Focus on what you do well.
You may not know who Chip Kelly is, especially if college football isn’t your thing. But he’s a powerhouse. His run at the University of Oregon changed how the game was played. Those teams never quite won a National Championship, but they came close, and Kelly became an NFL head coach before moving back to college football and leading UCLA’s program.
And then he quit.
Not to retire. To become an offensive coordinator at Ohio State. In essence, he gave himself a demotion, like going from CEO to sales. The question is, why? And what can we learn from him?
If you ask Chip Kelly, he says his joy comes from coming up with offensive plays. The sort that drive defenses crazy. In various head coach roles, Kelly had stopped doing what he loved, what he felt he was -really- good at.
Today’s head coach, both professional and college level, is more chief executive and less X’s and O’s. They spend more time with alums and the press than developing plays and players. Kelly felt he was better with players and plays and wanted to return to that. So he did.
?Frankly, Kelly wants to win a national championship, and it seems he decided that focusing on offense was the best path.
The business landscape is littered with star salespeople who are quickly promoted to the executive level. Once there, they face many challenges and tasks that have little to do with the sales talent that got them there. Just because you are great at something and enjoy it, doesn’t mean you can lead others who do the same thing. (It doesn’t mean you can’t either.) And maybe, like Kelly, giving yourself a 'demotion' will make you happier and get you closer to your goal.? As we move throughout our careers, opportunities to move into different roles will appear. Sometimes up, sometimes to the side. We must assess whether those moves will benefit us, our families, and our careers. And whether it’s something we want to do.
If you find yourself in a position that isn’t quite what you thought it was, a decision needs to be made. Will you follow Chip Kelly’s example and return to something you’re good at and enjoy? Or will you tough it out and find the joy you can in your current position?
?The choice is yours. Make sure it makes you successful and satisfied in the long run. "Moving up" isn't a guarantee of either.
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3 个月I love your blog series. You have some great insights ??
Multimedia Engineering & Support Coordinator at City of St. Peters, MO
4 个月Well said, Tim. Sometimes we have to push beyond our strengths to find them. Often it's not even the individual who chooses to move up, but management who believe it makes sense to promote your best to leadership positions. That's a reward for success, right? Maybe. Butt if it takes them away from their strengths and overall weakens the organization or team and doesn't leave them satisfied, is that REALLY the right choice? That's sometimes hard to recognize from the inside.
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4 个月Thank you for the encouragement.