I Had A Steady Job And I Regret It.

Summary

In this reflective video script, Brian recounts his career setback due to complacency and lack of proactive career management. He emphasizes the importance of being the CEO of one's career, taking ownership, and not waiting for opportunities to arise. Brian's story illustrates the consequences of inaction and the necessity to continuously learn and adapt in order to stay ahead in one's professional journey.

Takeaways

• 📚 Brian emphasizes the importance of taking ownership of one's career, acting like the CEO, and not waiting passively for opportunities to arise.
• 🚀 He shares a personal story of his career at a small company in the railroad services industry, where he was initially promised a promotion that never came.
• 🔗 Brian's role evolved from staffing and development to a human resources manager, where he gained valuable experience but faced stagnation due to the reluctance of senior leadership to retire.
• 👴 The company's leadership was supposed to retire within 18 months to 3 years, but many stayed on, creating a bottleneck that hindered Brian and his peers from advancing.
• 💡 Brian highlights the need to be proactive and analytical in one's career, rather than becoming apathetic and comfortable, which can lead to missed opportunities and career stagnation.
• 🚑 He regrets not pushing for growth and development opportunities within the company and becoming too comfortable with the status quo.
• 🚀 Brian eventually transitioned to a different role within the same company, thanks to a senior leader recognizing his talents outside of HR, which reignited his passion for work.
• 📉 He acknowledges that his lack of initiative and planning set him back in his career, compared to his peers who took control and moved on to senior roles in other companies.
• 🎯 The story serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of complacency and the necessity of having a clear career plan and strategy.
• 🛑 Brian advises viewers to regularly assess their career trajectory, to not wait for recognition from within, but to actively seek out opportunities and make strategic moves.
• 📈 He offers resources such as a free newsletter, training courses, and LinkedIn presence to help others level up their careers and become the CEOs of their professional lives.

Q & A

What is the main message Brian wants to convey in his story?

Brian emphasizes the importance of taking ownership of one's career and acting like the CEO of one's career to avoid stagnation and missed opportunities.

What was Brian's initial role in the small company he joined?

Brian started as a Staffing and Development Manager, a role that essentially turned into a human resources manager position.

Why did Brian accept the job at the small company?

Brian accepted the job with the expectation that he would learn from the VP of Human Resources, who was supposed to retire in 18 months, after which Brian would be promoted to his role.

How did Brian describe the work environment at the company?

Brian described the work environment as family-oriented, laid back, and supportive, with a high degree of empathy for employees from the leadership.

What happened to Brian's expected promotion after 18 months?

Brian's expected promotion did not materialize as his boss, the VP, showed no intention of retiring and continued to work beyond the initial 18-month timeline.

What was the common issue faced by the leadership development group members?

The common issue was that the senior leaders were not retiring as expected, and they did not feel anyone was ready to take over their roles, which led to stagnation for the leadership development group members.

How did Brian's peers in the leadership development group respond to the situation?

Brian's peers started leaving the organization one by one to pursue opportunities elsewhere, as they felt they were ready for advancement and were not waiting for recognition within the company.

What was the turning point for Brian in his career at the company?

The turning point was when another senior leader recognized Brian's talents in marketing and creative areas and offered him a role in a different part of the organization.

How did Brian's career progression compare to his peers after leaving the company?

Brian found himself significantly behind his peers in terms of career progression, as they had moved into senior director roles at other companies while he had to take a step downward in responsibility to gain the right recruiting experience.

What did Brian learn from his experience about career management?

Brian learned the hard way about the importance of having a plan, being proactive, and not waiting for opportunities to come to him, which he now teaches to others as part of his channel's mission.

What advice does Brian offer to those who feel stuck in their careers?

Brian advises taking ownership of one's career, acting like the CEO, and not waiting for recognition or opportunities to come. He also recommends continuous learning and staying updated with industry trends.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Career Growth Stifled by Leadership Inertia

Brian shares a personal career story emphasizing the importance of taking ownership of one's professional growth. He began his career in a staff and development role, which evolved into a human resources manager position. Initially, he was promised a promotion to VP of HR within 18 months, but this never materialized due to the VP's reluctance to retire. Despite being part of a leadership development group, Brian and his peers faced stagnation as the senior leadership clung to their positions. This led to a loss of passion and initiative among the group, with many eventually leaving the company for better opportunities elsewhere.

