Actionable tips to get immediate results in just a few minutes.
Never Meet Your Heroes.
“Never meet your heroes”, they say.
There’s some truth to it.
Here’s why:
👉 We believe our heroes are:
– smart
– talented
– gifted
– genius.
Something someone was “born with”.
👉 In reality, our heroes are:
– focused
– consistent
– hard-working.
All of these are learnable skills.
This is why meeting our heroes can be disappointing.
They are successful but seem pretty ordinary.
Which puts the focus back on us.
As in, what’s our excuse not to be successful?
And that is uncomfortable.
Take Advantage of the Creator Economy.
We’re living in the Creator Economy.
👉 In order to be a superstar employee, you don’t need
– A 4.0 GPA
– A huge network
– An Ivy League background
You can still have an outstanding and prosperous career of your choice.
How?
👉 By learning and playing by the rules of the Creator Economy.
– Learn the *required* skills
– Use your creativity to share your skills
– Aim to capture the attention of the right people
– Be consistent. Remember, 50% of success is just showing up.
Learn the rules of the game.
Otherwise, be prepared to watch others succeed who are learning and playing by them.
Protect Your Time.
Employee’s time is too valuable to waste even 1 second doing something the employer isn’t begging for.
Instead, do this:
• Look for your company’s pain points
• Validate it with a short-term resolution coupled with a long-term plan
• Double down on what clearly gets traction
In other words, treat your career like a startup.
Career Growth 101.
Most people overcomplicate a career.
Especially Career Growth.
Here’s Career Growth 101:
1. Find a company or industry pain point
2. Come up with *possible* solutions and scenarios
3. Write, create audio, video, or images of them and share
4. Capture the attention of the right leaders
5. Build credibility with that attention
6. At the right time, present yourself as an obvious choice for the big opportunity
Ideally, an ambitious employee would be working on one of these steps all the time. You must know which step you’re on.
If what you do doesn’t fall into one of these steps, your career is unlikely to grow.
Protect Your Time.
Employee’s time is too valuable to waste even 1 second doing something the employer isn’t begging for.
Instead, do this:
• Look for your company’s pain points
• Validate it with a short-term resolution coupled with a long-term plan
• Double down on what clearly gets traction
In other words, treat your career like a startup.
Career Growth 101.
Most people overcomplicate a career.
Especially Career Growth.
Here’s Career Growth 101:
1. Find a company or industry pain point
2. Come up with *possible* solutions and scenarios
3. Write, create audio, video, or images of them and share
4. Capture the attention of the right leaders
5. Build credibility with that attention
6. At the right time, present yourself as an obvious choice for the big opportunity
Ideally, an ambitious employee would be working on one of these steps all the time. You must know which step you’re on.
If what you do doesn’t fall into one of these steps, your career is unlikely to grow.
Expert vs. Novice.
Different strategies for career growth for an Expert and a Novice.
If you do the opposite, you’ll stagnate.
Here’s what I mean:
👉 If you’re an Expert in your field, say “No” to almost every new request.
You need to protect your time for high ROI projects.
Focus on a few selective projects to achieve your and your company’s big goals.
👉 If you’re a Novice, say “Yes” to almost every request.
Take on what you can and then some.
Explore new areas, learn new skills, and connect with new people.
But if you’re an Expert and say “Yes” a lot or a Novice and say “No” a lot, your career is guaranteed to stall.
Same goals, but different stages, different strategies.
Career Growth Formula.
A successful formula for career growth:
– Caring very little about what 99% of people think, and
– Caring very deeply about what a specific 1% think
Be respectful to your colleagues and peers, sure. But, most of what they think has little impact on your career.
However, care deeply about what your company and industry leaders think. Think about their pain points and how you can help address them.
In the end, your entire career will come down to a handful of people offering you big opportunities.
Books with Actionable Nuggets.
The most actionable books I’ve (re)read this year.
1) Atomic Habits by James Clear: The best how-to manual to cultivate sustainable long-term growth.
2) How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie: This is one of those books that feels different at different stages of your life. You’ll find some “new” actionable suggestions every time you read.
3) The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel: Simple stories with actionable tips for people who find the game of money noisy and intimidating, like I do.
4) The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday: Old wisdom explanation with what to do. More relevant in the modern bombastic, noisy world.
5) How to be a High school Superstar by Cal Newport: Bite-size and quick actionable advice for overwhelming high schoolers. Reading with my son who’s going to high school this year.
