❓ What’s the career advice you followed that turned out to be completely wrong—but you didn’t realize it until years later?
I’ll go first.
“Just keep your head down and work hard. You’ll be rewarded.”
That one haunted me for years. I believed it. I lived it. And then one day, despite delivering big, I got nothing.
Don’t get me wrong: I believe in hard work and keeping your head down. But it does not guarantee anything.
No recognition. No promotion. Not even acknowledgment.
In fact, I was punished.
I missed goal one year because I returned from paternity leave early, closed 11 deals, but had my biggest account taken away without cause… and another deal I landed wasn’t even credited to me.
I had a performance grade of “insufficient results” despite growing the territory by 20%, delivering the best results in years, and winning the largest deal in our channel.
I was told by mentors and former managers to go to HR… and it led to nothing.
So I stopped keeping my head down.
I stopped hoping others would do the right thing.
And I started taking complete ownership of my outcomes, reputation, and relationships.
“The Show Must Go On”That became my mantra.
It was the anthem I blasted in the shower before getting emotionally gutted on a call… only to have to bring high energy into the next one.
It reminded me of the truth: You can do everything right and it can still go wrong. But the show must go on.
Here’s what I learned the hard way—what I want you to take to heart today:
Career Lessons That Hit Hard
Being great doesn’t guarantee recognition. Sometimes it puts a target on your back. But keep being great anyway.
Nobody is coming to save you. You have to be your own biggest advocate, storyteller, and campaign manager.
Reputation, relationships, and resourcefulness > anything else. My billion-dollar career didn’t come from technical acumen. It came from showing up, connecting, creating community, and going way beyond the job description.
If they won’t give you a seat at the table, build your own. I built my brand during unemployment. I created newsletters, events, and movements before anyone handed me a platform. Nobody gave it to me. I built it.
Being counted out is your invitation to level up. Every promotion, every award, every record-setting moment came after a “no,” a dismissal, a door slammed in my face.
Don’t confuse silence for irrelevance. Sometimes people are quietly watching and admiring you. Other times, they’re ignoring you on purpose. Either way, keep showing up.
Control your story. The narratives people believe about you are the ones you don’t correct. Speak up. Stand tall. Be visible.
Make your superpower unignorable. I talk fast, type fast, think fast—and I use every one of those to connect dots, win deals, and elevate people. What’s yours?
Relationships open doors performance alone never will. My best deals were secured through persistence, warmth, and curiosity—not cold logic.
Reinvention is the price of growth. What got me here won’t get me there. It didn’t then, and it won’t now. Keep evolving.
If you’re nodding your head right now…If you’ve ever been passed over. Misunderstood. Burned out. Counted out. Told to stay in your lane. Told to wait your turn.
I see you.
This is your sign to rewrite the rules.
Create your own momentum.
Start your own movement.
The advice that failed you doesn’t have to define you.
The next chapter? That’s up to you.
Drop the worst career advice you ever got that you unlearned later in life. Let’s help each other grow.
#CareerGrowth #Reinvention #SalesLeadership #OvercomingAdversity #LinkedInVoices #LeadershipLessons #BuildYourBrand #TheShowMustGoOn #UnderdogEnergy
