DeVon Franklin talks how these characteristics have positioned him for success in entrepreneurship in an exclusive interview with MADE for our Men’s Issue.
MADE:
In your book, The Wait, you speak of having patience, trust and faith while waiting on the person God has for you. What advice would you give young people who are at a standstill in their careers? Do the same rules apply as waiting on the right relationship?
DF:
Yeah, I mean they actually do. When we were writing the book, even though we were focusing on relationships, we were talking about it in a way that really feels like it’s universally applicable. And so, if somebody is in their career and they are definitely trying to move forward but don’t see how it’s possible, the idea of waiting is valuing delayed gratification, which means “Yes, what you want will happen if you stay the course.” And if you find ways (even in the time when you seem stagnant) to continue to be productive and to find ways to maximize that waiting time, that’ll only prepare you for when the things you’ve been hoping for will happen.
You also have to do an assessment. “Where do I want to be? Where am I now? Why do I think I haven’t got there yet?” and not allow frustration, anger, depression and complacency to eat up that period of time. Because a lot of times when things seem quiet or slow, and you don’t seem like you’re close to where you want to be, it’s actually the time when you have the most time to do the things you need to do, so that when you’re in the right position, you’ll be successful.
And so I really encourage people to do an inventory on their life. What are the things that they feel like they could be doing now that would make their time more valuable?
MADE:
So what type of practical things would you suggest?
DF:
Let’s just say for example you want to get promoted but it hasn’t happened yet… what do you do? I tell people, start finding a way to add value to the people you work for. Start finding a way to add value to your bosses. Because if you’re adding value to your bosses, and you are helping who you work for and their lives to become better, I promise you that is a key to help you find success in the long run. And it’s also a great way to utilize the waiting period productively. So I do believe that waiting on your career is a good thing because it really, really, really, helps prepare you. So many times we’re focused on where we want to be. It’s one thing to get there, but if you don’t have the skillset when you arrive, you’re gonna blow it.
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