05:00

🔄 Overcoming Apathy to Reclaim Career Control

Brian reflects on his own complacency in a comfortable yet stagnant role, where he waited for opportunities that never came. He discusses the dangers of becoming too comfortable and losing the drive to push for career advancement. His story highlights the importance of not waiting for others to recognize your potential but instead taking proactive steps to advance. After nine years, when a senior leader recognized Brian's talents in marketing and creative fields, he transitioned to a new role within the company. However, the delay in career progression cost him significantly in terms of income and professional standing compared to his peers.

10:01

📉 Falling Behind and the Struggle to Catch Up

Brian admits to falling behind in his industry knowledge and skills due to a lack of initiative to keep up with trends and technology. This resulted in a challenging job market experience when he eventually left the company, as he had to accept a step down in responsibility to gain relevant experience in recruiting. He contrasts his experience with that of his peers who had moved into senior director roles, illustrating the impact of not having a strategic career plan. Brian's narrative serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of complacency and the importance of continuous learning and adaptation.

15:01

🛠️ Tools for Career Advancement and Market Testing

In the conclusion of his story, Brian offers practical advice and resources for career development. He discusses the importance of consistently testing the job market and leveraging networks like LinkedIn to attract recruiters. Brian mentions his course, the Ultimate Jobseeker Boot Camp, designed to guide job seekers from search to offer negotiation. He also promotes his newsletter for career tips and encourages following him on LinkedIn for further insights. The overarching message is to act as the CEO of one's career, taking control and initiative in professional development.

Keywords

💡Career Ownership

Career ownership refers to the concept of individuals taking control and responsibility for the direction and development of their professional lives. In the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of acting like the CEO of one's career, which means being proactive and strategic in career planning and decision-making. The speaker's own experience of passivity and waiting for opportunities to come led to a stagnation in his career growth, illustrating the negative consequences of not taking ownership.

💡Leadership Development

Leadership development involves the process of nurturing and preparing individuals for leadership roles within an organization. The script mentions a leadership development group the speaker was part of, where members were groomed for higher positions. However, the lack of actual opportunities for advancement within the company highlights the disconnect between the promise of leadership development and the reality of organizational inertia.

💡Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the ability to understand, use, and manage one's own emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges, and defuse conflict. The speaker describes his boss as having a high degree of empathy, which is a key aspect of emotional intelligence, and this empathy contributed to a family-oriented atmosphere within the company.

💡Career Stagnation

Career stagnation occurs when an individual's professional growth and development come to a halt, often due to a lack of new challenges or opportunities for advancement. The speaker's story illustrates career stagnation, as he remained in the same position for an extended period, waiting for a promotion that never came, which negatively impacted his career trajectory.

💡Promotion

Promotion refers to the act of moving an employee to a higher position or rank within an organization. In the video, the speaker was promised a promotion to the role of head of HR after learning the ropes from the VP of HR, but this promotion never materialized, leading to frustration and a sense of being stuck.

💡Job Apathy

Job apathy is a state of indifference or lack of enthusiasm for one's work. The speaker describes how he became apathetic in his role, no longer caring about going above and beyond or seeking opportunities for advancement, which is a direct result of feeling stuck and undervalued in his position.

💡Career Planning

Career planning is the process of proactively managing one's career path by setting goals, identifying opportunities, and making decisions to achieve those goals. The video's theme revolves around the importance of career planning, as the speaker regrets not having a clear direction or strategy for his career, which led to him falling behind his peers.

💡Compensation

Compensation refers to the financial or other forms of payment an employee receives for their work. The speaker discovered a significant gap in compensation when he left his long-term position, realizing he was underpaid compared to market rates, which is a consequence of not actively managing his career and staying informed about industry standards.

