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One of the things I have learned over the years is anyone can be up when things are going well. However, the real challenge is when things are not going well. All businesses and all relationships go through problems, and how you deal with problems will determine the quality of your life. Far too few people know how to effectively deal with problems, and they end up having their lives sidetracked by them. The more you delay dealing with problems the more they build up. The more problems are allowed to build up, the more difficult your life ends up becoming.
Last night, my wife and I drove by a furniture store that’s going out of business. It was a beautiful furniture store and used to be the nicest one in Pasadena, where our company’s main office is located. I went inside and saw markdowns so extreme I could hardly believe my eyes. Various pieces of furniture were marked down 90%. This was extremely surprising, but even more surprising was the sale had been going on for several weeks and the store still had an incredible amount of inventory. I attribute this to the fact that Pasadena’s economy is so bad no one can be persuaded to spend money even when things are being given away for pennies on the dollar.
A year ago, I remember going into this same furniture store dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and couldn’t get anyone to help me. The people in the store were so “snooty” when someone finally asked to assist me, I felt self-conscious because I knew everything in the store was so expensive.
“It’s like the end of the world in here, eh?” I said to one of the sales people who was following me around trying to sell me anything and everything. “Have you ever seen anything like this economy?” I asked her. She looked like she could be in her late 50s.
“Never,” she said, “This is the worst I have ever seen. People just need to stop spending and get caught up. Then everything will be fine.”
What she said was an excellent approach to problems. For example, now that people are maxed out in their credit cards and are losing their homes and jobs, they finally have the opportunity to get caught up on their bills and improve their credit ratings. Despite a horrible economy and so many problems, there is a silver lining to what is going on in the economy today. I liked hearing that. There is something helpful and beneficial about every single problem we have. It is how we deal with problems that makes the difference.
Instead of looking at problems in a negative way, we can call them “challenges” or “lessons” or “opportunities.” There is no sense calling a problem a problem. We need to look for the silver lining in every problem because it is the silver lining that will allow us to grow. Whatever does not kill you can make you stronger. The woman in the furniture store asked herself, “What can we learn from these dire economic conditions?” and she found a solution. This is a way of thinking that really makes a difference. She asked herself what kind of opportunity this economy held for people. The opportunity is that people can clean up their accounts and balances.
How you manage the problems in your career will also determine your success and failure. The people who are best at solving problems in their jobs typically have long-term success. Those who keep avoiding problems typically have the least.
In my years in business, I have run numerous companies and some of them have been runaway successes at various points in time, while others have experienced turmoil when hit with forces beyond their control. One of the most interesting companies I was ever involved in was a student loan company that went from zero dollars to millions of dollars in monthly revenue almost overnight. When a business is a runaway success and the people working for the company are traditionally doing very well financially, the company has lots of extra money to spend. The company advertises all over the country and it is creating lots and lots of jobs. When a company is a major success like this, everyone wants to work for the company and all sorts of people appear on the scene ready to give the company whatever sort of assistance it needs. People are referring their friends and relatives to work for the company and it becomes ‘the’ place to work.
The biggest change I noticed when the student loan company took off was the fabric of the company began to change. People began showing up at the company who were different in many ways than most of our long-time employees. They were more polished and sharper. They were more worldly. They came from large, well-known companies and had worked for numerous well-known companies before. In contrast, most of our staff had been with us for years before the student loan company even started.
Last night, I was having dinner in Los Angeles in a club that’s been open since the early 1900s. During the dinner, a man came up and started talking to us about the club. He was an old man and today actually lives at the club and takes all of his meals there. He started talking to me about a different time in the club and how the managers who worked there used to stay for at least 30 years. Now, he told me, most managers are lucky to stay at least five years. He told me things have changed all over and people now will leave at the drop of the hat. He was, of course, speaking about things like loyalty to an employer. These days people will leave a company at the first sign of a problem. He implied today people do not know how to deal with problems in their jobs.
What ended up happening in my student loan business was the criteria to issue loans became increasingly strict and, as they did, more and more people began to leave because the job became more difficult. After several months, the people who remained at the company were the people who’d been there when it started. The people who had left went looking for another easy job. I am not angry about this and I wish all of these people the best. Many were quite talented. However, there is something wrong with this in many respects because this sort of attitude is something that holds back development. This sort of attitude can hold back your development, too.
One of the largest businesses I run is a commission-based business. Six months ago, most of the people working in this business were all doing very well. What has happened over the past several months has been amazing. The market in this commission-based business has become much more difficult than it used to be. Now, what used to be a fairly easy job has become much more difficult. When things were going very well, many people were taking certain shortcuts and not doing things the hard way. In today’s market, however, you need to work hard. People need to put in extra hours and go all out. They need to be available all the time. They need to make extra calls and meet with extra people. This is just the way things are.
Incredibly, the people in this commission-based business who were performing so well a year previously have continued to do so, even in a poor economic climate. They are literally making as much money and working the same amount as they were a year ago. The people who were performing the worst a year ago are also working the same amount. They are performing badly, if not worse.
What is going on? Why do the best stay at the same level and the worst sink to new lows? The same thing is happening with the average workers. They, too, are sinking to new lows. This, in my opinion, has a lot to do with how different people choose to deal with problems, and the way they’ve been dealing with problems their entire careers. The more problems you face with discipline the stronger person you will be in the long run.
