What a Pick 6 and Your Success Have in Common

I am all for efficiency. If you’ve ever seen me carry groceries into the house you know the lengths I will go to maximize efficiency and ensure I make just one trip. 

My daily schedule is maximized for efficiency. I don’t like wasted time or the feeling that I’m bouncing around between tasks. I want things streamlined and straightforward.

If you can relate, I want to offer this reminder – your career development and success won’t be as streamlined and straightforward. The highlight of Seahawks rookie Devon Witherspoon and his pick-six during the Monday Night Football game against the NY Giants did a great job of highlighting what success actually looks like. It’s a not a straight line. It’s a zig zag.

Take it from someone who’s career path looks a lot like that interception return, there’s a benefit when things don’t go according to plan. There’s also a way to use football and sports talk in general to Think Outside the Box Scores.

Let’s start with the overall intrigue. The sports highlights you remember probably didn’t go according to plan either. They came with a lot more drama.  You might not realize how important that is on a personal level, until you try to find a new show to stream. How many times do you scroll past shows that are predictable, a story you think is boring or a series that’s just a spinoff of something else you’ve watched?

A story that doesn’t capture your interest isn’t worth your time. So why wouldn’t you demand something more interesting in your career? 

Here’s something else to consider – we assume that it takes longer to reach success if we’re not following a straight line. That’s not necessarily true. There’s no timeline to success. If you watch the highlight of Witherspoon’s interception you’ll see he scored in one play because he picked up a few blockers, friends along the way, that helped him reach the end zone.

There are two things to remember about your career path.

1. Know where you want to go. Whether it’s the end zone or the c-suite. If you don’t know where you want to go you’ll never chart a path to get there.
2. Tell people where you want to do. There’s only so much you can do by yourself. Do the job you were hired to do. Give great effort at that job. But also tell people where you want to do next. 

You’re not behind. Success is right on time and you can use sports to spark bigger business and career conversations.