Back in August 2020, I posted a blog about SOAR stories. SOAR stories are a fantastic way to reflect on Situations that seemed challenging at the time because of certain Obstacles. In order to succeed, you took Action and the Result was something you can be proud of, and which contributed to who you are today. It built character.
You many think that these stories mean nothing. After all, they are just stories. However, ALL stories have a meaning; ALL stories disclose something about the characters in them. The character-traits are what keep people interested and yearning for more.
The story is only one part of what makes doing this exercise valuable. The more important part is rediscovering who you are at your core and what attributes distinguish you from others when faced with challenges.
I'd like to continue sharing some of my personal SOAR stories and the characteristics that they exhibit.
What are some of your SOAR stories? If you can't see your inner #basass, we can work together to rediscover it! I'd love to hear them and publish them on this blog!
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When I was almost 29, I left a great international corporate job that gave me incredible skills, valuable and lifelong friendships, great pay and enabled me to travel the world. But something was missing.
A young woman working for a male-dominated engineering firm makes it difficult to climb the corporate ladder. So, I quit. And moved to the US Virgin Islands.
I sold diamonds. I was a cocktail waitress. I spear-fished for my dinner. I had a killer tan. However, after about 2.5 years, with island fever, a need for more intellectual stimulation and a broken heart, I decided to go back to the mainland.
It was difficult to jump back into the corporate life. Nobody wanted to hire me. I didn’t have the technological know-how that had transformed the world in the 2.5 years I was gone. Potential employers wanted to know why a young woman would leave a great corporate job to go live in the Caribbean? Uh…because I could.
While in search of the perfect job for me, I worked as a bartender in a 5-Star Hotel in the financial district of San Francisco, and made great professional contacts there. I also set a goal that I would not have a one-year anniversary as a bartender.
My skillsets included international sales and marketing, the ability to communicate and conduct business in Japanese, working throughout Asia, channel sales, distribution, Asian-language software localization, contract negotiations, managing partners, and organizing trade shows in foreign countries to name a few.
Eventually, I finally found a software company who was looking to hire a Sales Manager to grow their Japan/APAC markets. I interviewed and wound up being one of two candidates contending for the position.
After the last interview, the VP of Sales informed me that he had one more candidate to interview and they would get back to me.
My response: “We both know it's not necessary for you to interview the other candidate. I'm the right candidate for this job”
362 days after becoming a bartender, I began a new career as a Sales Manager for Japan/APAC for a software company in the Bay Area.
If you are struggling with making the shift from the job you're in to the job you want, schedule time with me and let's figure it out together!