Reflections of a Career
John Diefenbach
Field Sales & Operations Leader with a strong record of success leading direct, consumer and indirect channels.
It’s been about a year since I learned my most recent role was being eliminated.? Without a doubt, it has been the toughest year of my career.? The one thing I’ve learned that is undeniable – it’s my fault the search hasn’t gone my way.? The mistakes I’ve made in the past have made the hill much steeper than it needed to be.? As time has gone on, my resilience level is fading.?
?I’ve decided to suspend my search.? I realize that I am blessed and fortunate to be in a position where I can be allowed to do this.
Time to take that silly banner down from my profile – what a depressing label! In all seriousness, I recently realized my focus was unintentionally moving towards ‘finding a job’ instead of ‘continuing a career’.? I said to many people, I want my next role to be meaningful.? To find a place where I can add immense value – share my lessons and most importantly, to write my next chapter in my career.? I badly didn’t want an employer to write that final chapter for me…however, it appears may be the case.
?So, I’m going to use this space to share some of what I learned.? Today I’m sharing my mistakes.? In another article, I’ll share what I think are some critical success factors.? I hope you enjoy this – I’ve thought about writing this for some time.?
?My Mistakes – a partial list for sure...
I wasn’t always who I wanted to be.?
There are far too many moments I recall where I was a complete jerk.? Sadly, for me – I remember these moments with far too much frequency.? If you were impacted by behavior at times, I am truly sorry.? I have very specific people in mind and I’m sure there are many others I forgot about.? You deserved better from me.
?I learned Humility too late
An ability to demonstrate humility means that you can recognize and accept you don’t know all there is to know about a given topic/situation.? I learned this lesson way too late in my career.? Someone once told me (I wish I took it to heart sooner) – ‘You’re really smart and others know it – you don’t need prove it’ (thank you Mark A).? When you gain humility, you start asking a lot more questions.? You show others you’re still learning.? As a leader, it can become infectious with those you lead.? It really is empowering.?
领英推荐
?Networking was a skill I should’ve developed
One leader tried to coach me on this, and I just couldn’t grasp it (Thank you Terry H for trying).? Networks are to be grown and they must be cultivated.? You need to stay in touch with your network.? Find ways to add value to those in your network because you WILL need them.? I didn’t cultivate my network and it hurt.? I’m almost 58 years old – when you get to your 50’s it’s your network that will help you land your next opportunity.?
?I ruined my Resume
The flow of your resume is very important if you’re looking for work.? Mine looked great up until about 15 years ago.? Until I left Nextel, I had a strong looking trajectory with a good story to tell.? Subsequently, I made several career decisions that negatively impacted my resume.? I’ve spoken with enough executive recruiters to know it’s a major obstacle (Thank you Dan C).? Realize that your resume tells a story.? It should be intentional – you get to decide what the story is.? It requires that you be aware in the moment that a career decision will impact that story.? Please know I’m not so na?ve that I don’t realize people make decisions because they need to make a living – I really do respect that.?
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I could probably go one but I’m realizing this has gone on a bit far.? I will write another article on what I thought were the critical success factors for my career.?
I am sure that a few people will think the writing of this article amounts to career suicide.? That’s entire acceptable to me.? The writing of this has been cleansing for me – and I already feel better about my decision.
?My time will now be focused on my family.? Karen and I are deciding where we want to ‘retire’ – whatever that means.? We’ll have a blast with the process and I’m sure a decision will come after we over analyze the heck out of it.
?Thank you for reading.? I wish you the very best as your career continues to evolve.
Experienced Marketing Leader, Brand Strategist, Relationship Builder, Job Coach
4 个月John - I love your mindset. Personal growth and meaningful work, particularly at our age, can be so rewarding and fulfilling. Take it one day ar a time. Often things fall into our laps or at least into place when we stop worrying about them. You have much to offer, and whether it is full-speed-ahead retirement or some quasi state of work and fun, I sincerely hope you enjoy this time!
General Manager at Wedgewood Pines Country Club
4 个月John, you are a great person and have a great family. That’s all that matters. I wish you the best in your next chapter in life it certainly doesn’t need employment to make it a great success. See you at the course! Big E
Human Resources
4 个月There are a lot of things a lot of us would do differently and each of us are our harshest critics. In the interactions we had I was always mesmerized by your business acumen, floored by the fact that you knew everyone down to our newest associates, humble enough to do as many pushups as minutes your were late when called out and respectfully challenged me to do better. A lot of what you taught me directly or indirectly, I still use to this day. Now, in my 40s I went back to school starting from scratch and god willing will earn my bachelors in Human Resources management early next year. Thank you for the opportunity and for the environment that you created for hard workers. They say, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, I think some of these new puppies need to learn some old tricks. Looking forward to more articles to learn from one of the best. Thank you sir!
Executive Vice President - Chief Sales Officer
4 个月Now that that's settled :) It's time you consider running for office. Whether town, state rep, state senate... you would be a tremendous asset and would indeed be continuing your career... but in a different environment. ??
Board Advisor, Transformation, Strategic Investments
5 个月We all learn from others, and appreciate your humble insights. Reflect brightly my friend!