Tim Oliver’s Post

This tweet resonated with me last fall and I wanted to post it here as an encouragement to many who may feel that they are 'stuck' in their current opportunity, or they feel like they won't be noticed. https://lnkd.in/emNUa92d My career experience aligns with these post statements: “So when you're stuck, you've gotta find it within yourself to say, 'Ok, this is where I am. And if I'm going to be here, I'm going to be great.' Because if you're great at your job, typically other people and companies find out, so it creates opportunities.” "I'm going to be great", that's the mindset. In the spot you are in, are you going to work hard and excel/stand out? It's important to note that Brady's main change was not in his ability but in his attitude and approach. I know at CH2M, where we had over 400 IT employees, we were constantly looking for people who were going over and above and exceeding expectations. The person that was focused on being great in their current role. Those employees typically stood out and their peers and managers could see it. Lisa Marie Whitehouse, who managed much of our staff, would constantly have to fend off other department leaders who worked to promote and transfer her 'great' employees (Sorry Lisa). I'd stop by her office when I was in Denver and she would always say suspiciously, "Who are you after now Brian?". Be great with your opportunities and commit to improving yourself every day. That may involve going over and above at work or sometimes in your personal time. It may not happen immediately, but often, you will get noticed.  

Story time. In March of 2000 I was at a point in my career that I was feeling competent and confident. I felt fortunate to be working for a company that was unbelievably successful called Vignette. I had moved to Austin, built a beautiful house in a bedroom community for my family and my wife was pregnant with our second child. Then the market crashed, and the layoffs began. It was clear that the party was over and that if I lost my job, there would be no finding another. My recognition of this led to an existential crisis. The first thing to come out of that was motivation to produce more output and impact than 10 of my peers to ensure my value was so high that I'd be last on the list to be laid off. That decision led to 100+ hour 7 day work weeks. I cranked out so much code that I had developed trigger finger in nearly all of my fingers resulting in a need to soak my hands in ice each morning just to be able to continue. I didn't see my family much for the next few years. I'm not proud of that, but it was the sacrifice I felt I must make at the time. This was the most stressful time of my career and also a time where I learned the most and began developing life tenets or guiding principles that have helped guide my decision making since. Over the next few weeks I'll be posting these tenets. I will post these in the order that I wrote them down over the years. Some are hard learned and are my words, some are quotes that resonated with me and helped me through a tough time. I hope you find these helpful. As I write this I'm realizing that technically my zeroth tenet is: "0.) Produce more value and impact than 10 of my peers." But here is the very first one I wrote down back then: "1.) The three things in life I will not compromise: my wife, my kids and my integrity." I'm feeling fairly vulnerable posting these but there are the first two. What do you think? #leadership #principles #tenets #management

Napoleon Hill's Thought for the Day: Find out how to get production up, and it will drag you and a bigger paycheck along with it. It's common knowledge that the person who knows the most about how to improve the productivity of any job is the person who holds that job. Why is it, then, that we are often reluctant to offer suggestions for improvement? Perhaps we've seen too many layoffs and reorganizations to trust the cracker-barrel wisdom that our goal should be to work our selves out of a job—so that we can move on to a bigger and better position. Nevertheless, the old wisdom is still sound. If you find a way to do things better, faster, or cheaper, you increase your value to your employer. You will be asked to participate in planning sessions in quality circles because you've demonstrated that you know how to make things work more efficiently. It's inevitable that you will be promoted, because you will become one of those exceptional employees who are too valuable to lose.

I lost my job. And sometimes that’s what it feels like, too. Like I’ll find it under the seat in the car or in the pocket of my pants when I pull them from the laundry bin. Other times it feels like a gross injustice, which is closer to the truth of the situation. But cry me a river. I’m far from the first victim of this injustice. Hell, I know people who have gone through the indignity of multiple layoffs. No, for the worse and never the better, the layoff is now a normalized and perhaps formative aspect of one’s livelihood.   It was a great job, inventing, designing and making award-winning, WOW, holy $%&#, innovative toys, which is what I do best.   I spent 9 exciting, challenging years at Hasbro, one of the world’s largest toy makers. Home to Mr. Potato Head, Transformers, My Little Pony, Magic: The Gathering, Monopoly and Furby, Hasbro struggles in the modern economy to compete with Lego and other, nimbler, toy makers better able to capture kids’ and parent’s’ imaginations with innovative toys and games. But that old house is still a great house. It’s got “good bones”.   Hasbro is changing, perhaps for the better, and there will be career casualties as teams are disbanded and dismantled. It’s not cavalier to say lives are changed when you reduce headcount by 15%, and that’s just in 2023. But a new CEO, as well as a “back to basics” approach from new Head of Toys Tim Kilpin, have me excited for Hasbro’s future. Fare thee well.   Hasbro owns some fun and exciting brands and, to my mind, employs some of the most creative, hardworking and caring people in roles from project manager to marketer, engineer to designer. There are even some Hasbro lawyers I’m pretty partial to! I’m thankful for my time there, learning from masters of the craft, collaborating with genius-level talent, and creating award-winning, WOW toys, which is what I do best.   I find myself excited for the foggy, dimly lit unknown of what comes next. But one thing’s for sure: I’ll be inventing, designing and making award-winning, WOW, holy $%&#, innovative toys, which is what I do best.   Drop me a line… (630) 709-2710 dimunknown@gmail.com https://lnkd.in/dSSvwcis

I feel a HUGE misconception for inseason S&C work is the word “maintenance”. Maintenance is NOT intentionally lifting lighter and reducing load. Maintenance refers to the MAINTENANCE OF PHYSICAL QUALITIES like MAX STRENGTH, SPEED, and POWER. How do you “maintain” these qualities? Train then. How do you train them? Max strength? Lift heavy. Max Speed? Sprint fast. Power? Move loads fast. Now this doesn’t mean maxing out or max sprinting every day, but following Issurin Training Residuals will tell you how often INSEASON you need to touch on these. (Yes, even Max Strength) After all, you worked your whole offseason (3-4 months) to enhance these qualities, why would you let them slip for the next 5-6 months and expect to be at your BEST come playoffs/nationals? Food for thought.

