Lombi's Blog

I read an interesting article by Arianna Huffington and Tony Robbins on HuffPost.  It deals with people making a breakthrough when being faced with a difficult challenge or crisis.  This breakthrough refers to the moment when a person facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles is able to rise to the occasion, find the strength to keep going, and ultimately get past the rough times.

At the end of the article, Tony Robbins asks readers who have had a breakthrough to answer five questions.  I’m going to answer those five questions here, as I had a minor breakthrough this year.

My breakthrough was leaving the only company I had ever worked for and moving to a completely new industry, healthcare.   Nothing nearly as dramatic as what many people face, but a breakthrough nonetheless.  Here goes…

1. What was your life like right before the challenge or crisis hit?

I was complacent and bored.  I knew everybody and had friends all over the company.  I had a lax schedule, and did not have many day-to-day responsibilities.  But, I was not growing professionally, and therefore, was not content personally.

2. What was the crisis you faced? What happened — what did you feel and experience?

I was offered a severance package from the only employer I had ever worked for, and I took it.  At first, I felt exhilarated.  Then, offended and angry.  Then, as I began to assess the dismal job market, frustrated.

3. What pulled you through this difficult, unjust, or impossible time? What was the trigger or catalyst for change? Was it a belief, a strategy, a faith, a person, a tool? What made the change possible?

Having a supportive wife and parents was obviously a godsend.  Also, having professional contacts who could see that this change would do me good was crucial.

I think what really changed my outlook from pessimistic about the job market to optimistic about my career was my commitment to do meaningful work.  I decided that I would start contributing my talents to whomever would utilize them, regardless of whether they were willing to pay me or not.  I offered my services pro-bono to colleagues, to my grad school, and to business contacts I had never met.  This turned things around for me.

I think what made this change possible was my business philosophy, which is rooted in “lean thinking.”  People that practice this business philosophy believe that the mission is to satisfy customer needs.  If you do that, the money will take care of itself.

Normally, there is some compensation arrangement in place for even the leanest thinkers, but I was willing to bypass that step for the chance to satisfy a customer need.  If I saw my professional purpose as the pursuit of money, I would never have volunteered my services that way.

4. Once you turned the corner mentally or emotionally, what did you do to turn your life around?

I began thinking about working in healthcare, a drastically different industry than what I was used to (manufacturing and construction).  Then, I begin actively pursuing a job in healthcare.  Then, I got a job in healthcare.

5. How is your life better today because you lived through the crisis? How have you transformed? How are you stronger emotionally, physically, spiritually? What gifts do you have to give because of this?

First and foremost, my life is better because I’m doing more fulfilling work in a more successful organization in a role that fits me much better.

Secondly, I’ve been humbled by the experience of being classified as inessential by my former employer.  This has made me a more empathetic person who would never scoff at somebody for having a setback in their career.

Thirdly, because of making this big switch to healthcare, I now see that the grass is actually greener on the other side sometimes.  At my former employer, I was in what Seth Godin would call a ‘cul-de-sac,’ but I thought I was in what he would call a ‘dip.’  This misinterpretation of my situation led me to spend a few extra years at my former employer after the point when it had become a dead-end.  I think I’ll be better able to interpret my situations in the future and avoid any cul-de-sacs.

Well, I think that about wraps it up for the analysis of my breakthrough.  Like I said, it’s not nearly as dramatic a breakthrough as what some people achieve, but it worked for me.

The blog is under construction at the moment. I’ve imported all the posts from my old Lean Builder blog, but that’s about it for now. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated (you can use the comments section of this post). Thanks ya’ll.