Ep. 16: Career Power (Part 2)

Career Design Podcast

Lindsay 00:43

Alright, we're going into part two of true career power and I have Ned Canada with me, and that is one of my most amazing friends and clients. Somebody who has truly embodied the place of career power, these four quadrants of passion, purpose, pursuit, and profitability. And again, remember, here's what it means when you are in the place of true power, you are unfukwithable, you create your Dominion your kingdom, you take your crown, you change the world, by being in your zone of genius, which means that you can create anything that rewards you financially, emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and allows you to build a life beyond your wildest dreams. So now talk to me about this, tell me about how you went through this process. And maybe a little bit about where it is completely disempowered in your career and how you moved up?

Ned 01:30

Well, you know, I reflect back on your four pieces you'd like to call them, or, you know, maybe I can come in that term for you. But I started out as a 19-year-old restaurant manager, and restaurants were always something that I could do, but it was never really passionate about them. That was always really good at it. Because I always say great about being personable, I was always able to, you know, really deliver on the customer service angle. But I didn't enjoy it. And I didn't really kind of discover, or even pursue anything else until I got much, much farther into my career, I have basically gotten lucky for the first 10 years of my career, I fell into roles that I should not have gotten pretty much ever. And it was basically because I had a couple of really amazing people, and the perfect timing to get into some of my really early roles in my life. And then I didn't really discover even a little bit of purpose until I got into the army. And that was a full 10 years into my career cycle. So, so having a greater purpose really kind of helped me realize where I kind of wanted to go. But it also wasn't really my ultimate purpose. And it didn't really match with like, I was passionate about parts of the job, but I didn't really like all of the jobs. So when I got out and I discovered I didn't have any velocity, I didn't really fit into a digital world, as an analog person with a very analog career, it was very, very hard for me to kind of accelerate my career position. got really, really interested in networking, got to know a senior leader for Deloitte, who basically told me to go back and get your MBA, you're the perfect candidate for us, you need to go get your MBA, and I said, done, I'm gonna do that. And I'll come right back. And I'll be talking to you again, they were like, please do that I went and I got my MBA. And as soon as I came back, and I said, Well, you're too expensive for us, we can't hire you and I was like, but you just literally told me to go get my MBA. Why did I do that? And they were like, well, now you have 15 years of experience and an MBA, you're way too expensive for our entry-level positions. We can't hire you. And that was a really crushing defeat to take and I kind of back into being an entrepreneur, probably, again, completely by luck. I wasn't really super passionate about it, I was really, really committed to the idea of being a consultant for a large firm. But I was consumed continuously just told, you can't do that, you know, you're too expensive, you're too advanced in your career, you're too old, you're not going to take the $60,000 we would offer you even though at that time, I definitely would have taken it because I was a really broke student. And then really kind of found the passion when I started working independently on my own. But it wasn't really my purpose. And the main reason it wasn't really my purpose was that it wasn't where I actually wanted to be in life. As a 19-year-old restaurant manager, and you know, go into college classes where I really wanted to be, I wanted to be a carpenter when I grew up. And don't ask me to pick up a hammer and put a nail into the wall because I can't do that. But I really wanted to be a carpenter. So So that was something that always appealed to me and then about three years ago, a good friend of mine started up his own company and became a general contractor and the really funny part is is he was a finance business, venture capitalists for Goldman Sachs. And he knew absolutely nothing about construction. But what he had was a lot of passion and he was willing to keep working at it to pursue it to get a lot better at it. And he failed very miserably to the tune of about half a million dollars, in probably about $2 million in lost opportunity causes until he finally just said, screw it, I'm going to work and this is going to work because I will not fail at this. And, and spend about a year and a half really kind of correcting it in kept telling me what he was doing. And, and I kept staying in touch with him and I never really considered going to work for him. It was never really something that was on my radar. And I was in a job, ironically, as a restaurant manager again, and I was on salary and then they asked me to go to hourly to cut my hours in half. But I kept about 85% of my money. But I hated it. And continued to hate it wasn't where I wanted to be. And I knew it wasn't until finally some really smart person came along said you just need to quit. And I said, okay, I think I can do that. And she goes, No, you need to quit. So I really have to say thank you to that person for that. Because if you hear the laughter in the background, that's because that was Lindsay.

