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Change Your Velocity

Velocity is not just speed, it is speed and direction. While you are working your best each day, you likely have the same velocity. You’re putting the same amount of effort in and moving in the same direction. What happens when there is an impetus for change? Maybe you get a promotion or suddenly decide your current career is no longer a good fit. Maybe the vision you had yesterday is different than you have today. If any of this happens and your velocity stays the same, you may not get the desired results.

My wife was a teacher for several years and she was great. She has a unique gift with kids and a strong desire for success. In terms of velocity, her direction stayed the same- straight ahead, for years and her speed was generally pretty high, although occasionally she would accelerate for a while. During these periods of acceleration she attained her National Board Certification and led a variety of faculty teams. Over time though, we could tell her fuel was starting to run low. This would manifest itself frequently when parents would blame her and her peers for things their kids would do, or when the administration would make poor decisions disregarding advice of her and other teachers. It became clear to her this wasn’t sustainable for her and she needed a change.

After a frustrating period of applying to educational research firms, she found herself in a completely different world- finance. She is a history buff who reads travel books and fiction novels nonstop, not a financially-minded person at all. However, she also goes into things 100% so before long, she had multiple certifications and licenses and has quickly become a rising star at her company. So how did she do this? 

She was going into uncharted territory but she knew she had the ability to learn, the ability to focus and achieve goals, and hold herself to a high standard. When she was told it usually takes people 3 attempts to get X certification, she was determined to get it on the first attempt. And she did… every time and she took less time to get through the course work than she was provided. Did she change her velocity? Absolutely. I would argue she changed her course by at least 90 degrees. She never let her foot off of the accelerator and occasionally she does speed up for a while. The great thing about her role is she often has to leverage her teaching skills when providing instruction to coworkers in formal situations, so the thing that gave her a lot of satisfaction in the school environment continues to do so at her company. 

I had a pilot report to my unit a couple of years before I retired. When he arrived, we talked for a while so I could get a sense of his career goals and to set expectations. There was no doubt in his mind on what he wanted to do. He planned on this being his last assignment, last move, and he would separate from the Air Force. In terms of velocity, his speed was about average, his direction was correct, but in the vertical component he was descending as he intended to make his exit. Within about 2-3 months, things were changing. He wasn’t descending any longer. He was working on big projects, then leading projects. Then he started becoming one of those “go-to” guys who are always dependable. He started accelerating. 

I’d like to say it was the caliber of organization we were in that changed his outlook on staying in the Air Force. Maybe it was. But for whatever reason, he changed his velocity in the same direction, but he started a fairly steep climb. He was with us only a year before we shipped him off to school, followed by a key job overseas in the SOCOM community. 

His path completely changed just by him staying in the same direction and not making the exit he expected. When he showed up with us, he intended on making a turn which would have provided his family with stability and predictability. Instead, he stayed on course, providing his family with adventure and exposure to things most would not dream of. 

If you are looking for a change to increase your job satisfaction, attain new goals, climb the ladder within your organization, will the status quo work? If you’re running out of fuel, is status quo sustainable?