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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Working as a consultant, I was tasked to find a way to reduce Cost-Per-Head (CPH) spend of computer hardware purchases.
I had already created awareness for a program to drive employees towards ordering Standard Peripherals, but the employees ordered from an internal shopping site - not too dissimilar from what Amazon is today, but on a much smaller level.
By meeting with executives (GM level) and the Admin community, I was able to lock down budget and obtain business support to develop and execute a 48-hour “Just-In-Time” storefront for immediate hardware delivery, offering instantaneous turn-around.
I was able to negotiate with six OEM suppliers (Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Toshiba, Lenovo, Sony, and Panasonic) to provide the “store” with $100K in rotating stock, with no up-front cost to my client.
An in-house storefront enabled employees to come in and touch, feel and experience 12+ different “Standard” corporate-recommended laptops prior to ordering, and for immediate delivery upon Manager Approval.
Instead of waiting 2 – 3 weeks for a custom laptop, we influenced purchasing behaviors: Employees chose Standard PCs because they could receive product immediately, saving my client 20% -40% per laptop.
Delivery time was reduced by 93%, allowing for immediate productivity for new hires. This hands-on storefront also generated $500K (21%) in savings over six months.
This hardware delivery program also provided employees with a team of resources to assist with initial setup onto the corporate network, system imaging and general assistance. This innovative concept influenced the existing corporate-wide hands-on PC support program still in place today.
Based on this project, I was hired full-time by my client, paving the way to future opportunities and success.
Companies expect us to do our jobs, and greater opportunities open themselves up to us when we go above and beyond. What are you doing to go above and beyond? If you're not sure, contact me and we can discuss creating a plan to help you excel further!
The greatest opportunities are on the other side of change. What opportunity is waiting for you?