Job vs. Career
Is the fastener industry a job to you or a career? If it’s just a job, then expect to be in the same position for a very long time. What’s the saying? “Once you’re in, you never get out!” or “Once you hit three years, you’re in it for life!” So if that is true, why aren’t you making the fastener industry a career?
I started as a receptionist working for a fastener distributor right after I finished High School. Like most of us, this was just going to hold me over until I can figure out what I want to be when I grew up. Thirteen years later at another fastener distributor, working as a Sales Manager, I realized this was all I knew.
Call it a mid-life crisis but at 31-years old, I wanted no part of the fastener business, I wanted a career, not a job. So I switched to become a Sales Manager for a textile company.
Six months later…that’s when it hit me. I changed jobs not because I didn’t like what I was doing; I changed jobs because I didn’t know I could make the fastener industry a career.
I didn’t become a doctor, a dentist or a CPA, I became a Sales Manager (granted at a higher pay) but a Sales Manager none the less. Doing the EXACT same thing but instead of selling fasteners, I was selling baby items. I made a choice to return to the fastener industry (Okay, I ran!), since I already had relationships, contacts, experience and knowledge --and I was grateful the fastener industry took me back.
So here is my advice, if the fastener industry is going to be your career. (This is pretty much what I do every day.)
Read something related to the fastener industry.
Read something related to business development or self help.
Send two emails to touch base with old colleagues.
Make sure your inbox is empty every day.
Check in with each team member on their progress.
Have a short non-work related conversation with every employee.
Review your top three goals for your company that is focused on its growth.
Identify and execute one task to support each of my top three goals.(I’ll even go as far as to write down my three failures for the month)
Post five valuable pieces of content on all my major social media accounts (well…I try)
Take a full minute to appreciate what I have and how far I’ve come.
