Rose was asking for advice, clearly torn between the comfort of an existing job and the scary prospect of a new job in management. This new position would be a stretch. Perhaps her new employer saw something in Rose that even she did not see in herself. But still, it was Rose who had to make the decision. My response:

“Dilemmas are the wonderful part of life. The position you describe sounds like a big job without a lot of internal resources. That is not an altogether bad thing, because you can make decisions quickly and turn direction instantly. Not only can you make a mistake, but you can also approve it.

“It does make the problem more difficult to enter a market area where you have little technical expertise. Since you don’t have an internal sales staff, you will need to find out who can help you understand this new market and how others have gone about it. Competitors are a wonderful source of information. You can read about them, and sometimes even talk to them.

“Bottom line, you will have to go into high learning mode to find out what actions need to be followed to be successful.

“I would also have more conversation with the owner, to determine how he will measure your success. What revenues have to be achieved? What markets have to be penetrated? How many and what kinds of new products might be successful?

“I would also like to find out what the owner was impressed by? What did he find interesting about you as a candidate? He must know that you have little experience in this industry, so why did he not see that as necessary to success in the new position? It must have been something else.

“I know I have asked more questions than given advice or direction, but this is a decision you will have to make yourself. Perhaps these questions have helped to clarify things so you can make the best decision for you.” -TF
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