Lindsay 06:22

And let me be really clear here for anybody who's listening. Ned's physical health was eroding because of the stress and the limitations of that work. And so a lot of times when we look at the five sources of well-being, which I kind of alluded to, it's occupational, it's physical, its financial, its community, and its social. So one, they just parlay into each other. And so we really have to take a look at it. So there's ever a point where what is the cause of this being unwell. Like we need to look at it, examine it. And that's where sometimes you need a little permission to say, you know, what, it is okay to let go and release something that no longer serves you.

Ned 06:59

Very much so and it was also the first time I've ever quit without having something else like, like waiting for me to go there, which was a really, really scary place to be. And, and they called me back and they actually offered me more money to go back part-time. And I was like, Well if I get fewer hours, that's totally fine for me. And the really funny shift in the middle of it was right when I started to realize when I knew it wasn't where I wanted to be. And I knew it was only I was going to be there for a paycheck. And that was it. And I really didn't care about how my trajectory was going at that place, because I didn't want to be there. That was when they wanted me the most.

Lindsay 07:35

Unfuckwithable

Ned 07:38

It was amazing. And the and the irony was is they kept pursuing me and kept asking me to come back. And I knew it wasn't where I wanted to be. So my friend was spent most of his time underwater and actually came back to me and said, Hey, we're hiring for new operations, you know, position, would you would it be something you would consider? And I was like, Well, I'm in the final stages with another company right now. And they're there. They're in the medical field, which is something that I've kind of wanted to get into. And it's, it's right in my zone of genius. It's putting operations and materials and planning and strategy altogether. And if I want it and he goes, Well, I really want you and so if it doesn't work out, you let me know. And I said no problem and ended up going to this interview. And they ended up taking the younger, cheaper candidate. I don't know why they took the younger, cheaper candidate other than their younger and cheaper, maybe, I don't know, maybe there's a partner, I can't think...

Lindsay 08:34

You get what you pay for.

Ned 08:35

You get what you pay for. And so he says, I need you to come out to Dallas, we just started the second office, and it really needs your expertise. And I was like, in what way he's like, well, it's underwater, too. And if you can come out and work with us for a couple of weeks. He's like, I'm nearly certain I can give you a job offer. And I was like, all right. He's like, I'm gonna have three other people there, you know, we're gonna bring in everybody and really kind of figure out who fits best with us. And I want you to come out and I finally was like, can I afford to take off? Can I do this? And I finally just said, you know what anything is better than being where I currently am. Screw it, let's go. And, and really kind of started to take my power back from that. And it was one of the best feelings in the world to get on a plane and go, I'm going to do something that I actually want to do, that I'm actually passionate about, that might actually bring me a job offer and have something meaningful to pursue. And I got there and I'm the only person around and I'm waiting for everybody else to show up and it goes well, I have a confession to make. You're the only person we were thinking about hiring.

Lindsay 09:37

Hey purple squarell, how you doing?

Ned 09:39

Was really good. I was like, am I wearing purple today? But it felt really, really good. And finally, I spent about two weeks really working with him and he was like, uh, I know you're the person we need. He's like, we're opening up in Orlando. I want you to open the office and I was like, Okay, great. But he also has a two-year-old At home in Kansas City, and then he also commutes to Dallas on a really regular basis. And he was like, I'm basically going to be living on a plane between the three cities for the next six months to a year. And I don't know why I did it, I really honestly don't. But I looked up at him. And I said I can run Orlando for you. Why don't you just let me take it over? And then you know, anytime you need to call me, you call me or if we need to do a zoom or anything, you just jump on zoom with me. And he says, great. That's actually a really good idea that would save me all round trip time. And I'd get to spend a lot more time with my wife and my daughter, which is much more important to me. And I said, Well, great. If it's that important to you, why don't you just throw me a small little piece of equity if you go along with it? And it'll be perfect. And he goes, alright, done. I wasn't even going to ask for it. I don't know why I asked for it. I just did. And he said yes. Anyway, I continue to think it was total luck at that time. But it was also the in the back of my mind, Lindsay going get out of your own way,

Lindsay 15:29

Get out of your own way.

