👋Hey there,
You’re closing out 2024 and kicking off 2025.
We just wanted to say we appreciate you, thank you for listening and reading.
And we could use your help to improve this newsletter and podcast in 2025.
Please send us an email (info@fpandhey.com) telling us your favorite topics so far.
And answer this super quick survey below:
Enough of the pleasantries and questions.
Now onto this episode, which is all about other peoples’ jobs that you weren’t anticipating doing.
Listen on
It’s Hard Enough Doing One Job
How much free time do you have?
Many have little if any.
That’s why focusing on saving time now is so important.
🔥TIP: Excel shortcuts will save you hours each week.
Because at some point an opportunity will present itself.
It may look like someone:
Leaving the company unexpectedly and you fill that gap
Being promoted and you take on their job
Asking for help and you step in to support
All of the above has happened to us.
And many of these opportunities were unplanned.
Show Notes
00:30 – doing other people’s jobs will happen, it will be unplanned, and you can get through it
01:11 – only take on the challenge if you can handle it – assess your situation
01:45 – we’ve gone from solo contributor to doing the jobs of 5 people
03:30 – you’re only as good as your team and support structure – plan and communicate your approach
04:35 – the silver lining of people leaving – you learn💡
05:00 – the growth mindset helps to get through taking on more than your original scope of work
06:10 – stepping up to take on more can lead to future opportunities like working with leadership
06:50 – sometimes your manager will leave and the opportunity to lead is in front of you
08:25 – you will get beat up and you will experience failure – all lead to learnings
10:10 – stepping up and taking on more may or may not make sense depending on what your goals are
🔥TIP: Here’s how to crush your first 6 months as an FP&A manager.
Example 1: Take on the Job of an Entire Team
This happened to us.
You may find yourself joining a team with a specific scope.
Then to find that the team you joined isn’t happy.
It could be the boss, the workload, or the company's performance.
Regardless of the reason each member left, that team’s workload must be done with or without them.
And when it takes months to recruit, hire, and onboard guess who does the work?
The ones left standing (which was us).
This can be daunting.
But it’s also an opportunity (if the time is right for you).
It took 60+ hour weeks with a mindset of getting things done, finding ways to save time, and ensuring processes were in place for others to eventually step in.
🔥TIP: Simple things like data tables can help organize info quickly.
This was difficult, and we traded off personal time at home to take on this work.
But we wanted to do it, the time was right for us.
And the result?
Working directly with our CEO and CFO of a very large company—they now know who we are and what we’re capable of.
Which got us promoted AND future job opportunities 💪
Example 2: Taking on Your Manager’s Job
This happened to us too.
Bosses can leave without warning.
Personal reasons, not having great relationships with their boss, or they simply got a better opportunity elsewhere.
It can feel not so great when people you look up to and work for leave you.
It’s not your fault 🚫
Look at it glass half full.
It’s an opportunity for you to grow your career faster.
We took the opportunity to step into our boss’s shoes—be the team leader👞
One team member left, but the others stayed (and thrived).
And after 6 months we proved our leadership skills and were promoted to team leader as a result.
Our supporting team members were also rewarded and eventually promoted too.
Our Approach to Taking on More
We did not behave like know-it-alls when taking on these jobs.
Quite the opposite.
In both examples, we went in with our eyes wide open.
Acting like the dumbest people in the room asking all the questions.
We wanted to learn as much as we could about:
The people
The process
The systems
The business
There’s no experience like game day experience.
And being in the weeds of doing work, either as an individual contributor or team manager, was that game day experience.
We failed a lot and worked a lot of late nights.
But we took all that we learned to level up, build our confidence, and grow our reputation with our peers and leaders.
And our success was our team’s success and vice versa.
Conclusion: Opportunities Make or Break Your Reputation
You will get opportunities in your career.
How you take them on will feed your reputation.
Reputation takes a lifetime to build up.
And as you build your reputation, the number of opportunities you get goes up📈
Become an opportunity magnet, and over time be selective in the ones you take on.
Happy New Year!
We wish you the best of luck in your professional and personal lives💪
Ever taken on someone else’s job in a surprising way?
Share your experiences by replying to this. We read and reply to every email.
Now go have fun making an impact on your business and your career!
See you next time👊
Cheers,
Drew & Yarty
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Disclaimer: This content is not investment advice or financial advice. The views expressed and stories told are our own. We may be investors in the companies discussed. Do your due diligence when considering applying what you learn.
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