💡Networking

Networking is the act of building and maintaining professional relationships to exchange information and access opportunities. The speaker mentions leveraging networks as a key strategy for career advancement, suggesting that being a CEO of one's career involves actively engaging with others in the industry to create opportunities.

💡Job Search Strategy

A job search strategy is a systematic approach to finding employment, including identifying target companies, crafting a compelling resume, and preparing for interviews. The speaker discusses creating a course called 'The Ultimate Jobseeker Boot Camp,' which is designed to guide individuals through the entire job search process, emphasizing the importance of having a strategic approach to finding new opportunities.

💡Passive Job Market

The passive job market refers to the pool of qualified candidates who are not actively looking for a job but may be open to opportunities. The speaker suggests that even those who are content in their current roles should remain open to the passive job market, testing their value and keeping their options open, which aligns with the idea of being proactive in career management.

Highlights

Brian shares a personal story to inspire career ownership and analytical thinking.

He emphasizes the importance of acting like the CEO of one's career.

Brian's early career involved staffing and development in the railroad services industry.

He was expected to learn from the VP of HR with a planned promotion after 18 months.

The company had a family-oriented atmosphere with a high degree of employee empathy.

Brian experienced a delay in promised promotions due to leadership holding onto their positions.

His peers in the leadership development group started leaving the company.

Brian became apathetic, waiting for opportunities rather than creating them.

He warns against the dangers of becoming too comfortable in a role.

Brian's career advancement was significantly delayed due to inaction.

He had to rebrand himself and gain experience at a lower level to catch up.

Brian regrets not having a clear career plan and not pushing for development opportunities.

He encourages viewers to take ownership and not wait for recognition from others.

Brian is creating a training course on career advancement strategies.

He advises on the importance of continuous learning and staying updated with industry trends.

Brian discusses the value of networking and leveraging LinkedIn for career growth.

He offers resources like the Ultimate Jobseeker Boot Camp for effective job search strategies.

Brian stresses the need for a proactive approach to career management rather than a passive one.

