Leave It in Baggage Claim

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From the Field
Fields Of Success Newsletter

November 25, 2009
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Dear From the Field Subscribers,

First of all, I wish you an enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday.

I think of those who will be traveling by air during this holiday season. My thoughts drift to the dreaded times when I arrived at my destination ahead of my baggage and the visits to Baggage Claim. I recall being told by agents that the location of my bags was unknown or that my bags would not arrive until the next day. I remember how this information began to diminish the enjoyment that I had anticipated when I would mingle with family and friends or just kick back and relax for a few days. Then the reality questions would save the day. Is there anything in my bags that is required to make my stay enjoyable? Why am I letting the "stuff" in those bags keep me from enjoying my stay?

You may or have already experienced visits to Baggage Claim in your careers. The baggage could be unpleasant experiences such as a project that was not successful, a performance that left a lot to be desired or an unpleasant experience with a peer or supervisor. In this edition of From the Field, I will share my perspective on how to deal with career baggage.

Leave It in Baggage Claim

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I was once responsible for a project that bombed. The project objectives were not accomplished and the budget was exceeded. It was a mess! I was fortunate in that I had a number of successes to offset the unfavorable impact of the project. Of course, the failure of the project did not nurture my relationship with my boss at the time. My boss at the time was new to the company. He had not witnessed my previous successes.

Three years later, I was assigned to lead a significant initiative. Guess what! One of the sponsors for the project was the person who was my boss during the time of the unsuccessful project. As I began to plan the management of the initiative, I realized that my former boss was not being supportive. His words and actions reflected doubt in my ability to lead the project. (Could you fault him?) At the same time, I was receiving compliments from the other sponsors and my current boss on how well I was managing the new initiative.

I decided to discuss the situation with my current boss. He informed me that my former boss was influenced by the results of the unsuccessful project. In the words of my current boss, "He is carrying baggage from the project." I did not let the doubts of my former boss keep me from successfully managing the initiative. I achieved the objectives and gained the confidence of my former boss. This was a great learning experience for me. I would like to share my thoughts and recommendations based on how I dealt with my with career baggage.

Stay focused on the present and not what happened in the past. Ensure that you have a clear understanding of what is expected of you with the people who will evaluate your performance. Establish what you are specifically expected to deliver.
Ensure that there is a clear understanding of how the results of the project or assignment will be evaluated.
Review the way you are doing things now versus your approach in the past to ensure that you are not repeating your mistakes. Solicit advice or the perspective from a peer, colleague, former supervisor or even a coach (a second air of eyes).

You can influence the opinions of others, but you cannot control them. You cannot force someone to recognize your accomplishments. However, it is very difficult to argue with success.

The past is a reference, not a residence.