Part II: Underestimate Your Obstacles
Most people give up too easily. The next principle of the HUNT, Underestimate your obstacles, is about being someone who rarely gives up. It's about being someone who takes a "no" answer with a grain of salt. People in this camp make a practice out of facing every obstacle with the belief that there will always be a solution—no matter what. Whether it's a new job, a bonus, a promotion, or the details of a new project, whenever you hear "no," remember that the world is full of false deadlines and trivial obstacles.
Just as a small business owner has to face hundreds of obstacles to get a business off the ground, we have to face obstacles as we get our careers off the ground. You're not alone in facing the dreaded "no" to your requests; we all face resistance when we try to excel. If you're finding resistance, it means you're on the right path. If it were easy, everyone would find their way to the top! No matter what career or industry you are in, the journey to get to the top will constantly present you with hurdles and challenges. Those who are able to fight through them and find their way around them are the ones who will prevail.
Attitude
Underestimating obstacles doesn't mean that you adopt an idiotic optimism that denies reality; instead, it means having confidence that you'll find a way around difficulty. Sometimes facing difficulty early on can be an advantage. As you saw in Part I, "Harness What You Have," Ralph Olson (Chapter 2, "Embrace Risk") found his strategic advantage in the daily adversity he faced growing up in a gang-ridden urban neighborhood. Olson saw that his disadvantages gave him the advantage over people who had had things given to them—college educations, allowances, and business contacts—by their parents. Because he was used to working for these things, he had confidence that he could overcome whatever obstacles came his way in the work world.
When you're confident about your ability to succeed, you make yourself into a powerful force for an employer. You become known as the person who can get things done—you earn respect and attention.
Raise the Bar
Everyone in this book overcame challenges and sought out more in their lives, but the stories in Part II are especially compelling. Kevin Noland figured career growth wasn't happening fast enough at GE, so he went to a small company with fast-moving career paths and begged for a job. Dan Pelson didn't have the computer engineering degree everyone said he needed, but he got into the information technology industry anyway. Steve Hudson lived through a car accident that could have killed him and made it through an industry contraction that could have hurt his career. Diana Ruddick pushed through her boss's refusal to promote women and then turned around and helped her company modernize and open itself to providing more opportunities for women. When these folks didn't have enough challenges, they chased more.
What challenges could you tackle right now in your career? As you read this book, ask yourself that question and envision pushing right through these challenges. The stories in this book can help you do that.
Don't Underestimate Your Competition
I put this in because I'm constantly surprised (and I'm sure you've seen this) by people who come to sell me things but don't want to answer any tough questions. For instance, wholesalers representing different investment-related products will lobby for me to use their products or investment vehicle for my clients. But for example, when I ask why their costs are higher than their main competition, the only answer is, "We're so confident that we're the best that we don't even know exactly what the competition is offering"—sounds like they are either lazy or not willing to answer the tough questions with an honest response!
So be sure you know what your company's competitors—or your competitors in the office—are up to. And think through why your ideas—or your company's products—are better than someone else's. When you're selling yourself (or your company), it pays to prepare answers to the most difficult questions. Not only does it make you look smart and well-prepared, it also cuts down on worry. After you have answers for the all the tough questions, there's nothing further to worry about!
Push the Envelope
Just because something hasn't been done before doesn't mean you can't try it. There's no such thing as a stupid idea: Look at the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a hugely successful children's cartoon. It's an utterly ridiculous idea; turtles are one of the slowest creatures around, yet the idea to use them as fearless heroes appealed to children and was marketed brilliantly. If that idea can fly, anything can become a success.
This is one of the keys to solving challenges—coming up with new ways to do things. You don't have to come up with a new cartoon or the next Post-it note, just consider trying a new tactic that's used in another industry. For instance, women's advisory groups had been around in other industries, but no one at Diana Ruddick's company (Chapter 9, "Command Attention") had heard about them before; when she got these groups going, she doubled the pool of recruits in a career that had previously appealed mostly to men. That earned her the eternal gratitude of her boss and added to her clout in the company. Perhaps there's a technology or marketing idea that has not yet been adopted at your company; it could provide answers to a host of problems—and get you noticed!
That's why it's always smart to be well-read and up to date with what the heck is going on in the world. Read magazines to find out what's going on in the business world; stay informed about what innovators in your industry are up to. It's also a great idea to go to industry conferences and training because you will see things other companies are trying that your company doesn't know about. Wars have been won and lost over only slight information advantages. Knowledge is power—so make sure you have some!
Mistakes Are Inevitable
Just because things don't always work out doesn't mean you were on the wrong track. There are a million reasons why things fail—and they're not always your fault. And even if it is your fault, learn from your mistake. As you'll see in Part III, "Notice Your Work," Ralph Stayer (Chapter 10, "The Butterfly Effect") doesn't fail an employee who makes a mistake—even if it costs the company money. His philosophy is that if he fires someone who's made a mistake, he loses his investment in that person's education; it's only when people don't learn from mistakes that he considers firing them. The opportunity to make mistakes and learn from them is an intangible compensation of having a job. Learn from your mistakes.