Saturday, August 8, 2009
Get your ass (and wallet) thin at Beachbody | part 2
Part 2: "Paying my dues"
I will freely admit that my effort level at Beachbody has not always been consistent. There were periods of time where I worked my ass off - staying late (really late in the early days), taking on extra responsibilities (see booking travel & training), and being a real team-player (ask me about the shrubbery story sometime).
But then there were those times when, quite frankly my dear, I didn't give a fuck. Those times were apparent. Sure I still went into the office and did my work and got things done. But Scott knew I was costing. Perhaps I'm a victim of my own good work-ethic sometimes. hummm?
However, while I'm eating my fair share of Humble Pie here, I did make a strong effort to turn Beachbody into a real job. You must remember, nobody could ever really tell me what my job title meant. And because I usually ended up doing a little bit of everything, I found it difficult to hone in on a specialty. I incorrectly thought that if I was good at a little bit of everything I would be a more valuable asset to the company and justly rewarded. Come to find out it's better to be an expert at one thing. That's how you get promoted.
And as it always does, time marches on and I find myself still at the job 29 months after I started. Sure I got a bump up to the $55k that I thought I deserved when I started; but when I got that increase (a year ago now) I thought I had exceeded that pay level already. And if I thought I knew more then - whoow, Baby do I know some shit now!
I've grown from a kid who captures and labels tapes to the online video distributor for all of the company's internet brands. Where I once managed three external hard drives, I now oversee nearly 1,000 individual online video pieces which are played millions of times a month. I use to be lost and unsure of myself in a new department but today I am the go-to guy who has the answers and knows how to get things done. I have grown and evolved while my official title and salary have remained stagnant. And all this while much growth is happening all around me. New people are getting hired at ridiculous salaries. People are getting promoted for doing nothing - and they still don't know how to work simple things like PowerPoint.
The changes don't stop there either. Scott hasn't been with the company since March of this year - we now have Natalie. Will Culp moved out of Production and then moved out of the company to pursue his education. Brandon is still around but it's hard to notice sometimes. He's turned into a character of corporate complacency hiding in his office, saying 'yes' to any ridiculous request from Natalie, and coming to the office in bland sweaters in the August heat. He and I are the only remaining members of the original hire. We're in a great new office and our staff has exploded to include four V.P.s
So with all this change, why haven't I progressed? Why do people still come to me looking for photos of people? Why do I half to baby-sit a Producer during a live event because she stresses everyone under her out when the little things go wrong? How can the company be making $300mm this year and every time I ask for a raise I'm told, "we are on a salary freeze right now." My friends have all told me to get the hell out of there and find something better - and I've looked. But I have a plan.
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