“If we take a step despite feeling uncomfortable, afraid, or inadequate, our comfort zones expand. We grow in strength and skill. What we consider normal for us changes, sometimes radically…Doing hard things is how we exercise our bodies, our minds, and our faith.  Small hard things are the individual repetitions – like a single push-up.  They are seemingly insignificant by themselves but guaranteed to get results over time.”   

– Excerpt from “Do Hard Things”

Have you ever had to do something that you don’t know how to do?  Of course, you have.  It’s how we grow and develop.  We speak our first words and take our first steps before we’re even aware that it’s happening.  It keeps progressing from there.  Tie your shoes.  Learn to read and write.  Learn to drive.  Start the hobby.  Date the girl.  Marry the guy.  Fix the house.  Start the job.  Raise the kid.  Raise the kids.  Often, you receive a bit of guidance.  Sometimes make a few observations, start doing it and figure it out as you go.

We don’t always choose to progress, however.  I once knew a carpenter who didn’t use a nail gun, but rather chose to drive every nail by hand.  Additionally, he was opposed to using an electric / battery operated drill; his devotion was to the hand drill.  The issue was not the purity of the work or the efficiency impact of the tools, it was simply opposition to learning to do the same job with a different tool.

What leads to these types of decisions?

There can be fear in change because it’s new, and the outcomes are less certain.  What if I fail?   We may question our ability.  That’s too hard.  Sometimes we doubt that another approach could offer a better result.  That won’t work.  It could be that I just don’t want to take the time to learn something new.  This is good enough.

Here’s my advice: don’t go there.  Explore.  Be curious.  Find the adventure in trying something new, even if that’s just simply taking a new route to work today.

Be Courageous Enough to Try

Mike Weichers, Jr.  is someone who likes to learn and explore, and he doesn’t mind being relied on to get the work done, even if he’s not sure how it’s going to be accomplished.

Mike has been our “Indigo guy” within the digital imaging team.  When the Indigo Printer was acquired, he put in the extra time to learn how to operate it.  It was new for everyone, but that’s what excited him.

It’s this level of curiosity and willingness to quickly move towards opportunities that has helped Clickstop grow.  We are pleased to recognize Mike Weichers, Jr. as our Q4 Core Value Winner for Be Adventurous, Embrace & Drive Change.

The Interview 

What is your role at Clickstop?

HP Indigo Press Operator.

How long have you worked at Clickstop?

1 Year

How did you feel upon being recognized for this award?

I was very excited and surprised.

What do you believe has led up to this recognition?

I think it has to do with my eagerness to learn more about Indigo and to jump in and take over running it.

Have you had struggles within this Core Value?  If so, what have they been and how did you overcome them?

I have always liked learning as many new skills as I can, and this was a perfect fit.

Why is this Core Value important to the success of Clickstop?

A company must always change and adapt to the environment, so having people willing to drive that change is important for growth.

What can we find you doing when you’re not at work?

I spend most of my time outside of work Reading, playing video games, or tinkering with something mechanical.

What brought you to Clickstop? 

The promise of being able to learn new skills on the job and work on an amazing piece of hardware.

What keeps you at Clickstop?

Clickstop is more of a community than a company and that’s important to me, feels like one big family and that’s hard to find in companies today.

If you could live in any period of history when would it be and why?

If I could go back in time I would go to the height of the roman era, just to be able to witness history in the making and seeing how different things would be from how we understand them.

What hobby would you get into if time and money weren’t an issue?

I would totally have a classic muscle car to wrench on as much as possible.

What fictional place would you most like to go?

I would choose to go the world of star trek, going to space and to other stars is one of my dreams.