Ned 11:03

I wasn't even going to negotiate that and somebody goes, is this offer negotiable and I went, No, it's not negotiable. He's given me a piece of ownership and she goes, you need to go negotiate harder than then I got my benefits and a lot of other things pay for as well. And six months in, I'm doing one of my, probably the best job I've ever done. It's so fun. And it's every day, I get to do something that I don't even notice the workday go by anymore. I spent a literal six hours in a strategy zoom meeting the other day, I hadn't eaten, and I've been awake since like, 6 am. And it's like 2 pm. And as soon as I hung up, and I got off, I was like, I'm starving, I need to go to the bathroom. Man, that was awesome. I get to do that again. And it's such a great feeling. Because you realize, you know, in many places in my career, I had a lot of passion, but I didn't have a lot of purposes. And when I had a lot of purposes, and I had a lot of passion, I wasn't really pursuing it as hard as I want to, because being a consultant was great for me. But deep down, I didn't really love it. So I wasn't pursuing it. And it wasn't profitable, which is why they're the two on the bottom. Because when you pursue your passion and your purpose, you're rising up, but it doesn't necessarily pull you back right down to the center. And ultimately, I did do did I learned so many lessons from being a business consultant that I could apply to other points. Yes. Did it expose me to 12 different industries? Yes, it did. Did I learn that I hate sales? Yes, I do. And which was about 80% of my job. So so I wasn't passionate about it. And, you know, I was all over this, you know the quadrants. But I was never dead in the middle. You know, it was either, you know, I had a lot of passion. And I was pursuing something else. But it didn't feel like my purpose and it wasn't profitable. Or, yeah, you know, it finally got profitable. But I'm not passionate about it, because I'm not doing the parts of it that I really love to do. So when you're really seizing your power and you're dead in the middle of that, you'll spend two months working on a project not noticing that the two months went by, you'll be sitting there Saturday morning going, God, I can't wait to get back to that Monday meeting, I've got three suggestions to throw in there. And I've got something I could work on this weekend. And your wife reaches over and steals your phone and goes turn it off read Disney world to be spending time with your kids. Not that I have done that very recently, but I've totally done that very recently. So it's you you'll find yourself waking up and thinking about it at 3 am going Ooh, I don't know where that came to me in a dream. But I've got to write that down because it's the first thing I got to start working on in the morning. And to have that kind of passion and that kind of purpose. Like people don't realize like if your job is sucking out your soul, it is not your job. It is work. And there is a big difference between having a job and having work to do. Work is what they hand you to keep you busy to keep you from really doing your job.

Lindsay 14:13

Yeah, like to say a job is really again that tactical mindset and a career a calling. That's when we're an intentional career design and career power. Alright, so let's let me get the spray down because that profitability one. Let's talk about how profitable that that change into true career power has been for you tell me if you're willing to share,

Ned 14: 33

I'm totally willing to share so so as a restaurant manager, pretty much as an assistant manager in almost any restaurant in America, your average corporately is between 43 and about $51,000 and that's not based on where you live. That's pretty much the industry standard and the average and they've been paying it since the 1980s and you're no longer doing overtime but you're no longer getting the bonuses as part of that. really kind of made it worth your while so when i was 23 yeah i worked 70 hours a week but i was also probably making 80 grand a year which is which was about right and so i was making right at 50 which was paying the bills and that was about it quite literally like there was never any moved up i was i wasn't gonna get promoted anytime soon because we kept chewing through general managers you know 50 was right around where it started and then when i went to hourly it went to 40 and then when i got laid off due to some pandemic thing i don't know if you've heard about it hey yeah maybe you have it you know most people don't know about it these days but you know it's for those of us that live through it it's been a ride but anyway like i got down to the point i was making about 20,000 a year and i was i just i couldn't keep going any lower and i finally got to the point where i was like alright something's got to change because i can't keep literally working for a paycheck so when i took this role i was originally going to take just a base salary offer with the with a potential for bonus and everything else but with with it with an equity stake i got 20% ownership in anything that happens in florida and for comparison the dallas office is currently doing about roughly $6 million on the books and they've got in the works probably about another $10 million in total outstanding sales that just haven't been signed as contracts yet so the if i had that office i would be looking somewhere between one and $4 million this year because orlando is going to take us a little bit more time to set up i'm on a little bit of the lower end of that scale but i could very conceivably make probably by the end of the year at least one to $2 million this year well

Lindsay 17:04

Alright people the definition of true career power passion purpose pursuit and profitability for everybody involved ned amazing thank you so much for coming and sharing your story in it this is not because Ned lucked into it if you noticed ned went through every aspect of the true ascension to career power he went through every piece and there were dark spots folks there are dark but if you want to go in that place where you are truly powerful and you can create and design a life and a career that will fill your soul and fill that purpose of why you're here on this planet why your days are here that I courage you to reach out to me thank you so much that i so appreciate you

Ned 17:50

Thank you for letting me tell you about it.