How Advice Leads To Success
Scott Barlow began Happen To Your Career (HTYC) in order share career advice and coaching beyond his personal network that he was always meeting informally at local coffee shops. The HTYC Podcast features career experts and professionals offering advice and guidance on all things job related. Episode 126 titled “Your career path is not a straight line” with Dave Stachowiak is a really important listen for anyone interested in a career change or even just seeking help and advice on how to build a successful and fulfilling career. Stachowiak, the Founder of Coaching For Leaders, goes into detail in this episode about how our careers define us, the excitement and struggles of starting your own company and how the help from others can have a huge impact on our personal success.
Stachowiak begins by talking about how people explain their work to others and that he was taught by his father to break it down to an explanation that an eight year old would understand. In past generations, people had one job they worked for 25–30 years and often didn’t leave until retirement. With an evolving professional landscape, this cut and dry explanation of our professional selves may not be quite so simple. His statement “I don’t need to worry so much about what I call myself or what the world calls me, as long as I’m adding value to the world” is applicable to most entrepreneurs, freelancers and creators. It’s not uncommon for people to shift careers many times and go down many different paths before finding personal success.
On the topic of beginning a business, Stachowiak says “I thought I would have more success early on”, which is what a lot of entrepreneurs believe when they begin a venture. After only a year or two of experience, it’s easy to feel like we’ve seen it all and are the experts of our industries. But whenever you speak to a successful individual, you begin to realize that their success did not happen overnight. Everyone experiences the moments of doubt, the setbacks and the frustrations that help to build a more resilient character. And every successful company that someone built “by themselves” is really a product of all of the help, advice and guidance that people around the creator have provided. He goes on to quote NBA legend Julius Erving; “Being a professional is about doing the things you love to do on the days you don’t feel like doing it”.
One of the biggest takeaways is Stachowiak’s opinion that you should never stop asking questions and finding opportunities to learn new skills and gain experience. “If you’re falling flat on your face… it means you’re trying new stuff and you’re willing to push yourself” states Stachowiak. As with anything worth doing, starting your own company is not easy and is not as straight a path to success.
Stachowiak finishes the podcast with an impactful piece of advice: if you need help, don’t be afraid to ask. In our individualistic culture, we think we have to figure everything out on our own and bare our own burdens. When in reality, “we don’t do anything successfully and sustainably purely on our own. It requires us to build relationships with others, it requires us to ask for help and to give help at times.”
Need help? Don’t be afraid to ask one of our GigSesh experts. Our network of professional experts are here to provide advice and guidance on anything job related. From editors to growth hackers to social media influencers, there is an expert for anyone looking for some guidance and to grow their professional network.
