Wayne Calloway, a former Chairman of PepsiCo was known for saying “If it ain’t broken, break it anyway!” This is great advice for companies and careers. My husband, who was a contractor in the software space for years, noted that he had a much higher level of confidence than many of his full time peers because he constantly had to sell himself. It forced him to stay current. In my own 20 year career, I have gone from advertising to marketing to sales to general management back to marketing and now to a bit of all of it. I have moved from salty snacks to the world of internet and now to the world of video games. It has been rare that I have stayed in a job for more than 3 years. This forces you to constantly push yourself.
There is a notion I love called “Zone Of Development”. This is the space beyond where you are super comfortable but not so far out that stress becomes unproductive. This is where growth occurs and it is likely to happen when you are in a new job, or at a new company or doing a cross functional assignment.
Change is good. It forces you to be flexible, to adjust, and to learn from others rather than just trusting your own functional knowledge. Don’t just accept change…embrace it and seek it out.
In addition to being my neighbor and friend, Cammie Dunaway is the Executive Vice President of Nintendo of the Americas.
