An Engraved Invitation
“Opportunity does not knock; it presents itself when you beat down the door.”
— Kyle Chandler
Waiting for an engraved invitation? A signing bonus? A big fat salary and lots of perks? Someone to meet you at the door to hold your coat and your hand? An elder confidante who commiserates at how competitive and frustrating it is to be in the big, bad world of business? Get a dog…
It’s yours; this life; and your responsibility. Show some initiative! How about striding up onto the bridge and behaving like the Captain of Your Life? Not brash and stupid, not brutal or mean, but someone with a plan, and the dogged insistence, assurance and wisdom to carry it out — no matter what!
Your tenure in business will be seen in one of two ways:
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- As indentured servitude to a slave-holding organization that views you and your colleagues as chattel. Doomed to a lifetime of slogging through the gulag, you will go where you’re told, do what is ordered, be paid what they choose and serve until or unless they no longer have use for you. Your self-worth will be connected solely to your pay scale, the title on your company issued card, the square footage (measured by the number of ceiling tiles) of your office, and the selection of company-issued art on your wall.
- As a valuable leader and member of a team. You’ve got a plan for your career, a keen sense of your own style in the company, and a cadre of loyal colleagues who respect your insights and will follow where you lead. Senior management has remarked about your lofty perspective and your aggressive willingness to step in and take charge when required. They’re working on getting you some seasoning for higher responsibility.
These wildly different paths have two things in common: You, and that initiative — or the lack thereof…
It’s up to you to decide how you want to be seen and dealt with. It begins with the way you present yourself at the first interview — another kid with big demands and not much to offer… Or a bright, focused, thoughtful and aggressive Young Turk with some ideas about how things ought to be…
What do we look for when we recruit/hire:
- Smarts and Intelligence: Smarts is quickness and agility. Intelligence is the willingness to wait a second for the insight to come, then being willing to say to the group: “Not so fast… What about this?”
- Desire: the willingness to go after it again and again until it works!
- Flexibility: the ability to learn and apply that learning to the next task.
- Collegiality: the ability to fit in and play as a member of a team, instead of hiding out in the cubicle…
So, if you’re looking for an opportunity, don’t wait for an engraved invitation — or any invitation! Go knock on the door, tell them why you’d like to work there, and what you have to offer. If you’re qualified at all, that kind of reaching out will put you in a class by yourself!
Don’t wait for an invitation! Engrave one yourself!
Applications
1. Individually
Put yourself forward, or you simply won’t get noticed. It usually starts in elementary school. Those who wait, don’t get chosen or called. It continues into middle school, then into adult life. Don’t wait, raise your hand! Stand up! Call Out! Yes, you might get labeled — by those still waiting… It’s as old as time — this duality: Those who Reach vs. Those who Wait. But if you look around, you’ll see that we need a few more intelligent reachers…
2. At Home
Life isn’t fair. It favors those who step forward. So foster a little balance with your children; along with taking turns. But tell them the truth: If they want to be noticed, to be recruited, to be on the team, to be taken seriously, they must be seen and recognized: and that means raising their hand! And not just for the fun stuff — but for the hard jobs, the cleanup, the services and the tutoring as well. First to Reach! And First to Serve!
3. At Work
It’s one thing to answer the phone — to respond to requests. Another thing entirely to be there first, to be curious about how things work, why we do it this way, how you can contribute more and make the organization faster, smarter, better and more successful. Leaders put themselves forward, get called first, take greater risks, and get greater opportunities to fail — or succeed. But if you’re waiting to be called, it’ll wait until someone else thinks of it.
So, waiting for your engraved invitation? You and the dog… It’ll be a long wait! Get yourself in the Game!
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