10 Key Motivators: #3 Escape From a Dead-End Job
Ground Floor Opportunity
Twenty five years ago earning a college degree seemed like a ticket to success. The first steps on the corporate ladder were a bit of a rude awakening when I learned that “ground floor opportunity” meant starting at the bottom. But after a few years my natural talents began to emerge and people noticed – people who mattered noticed. Soon there were “ground floor” people calling me “boss”. Business travel took me around the country and around the world. Life was good. Corporate credit card, frequent flyer points, fine dining in expensive restaurants.
Yes Boss
Years passed and more promotions came my way. Now people who had people calling them “boss” called me “boss”. Early career thoughts about upgrading qualifications slipped into history. I knew that I really ought to go get that part-time executive MBA degree, but my career seemed to be moving along so why bother?
Stuck Near the Top
Then the bad times came. Cutbacks, reorganizations, downsizings. I survived but my employer was beginning to look shaky. Time to polish the resume and take a look at who else might be in the market for my abilities and experience. A few interviews but no job offers. I had made it to the heady heights of middle management and was learning that the number of jobs available for people at my level was dramatically less than for the “ground floor” brigade. But worse still, competition was stiff. No recently upgraded qualifications? No chance! I was a victim of my own success; stuck in a dead-end job with no escape route and my predicament was all of my own making.
How to be the President!
I knew I had the ability, experience and ambition to make it to the top. I looked very carefully at the company for whom I worked. How did the man at the top make it? How did he get there? The answer was very simple – he started the company and built it into a national corporation of which he was the president. My way forward suddenly seemed very clear.
