The lesson I learnd from Paychex

Growing up I have always had a need to be noticed and liked. I was never comfortable in the shadows or the background. There have been times where this "need"  has crossed the line of ambition into pride. As I get older I find this "need" of mine is wearing off. It's still there but I'm increasingly finding my sense of self worth and validation intrinsically rather than extrinsically. Still to this day, I find that my "need" flares up when I enter new environments. You only get one chance at a first impression!

An example of this is how my first year at Paychex has played out. Leaving Groupon and coming to Paychex was a turning point for my personal development. When I first started at Paychex my need to make a big splash flared up pretty bad. I wanted to make an incredible first impression so I buckled down and worked really hard. This is an aspect of my "need" that is very positive. I don't just expect to make a big splash, I work really hard for it. There was a huge product knowledge learning curve for me when I first started. Up to this point in my life the world of finance was completely foreign to me. I studied tirelessly and upon arriving at corporate for my job dependent exam, I got one of the best grades in the training class. The training process at Paychex happens over 4-5 months. The first month you basically sit at your desk and study. Then you get flown to New York for a 2 week training class that covers product knowledge, sales, and culture. After training at Corporate, you're turned loose and expected to go out and consult with clients as an "Expert". You have about 2-3 months to go out and make as many mistakes as possible and then you are flown back to New York to talk about the experience. I was bound and determined to come back to corporate for the last week of training with a record breaking performance. I worked incredibly hard and came back to New York with one of the highest revenue numbers ever achieved in that 2-3 months training period.

Having such a fast start was a product of hard work and resourcefulness. As time went on I became much more efficient at my job. What had previously taken me a concerted 100% effort was now only demanding 80% of my focus. This meant that I started relaxing a bit and in doing so I started cutting corners. My goal for the first fiscal year was $87,000 but I was able to turn in $211,937. This number would have put me at the top of the sales rankings for the entire country even though I only had 8.5 months out of the year to produce revenue. Since I started cutting corners (paperwork, client follow up, and internal procedures) I ended up having around $64,000 of my hard earned submitted revenue either getting charged back or pushed to the next fiscal year. My final approved revenue number was $147,624. I had more in chargebacks in my first fiscal year than most rookie reps achieve in total submitted revenue. The $64k in chargebacks was embarrassing for me and it got me into a bit of trouble with management. Instead of focusing on the $147,624 in solid revenue that I had submitted, Management was focused on the $64k.  I found my self sitting around 180% to goal in my first fiscal year and somehow in trouble with management.

The lesson I learned from Paychex:   If I would have focused on just doing a good job rather than being the "best" I would have finished much further ahead. Cutting corners never speeds you up, it slows you down! Making a big splash is great but not if its in dirty water! I would have been much better off making a smaller splash in clean water. I now have to work hard to kill a reputation of someone who submits dirty revenue and my commendable accomplishment of $147k is my first fiscal year is tarnished.

How to avoid a dirty splash:  From now on I'm only going to compete with myself. I want to focus on beating my numbers from the previous month rather than beating my peers. I'm going to remind myself daily that cutting corners slows you down even though it gives you the perception of speeding you up. Finally, Seeking intrinsic progression produces happiness while seeking extrinsic praise produces stress. Focusing on my own goals rather than ones other set for me will help me stay motivated and happy. 

Thanks Paychex..... I owe ya one!

My blog now

So I started this blog out for Grandpa Sessions but I think it was just one of those things that he rolled his eyes at. Not that he rolls his eyes often, I just seem to always have another "Great Idea". I'm learning that people don't really take ownership of an idea unless they take part in creating it. I know there are exceptions to that statement but I'm just saying in general people are more likely to jump on board with both feet if they help build the ship. So this blog was intended to be a place that Grandpa Sessions could write out his thoughts, feelings, stories in a place that was easy to find for all of his kids, grand kids, and so on. He is an incredible example of journal writing and I selfishly wanted him to do his journal online so it would be easier for his kids to read when he passes. Not that I think he is going to pass anytime soon, I just thought it was a good idea. He never really got into it so I think I'm going to take it over. I've never been a journal writer, not even on my LDS mission. As I'm growing up I'm starting to see the value in keeping a journal. I really wish I could have know my Grandpa as an adult. I hope my kids get to know my Dad as an adult. I want my kids to know me now and not just get to know me in the future. Being a father is a scary thing with a lot of responsibilities. I'm still a bit in awe that I have someone that calls me Dad! There is no instruction guide for this job and I really wish I had one. Despite feeling a bit lost and overwhelmed as a parent some days, the bond you develop with your kids is something incredible. I sat here thinking of an appropriate adjective to describe being a parent and incredible is all i could come up with. It produces a love/bond unlike anything else I know. I want to be there for my kids when they are at this stage in life. Not as an old man but as someone their age that they can sympathize with. My hope and prayer for this blog is that its a place that I can be honest and open about what I'm going through as a father and a Man. I wan't to know myself better and I want my wife and kids to know me better as well. I'm not going t hold myself to any kind of posting schedule because I don't want this blog to be something that becomes a chore. I also don't want to feel like a failure if I go "dark" for a few days. I also don't want to feel like everything I post here has to be well written. I have this distaste for writing because it feels so permanent. I'm a horrible speller and I have this weird need for everything to be well done. So I'm going to allow myself to just write and how ever the posts come out, they come out!