Transcripts

Brian from a life after layoff today I

want to tell you a little story about my

own career and an experience that I had

that shaped a lot of what I talk about

on this channel and as you know I teach

people how to take ownership back in

their lives and in particular to act

like the CEO of their career and I

practice what I preach and let's face it

just about every one of us has our own

story to tell about maybe where we took

a wrong turn in our career and it set us

back so hopefully by recounting my own

story it'll get you to start looking at

your career a little bit more

analytically and make the changes so

that you can act like the CEO of your

career but before we get too far into it

if you're interested in learning how to

be the CEO of your career I actually put

together a free newsletter to teach you

just that and in it I share actionable

tips each week that will get you to

start thinking more like the owner and

taking control and I also share

subscriber only offers and news so make

sure that you sign up for it and keep in

mind it's completely free so early into

my career I ended up getting recruited

into a relatively small company it was

about six or seven hundred employees at

the time and and it was in the railroad

Services industry so I had an

opportunity to go in and my title

officially was Staffing and development

manager which was kind of a weird title

but it was basically focused on

recruiting and then employee relations

it really kind of turned into uh human

resources manager role so the actual

work that I was doing was really meaty

and it was really good and it was great

experience and I got to really impact

the business got to see people get hired

I got to see people grow as managers and

it was really good but the premise for

the role and the reason why I accepted

it was I was supposed to to learn the

ropes from the VP the Vice President in

the department the vice president of

human resources and he was supposed to

retire in 18 months and so I took that

job was supposed to learn ropes 18

months later I was supposed to get

promoted into his role and then I would

run human resources for this entire this

entire company my boss was the vice

president was very particular I guess

we'll say on how he liked to run things

and he had kind of a an old school way

about going about human resources one

thing that I'll say about him that was

really great and I learned a lot about

it was he had a high degree of empathy

for the employee and so if there was

Employee issues it wasn't like a

traditional HR department where they

were always out to get you in fact he

was usually looking out for a person and

if only if you were truly a troublemaker

would you get on any kind of list but in

general it was a I hate to use the term

because this is so worn out but there

was a very family oriented atmosphere

the owners of the company were great in

fact to this day I still have a good

relationship with them but it truly was

a a family oriented and work environment

and it wasn't a difficult place to work

it was relatively laid back I would had

a fairly High degree of freedom to do

what I wanted to do I could kind of pick

and choose my schedule and go where I

wanted to go and just needed to manage

my desk as best I could

but what happened was this tier of

leadership that was in this organization

was all retiring or supposed to retire

about the same time and it was within

that two to three year window and my

boss

kept on working and working and working

and at 18 months it became very obvious

or very evident that he had no true

intention of hanging up the cleats

because he kind of had a little kingdom

that he ran and he had a lot of

influence with the president and all

this stuff

and so

I just continued to bide my time

thinking well eventually I'm going to

get it and I was being groomed as part

of a leadership development group so

there was some of us who were in a

special setting that we would go off and

do these special projects and all this

stuff at the vice president level the

the senior leadership team of each one

of these functional divisions about

obviously being in Human Resources was

very attached to their work and I mean

they paid got paid really nice bonuses I

mean really nice bonuses every year and

it was probably hard for them to let go

of that but it became obvious that a lot

of them also felt the same way they

didn't want to release their their

Stranglehold on the organization they

wanted to keep doing what they were

doing and people who in the leadership

development group my peers one by one

started leaving the organization in fact

one of them went off to become a

president of a competitor company and

eventually another one of my friends who

got passed up for promotion a few times

also left the organization and I think

out of that succession group that I was

a part of only maybe one out of eight or

ten people actually made it to the level

that they were supposed to in that

organization because these leaders just

didn't feel that anybody could take over

or they were staying on too long and

they just kind of convinced themselves

that nobody was capable of it and my

boss was saying things to me like you're

not ready yet there's still things that

you need to learn we still need to

develop you here develop you there but

in reality he wasn't really providing me

any kind of development opportunities it

was kind of I was kind of on my own in

that regard and I was talking to my peer

group and they were also dealing with

the same types of things they weren't

being properly supported by their bosses

and everybody would say the right things

to your face but in behind closed doors

they would have conversations about how

nobody on this group was ready to go and

one by one all the people who took

ownership in their career would leave

well not me because I had a steady job I

was well regarded in the organization I

had a boss that again was very family

oriented and very supportive in that

regard not as supportive in other ways

but I didn't necessarily have this High

degree of pressure and I figured

eventually he was going to retire and

year after year passed and what was

supposed to be 18 months ended up

turning into I think I was there for

nine years total basically after seven

years or so I gave up on my dream of

being the head HR person when another

senior leader came and tapped me on the

