Overcoming Career Challenges

[The following is a guest post, written by Jasen Lawrence. Jasen is President of City Wide Maintenance of Washington. He shares about his experience in overcoming career challenges through his faith in God.]

Even the most talented, hardworking, and well-meaning people encounter career challenges. Whether it be a demotion, dismissal, or confrontation with a colleague or superior, it can be hard to overcome obstacles in the work place.

overcoming

Overcoming Challenges

Throughout the course of my career, which has included corporate sales and management positions, I have faced many of these obstacles head-on and developed strategies to navigate roadblocks.

Today, fortunately, my perseverance has paid off. I now own and operate City Wide Maintenance of Washington, a successful building maintenance management company that continues to grow steadily in the years since its launch.

I firmly believe the success of my business and the progression of my career would not have been possible if I hadn’t placed my reliance on God. It’s through God’s guidance that I learned to navigate many corporate and personal roadblocks.

Here are three defining moments that exemplify the important role God has played in shaping my career:

Learning to Walk in Humility

Fresh from college and eager to kick-start my career, I began applying for positions in sales and business management. The first position I secured proved to be one of the most trying jobs I have held throughout the course of my career.

Full of ambition, I dove head first into my new job with the hopes of climbing the ladder quickly and transitioning into a more managerial role. While I lacked professional experience, I knew I had the drive and determination to reach the next level.

The next thing I knew, five years had passed. While I achieved many awards and recognition for my work, I was never promoted to the managerial level I desired. As a result, I began to become discouraged.

One day, I built up the courage to approach my supervisor to ask his advice on what steps I needed to take to earn a managerial promotion. Calmly, he explained to me that I needed to reign in my ambition. Not only was I told my achievements were not good enough, but that I should not even apply for the managerial position.

Obviously, I took this news hard. After half a decade of hard work, and proving myself time and time again, I could not understand why I had been dealt this blow. Fortunately, my family – especially my wife – were by my side to love and support me.

Looking back, I understand God was testing me. God was showing me that if I am willing to walk humbly before him, I will then understand my need for him to work in and through my life. Humility is the quality I need to reach the next step in my career, and I remain humble by placing my confidence in God.

A Time for Faith, Not Fear

I remember the first time I was introduced to the Oddo family and the City Wide Maintenance franchise model. A friend had suggested I explore the opportunity because he thought it would be a good fit. For several years, I had been in search of an opportunity to own and operate my own business.

It did not take long for me to sign-on. I was immediately attracted to the building maintenance management company’s philosophy and mission statement, both of which focused on being of service to others and supporting the surrounding community.

But, nonetheless, it was a huge step – an investment that would dramatically change the course of my career. From the onset, I was nervous. I desperately wanted to have the opportunity to bear the fruits of my own labor. Owning my own business would provide this opportunity. However, it would also require I invest everything I had. It was a decision that weighed heavily on my mind.

It was with God’s help I managed to overcome my nerves. I placed my trust in God and walked through these feelings of doubt and hesitation. Today, I am grateful I took the leap of faith and plunged into entrepreneurial waters.

Hope, Patience, and Faith

In my new position as president/owner of City Wide Maintenance of Washington, I faced an entirely new set of challenges – including my own impatience.

After being an owner for approximately 14 months, our team was approached by a prospect that was struggling to choose whether to work with us or one of our competitors. To help with the vetting process, the company allowed us to manage one of their properties so they could assess our services.

Our team worked hard to earn the new business. Despite this, the prospect decided to hire one of our competitors.

Frustrated, I could not understand why we hadn’t been chosen. I was both disappointed and frustrated. Impatient, I hastily moved forward and came to terms with the prospect’s decision.

Several months later, I received a call from the same prospect who let us know the other company had not met its standards. They also shared their interest in hiring us to conduct maintenance on all of their properties.

This is another example of how God tests me. Whether I needed to be patient for five months, or five years, God blessed me with reminders that his plan for my life and career was already perfectly laid out for me. All I needed to do was place my reliance on God and everything would work out.

In summary, I am grateful for the challenges I have faced. Each obstacle I have overcome has brought me closer to God and helped instill the importance of faith in achieving success in my life and my career.

Jasen Lawrence currently lives in Renton, Wa. with his wife and two kids; also serving as an active member of his local church.

