Recently, I received an announcement from one of my team leaders that he would quit his job due to an external offer. According to him, he had been under a lot of stress after the reorganization last year because many talented peers lost their positions as team leaders.
I was surprised to learn that he had been under such strong pressure, which I had not expected, since he had shown strong confidence and excellent performance. However, he thought his current position was not stable and that the company was too cold toward its employees.
I failed to persuade him to remain in his job at this company. While I was talking with him, an old episode came to mind from when I was a college student. One day, a professor of urban economics asked the students, “Do you know what factors are crucial to becoming a professor?”
Some said intelligence, and others said networks or fortune. None of them were right. He grinned and shared his experience. He thought he was not super intelligent or particularly lucky. Even though he graduated from a good school, there were many more talented friends who failed to become professors. He said the most important reason he became a professor was that he continued to study and did not give up his coursework until he became one.
I gave my advice to the leader that he could achieve his goals if he did not give up. Disbelief and despair can lead people to lose their way to the destinations they want to reach. I often see people get frustrated or lose their passion after facing obstacles or failing in their missions.
The road to the goal is for those who keep walking without going astray. Continuing to work toward your aim will let you get there despite any difficulties.