shoulder and he recognized he says you

you know you don't really seem that

enthusiastic about your situation and I

kind of I understand why but he said you

have a lot of talent in some other areas

and it was marketing and some

photography and some some creative stuff

that I was doing and he says I really

think that you could help us in some

other part of the organization so I

actually ended up leaving that role in

HR for the last two years of my career

at that particular place and went off

somewhere else and uh

all the while my boss who was still in

role he supported it and I left and then

he waited another two years before he

finally hired a replacement for him and

then he ended up kind of hovering over

top of that guy for a long period of

time and ended up leaving the

organization so in other words it took

him nine years to leave the organization

and retire when he promised me it was 18

months in fact that's what I was told in

my interview process and I look back at

my time at that organization and while I

don't necessarily regret working for

them

I do regret how I handled my career

because I was became very apathetic I

became very comfortable in my role I

became very comfortable just collecting

a steady paycheck

and I didn't push the way I should have

had I had a clear direction of where I

wanted to go and I know I talk a lot on

my Channel about being the CEO of your

career and I certainly was not and in

fact a lot of the advice I give you is

my own personal experiences where I made

these mistakes myself and I didn't do

these things that I teach you about in

this Channel and on my socials and on my

blog and on my LinkedIn but by staying

in this role for too long I essentially

became Joe if you've watched my video on

why steady jobs bad for your career and

I'll leave a link up here somewhere and

you can check it out but I became the

Joe of that organization I stayed too

long and and the danger in that was that

my peer group and and the I would I'll

say this the astute people in that peer

group that I was growing up with in the

succession planning the succession

planning leadership group The astute

ones who took off after two or three

years they said I'm not waiting around

for somebody else to recognize me if

they don't think that I'm ready and I

know that I am and this other company is

willing to do it they end up bleeding

and we all kind of sat and said oh like

did you hear and so and so is going and

I should have gotten some sort of little

light bulb going off that hey maybe I

should be doing the same thing but again

I felt I became apathetic and I let the

work come to me I waited for the

opportunity I told myself they promised

me and all I got to do is just bide my

time and obviously that didn't happen

and as a result of that I fell back

further in my career than I should have

compared to my peer group because then

when I look around at the people who may

be outside of my organization but people

I went to school with were all moving

into these different levels of of role

you know director Etc at a time when I

was just kind of middling away at a

manager's level and as a result of being

told you're not ready and you're hearing

that over and over and over again over

the course of five six seven years you

start to kind of believe it maybe I'm

not ready and all the while it was just

the insecurities from the people who

were in these roles these various

managers would tell their people you're

not ready you're not ready and it was

clear that many of them actually were

ready because they left the organization

they got these jobs at other companies

and they're still there thriving to this

day I also lost my passion and desire to

be the human resources manager than to

be the man there so to speak I just I

just stopped caring about it and when

you stop caring about something and you

literally just go into autopilot I mean

I would do my work it wasn't like I was

like slacking off or anything like that

but I would do my work but I didn't care

about going above and beyond anymore I

didn't care about volunteering for that

next project I didn't care about being

considered for promotion I kind of went

into like autopilot and I was very

fortunate that the one manager came in

in a way I was very fortunate he came

and tapped me on the shoulder and pulled

me I was like almost like yanking me out

of this bad situation where I just was I

just felt it just felt negative but when

you become too comfortable

that's when you start making decisions

and actually maybe it may be better say

that's when you stop making decisions

that are in the best interest of your

long-term career because you have a

steady paycheck and you stop worrying

about the types of things that you

should be if you're playing chess with

your career versus check I was like I

was literally I was playing checkers

with my career not chess I didn't have

any plan I didn't have any strategy or

any of that kind of stuff

and so as a result of that I stopped

trying to learn I I wasn't keeping up on

the industry and what the trends were

what the latest technology was what the

latest buzzwords I mean sure we'd go to

these conferences and we'd hear all the

stuff that was going on we were very

traditional we didn't have a lot of

budget for this they didn't really value

some of the stuff that that was coming

out at the time and so I fell behind and

when I eventually entered into the open

market again for work I discovered that

I was behind the rest of my peer group

as far as what skills knowledge and

abilities I had because I never pushed

for it when I was working I didn't care

about it I didn't feel the need to be so

current and it ended up coming back and

biting me it was difficult to find

another job after that and I realized

after the leaving that organization that

I actually had to take a step downward

in responsibility to get the right

recruiting experience because I really

just wanted to focus on the recruiting

component because that was my favorite

component of my job when I was there

and so I had to basically Rebrand myself

and get experience recruiting at much

bigger companies and so that's what I

did I kind of went back down to a a

recruiter level to get the deeper

experience and I spent the next several

years doing that this was at a time when

all of my peer group was moving into

senior director roles at other companies

and so it was a major mistake that I

