It’s Time to Toughen Up - The Key to a Successful Career
This week, we sat down with Ryan Ewalt, CEO of Variable, Inc., to talk about career development just like we always do here on Landed Not Handed.
Ryan has led teams of 30 all the way up to 2,600, across industries and seasons of growth. He’s seen the good, the bad, and everything in between and is here to candidly share what actually matters.
From encouraging job seekers to toughen up (in a way you might not expect), to calling out toxic positivity and workplace tribalism, Ryan shares candid, practical insights leaders and job seekers alike need to hear right now.
If you’re building teams, navigating rejection, or trying to stay relevant as work (and AI) continue to evolve, this is a conversation worth your time.
Read the full newsletter below.👇
How would you describe an ideal team player?
They put the customer before the team, and the team before themselves.
A lot of teams skip straight to “team first,” but that can still turn into internal competition between departments. The best team players leave their personal agenda and preferences further down the list. They don’t play the “sales vs. engineering” tug-of-war, because neither side should win. The customer should win. And the best team players tend to grasp the team-before-self idea naturally.
They’re not easily discouraged, but also not stuck in toxic positivity that drains energy.
They bring the basics that matter: a strong work ethic, a professional sense of humor, and an ability to tap into people’s passions and motivations.
What is a mistake you see teams make, and how do you help guide teams away from it?
One of the biggest mistakes I see is tribalism (or “othering”) within the workplace.
This happens in organizations of all sizes. As soon as you have a customer service team and a technical team, or any set of departments, one group starts blaming another when something goes wrong. It happens in as many directions as there are teams, and over time, it seeps through the cracks of the organization.
To address this, leaders need to focus on two things:
Encourage curiosity.
Curiosity is essentially the opposite of blame. Instead of pointing fingers, teams should be taught to ask, “Will you help me understand?” That question extends an open hand rather than a cold shoulder, and it opens the door to real problem-solving.
Create meaningful ways for teams to come together.
In today’s world, complaints often stay trapped in echo chambers, engineering with engineering, sales with sales. We forget that problems are actually solved when people come together. Leaders have to intentionally bring teams into the same room to communicate, collaborate, and work through challenges together. When that happens, it acts like a pressure release valve for the organization.
What do you want job seekers to take away from this conversation?
You may need to grow some thicker skin. And I mean that in an encouraging way, not a critical one.
Getting rejected does not mean you aren’t qualified.
I recently posted a Business Analyst role and had to turn down candidates from Fortune 500 companies. They were clearly strong candidates, but they weren’t located in Chattanooga. Also, the volume of applicants alone made it impossible to review everyone fully.
Rejection is often a reflection of a cold, constrained recruiting process, not your skills, experience, or potential. Don’t let it convince you otherwise.
What is an essential skill for the future?
It all comes back to being curious and actually doing something about those curiosities.
Without that, we risk becoming bumps on a log while AI takes over not just tasks, but our sense of meaning in work. Fulfillment comes from chasing curiosity and taking action on it. And if we’re doing that consistently, we don’t have much to fear, no matter where AI takes us.
Thank you so much for sharing, Ryan!
If you’re interested in learning more about Ryan or the work he does at Variable, check out his LinkedIn profile here.