smaller company so that I could have these things. But with those nice things also comes drawbacks. This particular drawback cost me almost $12,000. But at the end of the day, it was my decision. I had to own it. Based on that reflection, I could either continue working for that company and let it happen again or I could leave.
I chose to leave for a smaller company and I was so much happier for it. Had I just cast blame elsewhere I would still be at that larger company letting them take advantage of me and use me while I said, “Thank you sir may I have another”.
However, I also was aware of the risks that came with this smaller company. I walked in with my eyes wide open and if something unfortunate happened it would be my fault, either because I chose the wrong situation or I didn’t perform like I was supposed to. It’s entirely on me, always.
You alone are responsible for your success or failure. It has nothing to do with the company you work for, who your boss is, where you grew up, or any other nonsense you have convinced yourself of. It rests solely on you. The sooner you start accepting that the sooner you can start moving forward. No excuses, ever. You fail or succeed based on your own actions. Period.