made in my career and it set me back it

probably set me back a decade and and

all in all honesty but it all was

because I didn't have a plan I didn't

know what I was supposed to be doing and

when I was supposed to be doing it I

didn't have any guidance on how you

should be managing your career like a

chess player I was literally just

playing checkers because that's all I

knew and I wish on the hindsight I had

the benefit of myself and this version

coming and pulling me aside and saying

and slapping me upside the head and

saying get your stuff together and get a

plan and don't wait around for this guy

to retire you're wasting your time

you're wasting your career because we

all have a runway in our career that

shortens very quickly and if you get

into mid-career you you know exactly

what I'm talking about what suddenly

seems like a super long career when

you're in your 20s when you're at your

30s you hit your 40s you certainly in

the 50s your career shortens very

quickly and you realize all these plans

that you had these grandiose plans that

you had you're suddenly running out of

runway for that and so if you're just

being apathetic you're letting the work

come to you you're letting the

opportunities come to you you're just

kind of waiting around for things to

happen you're wasting your time and

you're not acting like the CEO of your

career and so I learned that the hard

way it cost me thousands and thousands

of dollars in Lost income I found out

when I when I left that organization how

truly far behind the rest of the market

I was with compensation because I hadn't

done the exercise of what's what's the

compensation supposed to be where should

I be not not to mention I'm also behind

at least on two levels behind where I

should have been had I been playing

chess the whole time so there was a lot

of implications that that's that had

impacted me for years after that so the

moral of this whole story is it's really

important and critical that if you take

your career seriously and you want to

achieve something in your career

start learning how to play chess start

to be the CEO of your career and take

ownership in things and not let the work

come to you now if you're somebody that

just says I just want a steady paycheck

I don't really care about any of that

stuff then this video really isn't for

you this is for somebody that's looking

to move ahead in their career they're

stuck they're not satisfied with where

they are they're frustrated I'm speaking

to you and actually I'm in the process

of creating a training course on how to

play chess with your careers in other

words how to be the CEO of your career

what steps you need to take things you

need to look for and all that stuff if

you're interested in updates on that

when it comes out you want the first

Peak I'm going to be offering some

special discounts so I'd encourage you

to sign up for my newsletter if you want

more details on when that's going to

come out so anyways I encourage you to

start acting like the CEO of your career

start looking at are you spending too

much time in an organization are you

waiting around for somebody to recognize

your efforts or if you're somebody

that's too good at your job and the

company can't lose you in that role and

they're keeping you stuck there then you

need to start acting like the CEO of

your career so that's what I'm here for

make sure you check out my website if

you want more information on how to

start leveling up your career resumes

are certainly going to be a big part of

that so check out resonate rocket feel

if you really want to know how to build

the right resume to get you noticed by

those recruiters for companies that will

actually value you the way that you

should like some of my friends in the

peer group that I went grew up with and

then once you get into the interview

process you need to be able to Market

yourself effectively especially if

you're looking to go from one level to

the next you have to convince them

because hiring managers are really risk

adverse they don't like to take chances

on people they basically just want

somebody that's going to move exactly

laterally they want like a perfect match

to the job description and I have all

these arguments with my hiring manager

saying

do you think that a high potential is

really going to want your job when it's

literally the exact same job they're

doing there's no reason why they would

take your job in a little a little light

bulb will sometimes come off in the

Morris dude hiring managers but I I

don't count on it but anyway learn how

to get through that process with

authority and I created a course called

the ultimate jobseeker boot camp

basically it's Cradle to gray for job

search starting at job search all the

way to offer negotiation and I make sure

that you don't leave a single penny on

the table so it's a really good course

especially if you're in an active job

search we think an offer is coming

make sure you're not leaving a penny on

the table and usually I can get you way

more money than the cost of a course so

it's I'm I know I'm biased but I think

it's absolutely worth it and if you want

opportunities that come into your inbox

and you absolutely should want those

because you should be testing the open

market consistently and entertaining

other opportunities because a true free

agent a true CEO of their career will

always entertain what's out there and

keep themselves as available as possible

for the best possible opportunities

that's where unlocking LinkedIn comes in

that's going to teach you how to

leverage your networks they get

recruiters to start contacting you

instead of you always putting in

applications instead and trust me it's a

lot easier to get hired when a recruiter

is coming and hitting you up than the

other way around so check that course

out if you need some more guidance there

anyway hopefully I resonated with at

least one person with this long ramble

but I appreciate you watching make sure

you follow me on LinkedIn if you want

even more I'm actually spending a lot of

time on LinkedIn these days and I'm

really trying to provide a lot of value

there so if you're on LinkedIn you want

to career tips make sure you follow me

there I'd leave all this all the

information's down the the video

description so you can check it out

there but as always I really appreciate

every one of you and we'll see you on

the next one