Growing More Than I Realized!

Look back over my life I recognize myself passing through three distinct phases of professional growth. That observation sounds so self-serving, but hang with me.

Phase One: It's All About Me

Fresh out of college, I was wandering around trying to find my place in the world. I had the time and freedom to do anything and everything I wanted to do. Do you remember those days? You could spend your time doing anything and, chances are, your choices on how you spent your time really didn't have any significant impact on anyone but yourself.

Phase Two: I Can't Do It All

Most of us probably thought we became adults when we landed our first "real" jobs. With those new jobs came new responsibility and an awareness that you were no longer accountable just to yourself, but to your family and your team at work as well. When I found myself in this phase, I realized I no longer had the time and capacity to do anything I wanted. Instead, I had to be selective on what I did. I had to become much better at saying "No" to requests and favors.

Phase Three: It Takes a Team

Even if I stayed narrowly focused on the most essential items and said "No" to everything else that came my way, there's still not enough time and capacity to complete the biggest projects on my own. When your vision is grand, you have to let go (sometimes, let go completely!) and trust the team around you to carry out your vision.

When your vision is grand, you have to let go and trust the team around you to carry out your vision.

If you want to accomplish something really big, the odds are that it will only happen if you can allow those around you to help carry the load.

Odyssey: A New Breed of Print MIS

This "it takes a team" thought has never been more clear to me as it has been over the last two years. Odyssey is a totally new approach to Print MIS. It's something that started as a big idea, and thanks to the wonderful team around me, it's now almost ready to launch!

What about you? Perhaps your big, huge project is in need of a boost from your team. Remember, every member of your team will bring something you can't: their own unique talents and perspectives.

My encouragement to you: Let go, and let your team grow! Maybe, just maybe, your inability to let go is what's holding your team back from truly achieving their, an ultimately your company's, greatness. Step back, take a deep introspective look, and ask yourself: How can you let go in order to grow?