THE LESSON
Anyone can be up when things are going well, but the real challenge comes when things are not. Do not look at problems, which are inevitable for any person or business, in a negative light. Instead, think of them as challenges, lessons, or opportunities. There is a silver lining to be found in every problem, and finding that silver lining will enable you to grow.
About Harrison Barnes
Harrison Barnes is the Founder of BCG Attorney Search and a successful legal recruiter himself. Harrison is extremely committed to and passionate about the profession of legal placement. His firm BCG Attorney Search has placed thousands of attorneys. BCG Attorney Search works with attorneys to dramatically improve their careers by leaving no stone unturned in a search and bringing out the very best in them. Harrison has placed the leaders of the nation’s top law firms, and countless associates who have gone on to lead the nation’s top law firms. There are very few firms Harrison has not made placements with. Harrison’s writings about attorney careers and placements attract millions of reads each year. He coaches and consults with law firms about how to dramatically improve their recruiting and retention efforts. His company LawCrossing has been ranked on the Inc. 500 twice. For more information, please visit Harrison Barnes’ bio.
About BCG Attorney Search
BCG Attorney Search matches attorneys and law firms with unparalleled expertise and drive that gets results. Known globally for its success in locating and placing attorneys in law firms of all sizes, BCG Attorney Search has placed thousands of attorneys in law firms in thousands of different law firms around the country. Unlike other legal placement firms, BCG Attorney Search brings massive resources of over 150 employees to its placement efforts locating positions and opportunities that its competitors simply cannot. Every legal recruiter at BCG Attorney Search is a former successful attorney who attended a top law school, worked in top law firms and brought massive drive and commitment to their work. BCG Attorney Search legal recruiters take your legal career seriously and understand attorneys. For more information, please visit www.BCGSearch.com.
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Filed Under : Featured, Getting Ahead, Life Lessons
Tagged: career, career blog, commission-based business, credit cards, credit ratings, deal with problems, determine your success, easy job, job search guru | a harrison barnes, lots of jobs, quality of your life, student loan business, student loan company
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Hi,
I just wanted to say how much I appreciate your article and your insight based on your experience. I had a question based on the perspective you shared. I was surprised you didn’t balance out how companies have also changed how they handle employees. Capital One not too long ago layed off approximately 11,000 people. We were one of these unfortunate people. They had purchased 2 additional companies, liquidated assets, etc. and due to poor choices ran short of operating cash. During the following year after these peoples lives were turned upside down, they decided to redo their logo and branding nationwide and now have a whole new look… interesting. Companies today treat employees as if they were another financial asset to be used and discarded as easily as computers. So, please, among your accurate and detailed insights, please balance it out with the plethora of companies that are functioning with a new business ethic. People don’t retire anymore because they can’t, they aren’t given the option to stick it out through thick and thin. You are correct, there are young “sharks” that want to latch onto a thriving company and wish to ride the “high.” But please remember the older generation of mid 30’s plus that would love a chance to do a great job and go through highs and lows…
Thank you,
Lori
Very well spoken Harrison and Lori, I feel all of our professions lack “loyalty”. Over the years I have worked with companies that I have been very loyal to giving the 110%, staying through the “Company Restructuring” to fine my self laid off again. It feels that once you have contributed enough to help “Streamline” a company during its challenging times or their “Growing Pains” to find a common ending point.
I also understand that in the “Big Picture” we all are in the same mind set, meaning that if you’re the employer or employee we all want the best for our dollar spent. With this in mind we all need to be fluid, and evolve as our clients, projects, and budgets change and try to be as competitive as possible.
Thanks,
Shawn
I’ve not been disciplined lately in dealing with problems, and it has negatively affected me. I have printed your article and am going to keep it nearby as encouragement to be disciplined in facing challenges I encounter. Thank you!
The import of the article should go well with any hardworking human being. The worst is when companies aren’t doing well fail to move people away who are blocks and hang on to them when they should ask them to go away. What most hurts creative people and compels them to move is when people not worth and seniors are rewarded and try to inhibit creativity. In a country like India seniors want to use the talents of their juniors to escalate in their careers by hampering juniors from growing and firing fresh talent into the busting companies due to emerging adverse busiess eco system momentarily.
Problems never die. I say this because if we don’t face problems at home we can end up facing them at work. However, it’s necessary to know how to manage these problems in order for us to grow up get heading in the right direction. Life doesn’t just offer presents to everyone. All of us are called to face problems and find solutions to our problems every day, no matter where we are. If people don’t face any problems, they will not end up getting any stronger in this life…Here are a few of my words about your article as I understand it which I can express in a little paragraph. My history is long, which is why I cannot explain everything about it. But I know one thing: I have overcome many problems in my past, and I give thanks to the Almighty God and Jesus His Son for that. Now I try to be wise everyday and to pursue success. I know it’s not easy to do, but the success will come at the end of my efforts…
I hope you and your family have a good day! Thanks!
Friendly Greetings,
Michael Tine
I enjoy your articles.
Please print the body-copy in black ink — this grey-ink treatment is hard to read.
Thanks,
dave