I used to work with a salesperson who was the definition of a journeyman. When the market was up, he was flying high; when the market dipped, so did his numbers

But he was incredibly likable and fiercely dependable, which goes a long way. So long, in fact, that leadership eventually handed him a major account on a silver platter. All he had to do was shepherd it through our internal processes and bring it home

To the executives, he looked like a swan, effortlessly gliding across the surface of company politics. But underneath the water? He was paddling like crazy. He drove the pre-sales and sales consulting teams absolutely wild with constant, chaotic changes and massive, overlooked details

Eventually, I was brought in to sit down with him and bring some order to the chaos. But when we sat down to build a strategy, he looked at me and perfectly summed up his entire philosophy:

“I'm too busy running around to plan.” :)

Conclusion

It’s a classic corporate trap: confusing motion with progress. He was so addicted to the adrenaline of putting out fires that he couldn't see he was the one holding the matches. Likability and hard work can keep you afloat for a long time, but without structure, you're ultimately just burning energy to stay in the exact same place