How often do we let our past affect our today? I’m not talking about learning from the past and not repeating the same mistakes. I’m talking about my past holding me back from better tomorrows.
Several weeks ago, I shared the 10 Things I Quit That Have Made a Huge Difference in My Life. This week, I’m going to talk about this point:
- I quit letting my past experiences and results dictate my beliefs and possibilities for my future.
The first step in doing this was to realize that because I was changing, the way I would do things would change and therefore my results would change – not just my results, my family’s results as well as my company’s results.
Learning to Lead
Armando Salazar has worked his way up in our company. He started as a foreman and climbed two positions to Field Supervisor over the period of about six years. In October of 2018, we offered him a promotion to Operations Manager. This was going to be a huge change for Armando.
Up to this point, Armando was a supervisor and now he would need to learn to be a manager and a leader. He would need to learn about P&Ls, Predictive Business Analytics, Business Planning, Forecasting, tracking results and a whole lot more. This position gave him a seat on the Executive Leadership Team and he was expected to contribute at a high level to the overall success of the company in reference to the production side of the business.
We have a process for hiring and for offering a promotion and we followed it. We did our best to ensure that we set Armando up for success. This position was a direct report to me. I share this because this was challenge #1 for Armando. I have very high standards and expectations from anyone who reports directly to me. I will stretch you, I will challenge you, I will lead you, I will teach you and I will tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear – sometimes very directly and bluntly (I am still a work in progress).
As I worked with him in his new position, there were times within the first few months when Armando became discouraged and doubted himself. He questioned if he could actually fulfill the duties and responsibilities of this position successfully. He questioned if he could really learn the business side of things. More than once through this journey, he told me that he was going to quit. I will admit that there were also times that I was asking the same questions.
Looking back, both of us were allowing our past experiences and feelings to affect our thoughts and beliefs. But because we had done our due diligence, because we believed in our process and because we believed that Armando was, in fact, the right person for the job, we agreed each time to stay the course.
What Changed?
In the past, we both operated more on chance and feelings than on planning, preparing, data and proven processes. We were changing and, therefore, so would our results.
Fast-forward about six months. I was doing a weekly coaching call with Armando and, on this particular day, I asked him to close the call. He said, “When I started this position, I had small eyes. But you were patient with me, you pushed me, you taught me, you made me grow, you helped me see things I couldn’t see before. You gave me bigger eyes and I want to say thank you.”
We closed the call and as I collected my emotions, I realized what he had just said to me. I realized that I was a part of helping him find his belief and his success in himself! I realized that as I learned not to let my past cost me the tomorrow that God has for me, I was also showing others how to do the same.
Looking Ahead
I think we could all use bigger eyes! I hope you will consider visiting again next week. I am going to focus on how …
- I quit blaming other people for my problems.
I will share a story titled “Own It: Dumping Stones & Overcoming Problems.” Go out and make it a change week!