Jasen joined City Wide in 2011 as President after 5 years in sales roles experience. He believes the most successful client relationships derive from a complete understanding of their pain. According to Jasen, the most advantageous building maintenance solutions for clients will directly address their pain, saving the client time and frustration.

To learn more about Jasen and City Wide, please visit: City Wide Maintenance website

How Do You Define Victory?

This is the first in a series of posts about victory in our lives as Christian business owners and leaders. I am really excited about this series because I think this is a critical issue for all of us, though most of us have not thought much about it.

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Desire For Victory Is Okay

Sure, we want to win. Most of us have participated in some form of team sports during our lives at one point or another. I am assuming that all of us have wanted to taste victory to some degree. To some, you may not want to win at all costs, but certainly would prefer winning to losing!

Some of us REALLY want to see victory in EVERYTHING! As long as we do not let that desire for victory override our desire to please God, there is nothing at all wrong with it. In fact, I think God places that desire for victory inside of each of us.

Most Stop Here

If you are like most people, this is about as far as your thoughts have gone. You have probably not thought a lot about what victory actually looks like in your life as a whole. If you have, congratulations! You are probably the exception.

For the vast majority, if asked what victory in life means, they would respond with things that the world considers important. Even if we exclude the obviously “non-Christian” answers (money, toys, fame, etc.), we would still likely hear things like the following:

  • Good education for my children
  • Comfortable retirement for me and my spouse
  • Successful career with reputable company
  • Solid reputation with everyone, no enemies
  • Large attendance at my funeral

Are any of these answers BAD?

I think it depends.

Victory Goals or Results?

I think it depends on whether these were your goals or just the results.

Think about that for a minute. If you sought these examples as your ultimate goals, then that means you placed them above any other priorities. Assuming you are a believer, then it means you placed these goals ahead of your relationship with God. That is not good.

If, on the other hand, your ultimate goals related to your relationship with God and these examples came to you as byproducts, then I do not see a problem with them at all. If that is what God blessed you with at the end of a life submitted to Him, then I would say, “Awesome!”

Ultimate Question

I say all of this to come to one central, and very important question. In fact, I would rank it as one of the most important questions any of us can ask ourselves. This is a question few ask, but all answer in one way or another. Whether you stop and ask this question or not, you will end up answering it. Here it is…

How do you define victory in this life?

It looks like a fairly straightforward and simple question, doesn’t it?

Simple Question, Rarely Asked

It may be a simple question, but it is not one correctly answered by most people. Instead, most people never ask the question at all. They simply accept the definition given to them by the world around them.

Most people allow everyone else to define victory for them. Then they spend the rest of their lives chasing that definition. I think this is sad.

Simple Answer

I think it is sad because there is a simple answer to this question. I think it is sad because the simple answer to defining victory is found in the Bible and chasing this definition brings everyone the fulfillment they so desperately crave.

For the question itself, and the answer, we only need to look at Matthew 22:34-40. Jesus is asked about the greatest commandment of all. Jesus is essentially asked how He defines victory for all of us. Here is His answer…

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Simple and Straightforward

There it is. It is very simple and straightforward. We are to love God, our Creator, with all of our heart, mind, and soul and we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. That is God’s definition of victory for all of us. It does not get any simpler than that.

As a result of this Scripture, there really is no longer a need for us to struggle in defining victory. We have it right there in black and white. All we need to do is chase that definition.

Of course, it may be a simple definition, but it is not that easy, right?

More Questions

Once we accept this definition as the truth, many more questions begin to come to mind.

    How exactly does God want me to show Him this love through my life?

    How do my individual skills and talents play into this?

    How much of this victory depends on me and my efforts?

    What happens when I mess up and lose?

I understand. I have the same kinds of questions at times…okay, all of the time! That is not a problem. God likes these questions! When you are asking these questions, it means you are thinking about it! That is exactly what He wants from us. It is so much better than mindlessly accepting the world’s definition of victory.

Over the next several posts, we will be talking a lot more about victory in this life and our roles and responsibilities in seeking it. Stay tuned!

Are you one of the few that has already defined victory in your life?

On what Scripture is your definition based?

If you’ve never thought about it, when will you start?