Leading in Motion: The 5x Growth Challenge That Changed Everything

Some Problems Are Good…Until They Aren’t.

When I think back to my time at FedEx (Freight), there’s one moment that always sticks with me.

A major customer came in hot—way bigger than anyone expected. From the start, their volume wasn’t just ahead of projections—it was five times what they forecasted.

Sounds like a great problem, right?

Not if you’re the account executive for the customer trying to keep everything from falling apart.

Operations was already stretched. We weren't ready for this kind of scale. Everyone was scrambling.

It could have been a disaster.

But it wasn’t. And that’s where the real lesson is.

How We Got Through It

First off—I didn’t do this alone. Not even close.

The local terminal was everything. They worked nonstop, adjusting on the fly. No manual for this one.

Meanwhile, I worked between the customer and my terminal, trying to hold it all together. Every day, something needed to change. A new process, more dropped trailers, faster response times.

It was intense. Long hours. A lot of pressure. But the way everyone showed up—that’s what I remember most.

We didn’t just get through it. We scaled.

That same customer? They became an eight-figure account.

And at the time, they weren’t just growing fast—they became the largest shipper in my district and one of the largest in the Southeast region.

Looking back, it wasn’t just about handling their growth—it was about building a system and processes that could keep up with them long-term. That only happened because our team adapted before things broke down.

Three Things That Stuck With Me

1?? When things break, it’s not about finding one solution—it’s about staying flexible. Nothing we planned for worked at that scale. The key was adapting faster than the problem could outrun us.

2?? You’re only as good as your team. I saw firsthand what happens when people step up together. Leadership doesn’t mean having all the answers. It means making sure the right people are in the trenches with you.

3?? Sometimes, progress looks like chaos. We weren’t following a perfect strategy—we were making the best call, over and over, until we figured it out. Growth is messy. But if you stick with it, you come out stronger.

Final Thought

That experience at FedEx taught me something I’ve carried with me ever since:

Leadership isn’t about controlling every variable. It’s about moving forward—even when you don’t have the full road map.

Still learning that lesson, every day.