Kelly Poulos talks of the 4 crucial characteristics of leadership as: 1. Compelling desire, 2. Solid belief, 3. Effective action, 4. Iron will.
I lived out those 4 crucials to get a new job for myself in late 2004. From the point of almost being sacked, to focusing on getting a change of job in the company – facing the arduous obstacle along the way of my managing director (MD) refusing to give me the new job that I wanted.
In October 2004, I was going to lose my job. The position I held for almost 3 years was one that I did not excel in – “bad job fit” my managers said. My local manager recommended me to pursue a certain position within the company which he was convinced I was best at. I worked on getting this 1st preference job but could not make headway as the boss of that position was lukewarm to accepting me.
I said to my local manager that for my new job I should consider a 2nd preference job – i.e. the old position I was in before I got to this current position 3 years ago. My local manager was of the opinion that the old position would not be lasting – if 3 years ago the company could make the job go away that I needed to change position, it’s bound to happen again.
Then one night with friends MY and W, I did a visualization exercise that made me 100% sure that the 2nd preference job was what I really wanted. From then on, there was no turning back. The compelling desire was already there – I wanted this job because I felt passionate about the job because it would directly touch society, and thus I would be making a difference to society, and to the development of the nation!
I had solid belief that I can do the job well. I did the job before, and I now became confident that I am the best man for the job. Despite changes that would have happened between the last time I held the job and now, despite not knowing how I would be approaching the job now, I just believed that I can use the past experience and talent to be even better this time!
From then on, I convinced my local manager that this was what I wanted, and he began supporting me. That was the first effective action, i.e. getting his support. I acknowledge my local manager because once I convinced him, he was 100% behind me.
The next effective action was to justify the return of the job position that disappeared on me 3 years before. The company headquarters had planned on reviving the job here in 2006, not 2005! The justification paper to bring forward the revival of the job was something that I spent days and nights drafting, working with my ally of a headquarters person in the department of the job function, including customizing past justification papers I got from him. It became an excellent justification paper that my managing director submitted to the regional president.
Next, no accident, the regional president was coming to town! With the support of my local manager, he and the MD spoke of the justification paper to the regional president and illustrated the need for revival of the job through an important meeting with a VIP that I worked hard on arranging for the regional president. My local manager, hosting the regional president’s visit also used the opportunity at the airport as he bade goodbye to the departing regional president to compose the last words to become another strong plea for the revival of the job.
Within the next two weeks, the regional president approved the job. What had usually taken about 6 months to approve took only 6 weeks!
And I thought that the job was mine. Then I discovered through my local manager that the MD did not want to give me the job! The MD had not experienced any spectacular results from me when I last held the position. Worse, in the last 3 years I had not performed well on the job. Worst, I once had a falling out with my MD (I wrote about it in Breakdown 1) – he thought that I was doing one project so bad that I should be sacked! So why would he want to give me an important revived position now?!!!
Despite this demoralizing obstacle, I had iron will to go on pursuing getting the job.
My compelling desire had created the passion to pursue the job that I wanted, having taken the personal initiative to lead in getting the approval for the return of the job. My solid belief further sustained my passion to pursue getting this job. The initial effective actions had worked, and it was clear now that I needed further effective actions. With my iron will, I persisted.
I requested for an appointment to see the MD to state my case. The request went through my local manager, but the MD did not want to meet me. My local manager supported me for the job, but the MD would not budge. I then personally requested to meet the MD by directly sending him email and SMS, pleading with him that I wanted to commit myself to the job. He did not reply me. Instead to my local manager, he kept on repeating his points that I was not suitable for the job, and he wanted to explore hiring someone from outside the company. I requested my manager to keep on pleading – he did, face-to-face to my MD, through email and through SMS. Still the MD would not change his mind. This time I asked my manager to again (3rd time) request the MD to see me. The MD relented.
I must say that especially through the part of the struggle when the MD resisted me, I propped my iron will by reaching out to several friends to coach me. These supporters, including my local manager, reflected upon my strength and passion, encouraged me to go on and gave their viewpoints on how I should proceed.
One day before seeing my MD, I did all the effective actions I could, up till the night before, including getting urgent appointments to see 2 VIPs in the country so that I was well researched to commit for the various areas of the job, and putting effort to write my talking points for the half-hour meeting with the MD.
The moment of truth came. In that half hour with the MD, I re-committed. I acknowledged my past lack of performance but spoke with authority what I can achieve in the coming 60 days and 90 days in the specific areas of the new job. But I found that I did not talk smoothly at all! There I was stammering and mixing words and tenses, sounding not like a suave presenter, but man, I was emphatic!
For 25 minutes he listened. He then just asked, “What’s going to be different this time?” I answered simply that I am committed. He closed the meeting by saying he’d ask a couple of people and think about it.
Along the way, I had formed allies with the headquarters people in the department of this job function, who had been familiar with me when I once held the job. I knew they’d support me if the MD spoke to them.
Two days after my half-hour meeting, he called me back. He told me he’d spoken with a couple of people, and he’s giving me a second chance for the job. His word was then just, “Execute!”
He walked me to the door and said, “Good job!”
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