The Success Story of AT&T

Recently, a forum was organized by EY in which officials from AACBE also participated.

A keynote speaker at the conference was the CEO of AT&T — Randall L. Stephenson. During his presentation he discussed things about internet traffic rules. He also provided some interesting points on the boldness of strategy needed to stay in business in the long term. Some of the same principles also apply to the professionals who wish to build long and successful careers.

He asserted the importance of being bold enough to re-invent things that cannibalize existing, profitable products and services. AT&T has had to make some strategic bets to manage the demise of a technological era – bets that assured their ability to survive and thrive long term, despite cannibalizing the profitability of their core businesses.

He says that at the core of AT&T’s obsolescence survival story lies the fact that it is the first to make product trade-offs, improving its chance of survival. Today’s market, quickly displaces those who don’t rapidly adopt innovation. Think Blackberry. This process of managed obsolescence applies to your career and your future, as well.

Business careers are not a straight line path anymore. You have to anticipate some zig and some zag. You also have to anticipate you’ll need to make tough tradeoffs from time to time keep your job and get ahead.

What kind of trade-offs? Maybe you have to take a step back in title and responsibility to leap frog to more responsibility down the road. Or accept a lateral move to groom yourself for rapid acceleration a position or two in the future. Sometimes you even need to step back and think refresh your skill set. For business students he urges them to be proactive — before the time passes and see the handwriting on the wall. 

• Take stock of where you are. Ask trusted colleagues what they think you’re good at. What do they think your growth opportunities are? Where do they see you fitting in the organization? In the work landscape in general? Accept the input, good and bad. Inventory your skills and experiences. Identify the gaps and the holes.

 

• Commit to yourself that you will let go of the OLD professional you and open yourself up to the NEW. You need to find the mental resolve to move forward and embrace change in your professional life. This is the first step in the journey.

 

• Make your manager your ally. Have a frank discussion about your long term career goals. Ask your manager’s help in reaching your goals – even if it means a shift to a new department, or extra assignments you feel less than equipped to handle, or taking some of the drudge out of your manager’s day to day, or even taking time off to allow yourself some mental and emotional space.

 

• Proactively set out to build your skill set. Your goal is to strategically fill in skills gaps. Have management skills? Check! Have product expertise? Check! Have P&L responsibility? Check! Have international experience? No….then go get it – whatever “IT” is. And if you can’t get “IT” from your job, then seek to do it outside of the workplace through classes, volunteer work, study- options.

 

• Be open to opportunities. Don’t let that inside voice tell you “you can’t” or “it won’t work.” First and foremost, you need to be a believer in yourself and your capacity to evolve and stay in the game in one way or another. For the naysayers? Ignore them. They are not worth your time or mental energy.