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What Do You Do When You’ve Gone As Far as You Can Go In Your Career?

 

by Glenn Shepard

December 15, 2009

 

 
Most people don’t think about it, because most people never go as far as they want to go.

Listen when the MVP of the team that wins a Superbowl is asked what he’s going to do next, and you’ll notice that they rarely have a good answer.

The week before Thanksgiving, I got to see one of those very, very, very rare individuals who truly personifies excellence. I was so excited that when he walked out on stage at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, I was transported back in time to 1969 when I was  six years old and putting a dime in the jukebox at the Bainbridge, Georgia Tasty Freeze to hear him sing Proud Mary/Rolling on the River.

His name is John Fogerty, and he shaped rock and roll as we know it today with his band Creedance Clearwater Revival.

Though I make fun of us Baby Boomers for trying to stay forever young and often looking ridiculous in the process (i.e. 61-year-old Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and 66-year-old Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones), 64-year-old Fogerty was an entirely different story.

Unlike Jagger and Tyler who are still trying to look and act 21, John brought an air of class and a real sense of grace to the stage, while rocking as hard as he ever has.

After the concert, I discovered why.

When John was 14, he heard Chet Atkins and wanted to be a good guitar player like him.

When he was 48, he realized he had never gotten really good on the guitar, and decided he’d better get busy.

He said that it took him 17 years to finally “get good“ on the guitar. During those years, he travelled from his home in California to Tennessee where he took lessons from 10 different guitar players in Nashville.

Now keep in mind that this was nearly two decades AFTER he had played at the original Woodstock Festival, and recorded such classics as Suzie Q, Bad Moon Rising, Born On the Bayou, Down on the Corner, Who’ll Stop the Rain, Run Through the Jungle, Up Around the Bend, Looking Out My Back Door, Have You Ever Seen the Rain?, Sweet Hitchhiker, and my personal favorite, Fortunate Son.

Though he is a living legend, he continues to practice for hours every day, explaining, “You realize some of it is God’s gift, but you’ve got to work at it”.

What great words to live by.

So if you’ve accomplished everything that can be accomplished in your career and are wondering what to do next, John Fogerty may have provided the perfect answer – "Get even better".

Not only will it keep you from getting bored with your job, but it’s also good for your personal health, marriage, and bank account.

To Your Success,

 

 

 

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“It takes determination to get to the top, but more to remain there.” 

— Croft M. Pentz  

Print This Quote

 

Dear Glenn,   

When a seasoned professional runs into a well-established G.O.B. (Good Ole Boy) network, what are some good methods to break down those silent barriers?

Dave in Dallas

 

Dear Dave,   

You don’t have to be a G.O.B. to play some smart offense in the game of office politics. Remember that no matter how objective and fair we try to be, it’s human nature to hire and promote people we like, especially when job skills alone are not enough to differentiate one from another.

           For example, simply learning what books the boss likes and reading them is an easy way to develop a common bond and language that others in the G.O.B. network might not have.

            When flying, I prefer to read instead of making small talk with a stranger sitting next to me. But if that stranger happens to be reading a book that I’m crazy about, I’m the one who starts the conversation.

            If they’re reading Atlas Shrugged, I immediately know they share my philosophy on business.

            If they’re reading The Millionaire Next Door, I immediately know they share my philosophy on money.

             If they’re reading The Purpose Driven Life, I immediately know they share my philosophy on life.

              No matter how charming, handsome, or rich you are, you probably did some things when courting your wife that you would not have normally done, to get in her good graces.

               As much as you might dislike it, getting in the boss’s good graces isn’t all that different.

              Thanks for your question.

Glenn In Nashville

 

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