I recently pulled this book off the shelf and started reading it again. It’s Seth Godin’s manifesto for rejecting the illusion of the “safe” path and doing the thing that excites and scares you. It’s uncomfortable, challenging, and inspiring. “Industrialists made all of us promises as we grew up. Promises about good jobs waiting for us, about upward mobility, about fairness. As the industrial era fades, those promises are being broken for too many.” The beauty of this moment is that we have the opportunity to step out and make our own path. To stop waiting to be picked and pick ourselves, instead. It’s not for everyone, and I totally respect those of us who can’t or don’t want to. But it’s probably for more of us than we realize. Because the safe way isn’t actually that safe – just ask the thousands of people being blindsided by layoffs every week. So if there’s *that thing* you’ve wanted to start for yourself but haven’t because of fear and uncertainty, maybe now is the time. It will be scary, and it might not work. But it’s better than spending your life wondering, “what if?” Here’s what Godin says: Avoid certainty. Pick yourself. Postpone gratification. Seek joy. Embrace generosity. Dance with fear. Be paranoid about mediocrity. See the world as it is. Be the boss of you.

366 days ago, Roman and I were just two guys with a dream, knocking on doors, selling... anything. Fast forward to today, and here we are, founders of TNW (The Next Wave) for those that don't know LOL, mastering the art of cold email and loving every bit of this rollercoaster. From door-to-door sales to hitting milestones we hadn't even dared to dream of, it’s been a wild ride. Yes, there were bumps (blacklisted server), but they taught us resilience, innovation, and the sheer power of grit and coffee. ☕ What did we learn? Commitment is key - Thank fuck for the version of us that didn’t give up. Embrace the unexpected - Some of the best opportunities come from the most surprising places. Persistence pays off - Throwing enough shit at the wall? Something’s gotta stick. And stick it did. As we step into the next year, I’m making a personal commitment to peel back the curtain more on LinkedIn. Truth be told, I've shied away from posting because, well, writing isn’t my jam (that’s Roman’s territory). But here’s the thing - sharing our journey, the ups, the downs, the in-betweens, feels important. Not just for us, but for anyone out there hustling, grinding, dreaming - cringe but true. So, expect more from me. More stories, more lessons, more real talk. Because if there’s one thing this year has taught us, it’s that being open, being vulnerable, and yes, being a bit scared, can lead to incredible things. Here’s to throwing more shit at the wall, to learning, to growing, and to connecting with you. Let’s make the next 365 days even more memorable. 🎉 #drinkmoreccoffee

My friend Jeff O'Dea creates these wonderful drawings. But this one hit home especially hard. This is why we do what we do... more ⤵⤵⤵ When I left my company after 20 years it was scary AF. But I knew that in my 20 years I had built a reputation on: ➰ The number of my people promoted to high-level positions ➰ The number of my people who had taken on global responsibilities ➰ The number of my people who had gone on to do immensely important things Our people are really the ONLY thing that makes business work. But, moreso, what they have inside buried up under the surface: ✳ Work trauma ✳ Family trauma ✳ Old habits ✳ Lack of confidence ✳ Lack of good leadership role models ✴ Just plain neglect from the work system These things keep people from FLYING. This is why we do what we do at Cranberry. No matter if you are a new associate director or a C-Suite old pro, you undoubtedly need a push...or accountability partner...or gentle adjustment...or bigtime realignment. Our promise is that we will make sure you're ready to FLY. (I am so jealous of Jeff's ability to tell a story with simple pen and paper. 🙃 )

I want to acknowledge Jesse Cramer for something that I really admire. For showing up. For putting in the reps. For laying down a brick...and then another. The life you want... The body you want... The job you want... The house you want... Those things are all just a few small, simple steps away. The thing is, you have to do those small, simple steps all the time. Every hour; every day; every week; every month; every year... Small, simple wins will add up. The majority of people are looking (waiting) for the big jump. They want to find a trick - they want to get rich quick. Be in the minority. Do the small things, all the time. Small steps will pay off big in the long run. (That doesn't mean "at the end." The long run is the long game. In due time. Along a path that is permanent. With a commitment that is enduring.)

In times of transition, it's essential to remember that your worth is not defined by your job title or the company you work for. It's defined by the skills you possess, the experiences you've gathered, and the resilience you show in the face of change. To all the talented individuals navigating layoffs, know that this moment, however challenging, does not diminish your capabilities or your potential. It's an unforeseen crossroad, offering a chance for reflection, learning, and growth. The skills that made you invaluable in your role remain with you, ready to be applied in new, exciting contexts. Remember, every end is a new beginning. It's an opportunity to rediscover your passions, realign your career goals, and embark on a journey that resonates more profoundly with your aspirations. The world is full of possibilities waiting to be explored by those with the courage to take the next step. Stay resilient, stay motivated, and most importantly, stay true to yourself. The right opportunity is out there, and with your talent, drive, and experience, you're more than equipped to seize it when it comes. Here's to your next chapter – may it be even more fulfilling and successful than the last!