Brown worked hard in his new role, continuing his education and getting his Sigma Six Green Belt, but after a few years, he starting feeling like he was ready to move on to another new challenge within in his company.
An opportunity presented itself with a new internal initiative to make all digital devices software compliant and documented. This initiative meant tying every software asset in their existing IT asset tracking system to a paper invoice (i.e., proof of purchase, or proof of entitlement). That meant some 80,000 pieces of paper needed to be scanned and attached to the software asset in the inventory tracking system.
Over the next two years Brown was the project leader for this initiative-- the interim manager and go-to guy in the effort. When the time came to choose a permanent manager for the position, Brown was sure the job would be his. "I had been fulfilling the position for some time as this new initiative got off the ground. I was the one who got the ball rolling and while I, and most folks on my team thought I was a shoe-in for the position, they hired someone else," Brown says. This incident made Brown sit up, take notice and reexamine his goals.
