Rule 33 Fire Yourself

As a salesperson there are some helpful exercises that I recommend you

complete on an annual basis.

First, set a few professional goals and a few personal goals for the year.

Find a guide or template or book that asks introspective questions that will

spark your imagination and help you think more critically about your life.

Second, write out your top three priorities. What is most important to

accomplish this year or in just the next six months? If you are married,

write out your spouse’s top three priorities. (Married people impact each

other tremendously for good or ill, so let’s not overlook that vital relationship

in our lives as we plan for the year.)

Third, fire yourself.

I find funerals to be very helpful when done well. They should make us

reflect on the things we are grateful for and the things we need to improve

upon. They’re an opportunity to take stock of our lives and what we have

accomplished. They’re also a time to ask if we are becoming something to

be proud of and consider our legacy. What will your grandchildren say

about you when you die? That’s the question.

Getting fired or getting laid off is very much like a funeral. Emotionally

and financially it is very stressful and tends to be one of those occasions

that cause us to take stock of our lives. Unfortunately, when we lose a job,

we realize that what we thought was important was actually not. What we

spent so much time on and devoted ourselves to was not worth it. I hope

you can look back and say it was. But one reality usually hits at this point:

how quickly our name is forgotten at work. The company moves on very

quickly.

I hope you work with people who will attend your funeral. But by and

large, most of our peers at work won’t. So be careful not to kill yourself

for the company. You are employed because you bring value to the company.

Be careful not to let your emotions be misguided and create a false

sense of duty to the company or illusions of appreciation on the part of

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the company. Firing yourself as much as you mentally can helps you stay

grounded in reality and well-prepared for the possibility that change will

negatively impact your situation.

Upon firing yourself, update your resume and always have one with you.

Be honest on your resume, but don’t overlook the great things you are

accomplishing and great ways you are developing. Then look around for a

day or two. What are your skills worth? What opportunities are out there

that you might be missing? As salespeople we have to be so focused and so

invested in our enterprises that we tend to be blinded to what may be happening

around us. Usually, my wife is the first one to tell me that things

aren’t working out on the job because of the way its impacting our family:

me working too much, traveling too much, not making enough money,

and/or getting stressed or cranky. She can see when I am happy at work

and when I am not. She is usually the one who “pops my leash”—pulls my

head up when my nose is to the grind. She makes me look around and

helps me see that it is time to go.

As salespeople our drive is so strong that we tend to fight through any situation

and never accept defeat. Maybe we just need to reevaluate the situation.

It is rarely a defeat to move on to other opportunities. But it is

common to stay too long, failing to appreciate that the organization is taking

on water and sinking.

The previous scenario assumes you are engaged in a good job and that outside

factors are creating a downward spiral. But I also know many men and

women who complain about their work and their company for years.

Every one of them got fired or laid off. In some cases, they were not happy,

and as a result, their work was a reflection of their poor attitude. In other

cases, they knew enough to see warning signs that trouble was coming for

the company or their department, but they were unwilling to act upon

their insights and get moving on another opportunity.

These days, you are either fully engaged, or you’re on your way out. Your

attitude and comments to others are a good indication to your family,

friends, and your employer. If you can’t put your heart into it, get going to

the next thing.

I was one of those people who read several books in the late 90s about

being successful by doing something you love. At that time I had not found

a job I could love. And frankly, I had given up on the idea. I was convinced

that it was just a gimmick to sell books. Then I was blessed with a job that

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accentuated all my strengths and minimized my weaknesses. I loved it, and

I became unusually successful at it. So don’t give up on the idea of loving

your job. I can personally attest that it is possible to love your job.

Find something you love, and you will be successful. But fire yourself every

year to get a fresh perspective and assess your priorities, opportunities, and

true feelings about your current situation. And if need be, fire yourself literally

and go get that better thing.

Elite execution demands that you mentally step outside yourself and get a

fresh perspective on your business annually.