6) The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F$%^ by Mark Manson: It’s more about the mindset but a lot of actionable tips on how NOT to get stressed about useless things and people.
What’s the most ACTIONABLE book you’ve ever read?
Portfolio is Better than a Resume.
Every employee should have a portfolio.
Pick the next 1 or 2 roles you’d kill to get and audit them:
– Review the roles and responsibilities
– List what you can do
– Analyze what you can’t
– Make a plan and learn the gap
Document the whole process in public.
That public portfolio >>> a resume.
A Quick Lesson from "Atomic Habits".
A lesson I learned from James Clear’s “Atomic Habits”.
For HUGE gains, commit to doing something minimum effortlessly every day.
Here’s what it means:
Want to be a writer? 100 words every day
Working on chronic pain? 5-minute stretch every day
Learning something new? Practice 10 minutes every day
When all you want to do is get better by 1% every day, growth is inevitable.
Networking for Introverts!
Networking doesn’t have to be in person.
It can be:
– Publishing a post
– Engaging by commenting
– Liking/Sharing someone’s content
– Congratulating on a career milestone
– DMing an article someone may be interested in
The internet has made networking easy for everyone.
And not just the introverts!
Do Cool Stuff!
Finding opportunities is easy if you’re already doing cool stuff.
Feel like what you are doing is not cool?
Easy fix. Go create cool stuff.
Learn a new skill and share your progress.
Start a side project and provide updates.
Reading a book? Write a summary.
Listening to podcasts? Share your takeaways.
Write. Create infographics. Make memes. Start a podcast.
Share it on LinkedIn.
The Creator Economy is not only for the entrepreneurs. It’s doing wonders for the employees as well.
Companies want to invest in employees who are already investing in themselves.
Understand the Job Description.
One thing I have learned about a job description.
Not everything in it matters.
Here’s what I mean:
80% of your job is the first two bullet points (80/20, anyone?).
The rest is just fluff.
Good people skills? Sure.
Self-initiator? Of course.
But those can’t be measured.
Focus on ONLY the first two bullet points in a job description.
Polish the skills, platforms, and abilities mentioned in them.
If you’re reasonably comfortable with the first two bullet points in a job description, consider yourself qualified.
Now, all you’ve got to do is let the right people know!
20 Lessons From a 20-Year Corporate Career.
I’ve spent 20+ years in the corporate world.
Here are 20 helpful lessons I’ve learned during my career.
1. Consistency beats talent EVERY time.
2. Getting started is a lot harder than it looks.
3. Just like you, everyone is out for themselves.
4. Comparing yourself to others is the easiest way to feel miserable.
5. You’ll have to build your own environment to get your best work done.
6. Learn to learn something quickly. Technology changes fast.
7. Have a 5-year goal, but plan for only the next 6 months.
8. Getting 1% better means being better than 99%.
9. Everyone can teach you something if you’re willing and ask.
10. Being selfish while helping others is the best thing you can do for yourself and your employer.
11. 10% of people hate everything and everyone – for no reason.
12. Everyone is suffering from Imposter Syndrome.
13. Be nice. You’ll run into the same people over and over again in your industry.
14. You won’t amount to anything without risk.
15. Stay away from negative people.
16. Wanting to earn more money by providing more value is good.
17. Once you become good, you’ll have to guard your time ruthlessly.
18. There are no set rules for success.
19. Magic happens when you do nothing, sit down with a pen and a notebook, and think.
20. Things are never as good or as bad as they seem.
What would you add to the list from your own experience?
Don't Worry about the Salary Raise!
Your salary is not the only thing that should go up at your job.
In fact, it’s the last thing to rise.
5 things that go up before:
– Influence
– Reputation
– Writing skills
– Name-recognition
– Executive connections
In other words, add value first.
Then, expect a reward.
Quick Tip for a Mediocre Corporate Career.
Be everything for everyone.
This applies to your:
– Job
– Colleagues
– Management
– Industry peers
If you can do everything, you won’t be good at anything.
In the modern hyper-connected world, being known for something specific – The (Your Niche) Guy/Gal – is more rewarding.
Don't Worry about the Salary Raise!
Your salary is not the only thing that should go up at your job.
In fact, it’s the last thing to rise.
5 things that go up before:
– Influence
– Reputation
– Writing skills
– Name-recognition
– Executive connections
In other words, add value first.
Then, expect a reward.
Want to be Known as a Thought Leader?
Who doesn’t want to be known as a Thought Leader?
It gives you opportunities that only a select few get.
Being a Thought Leader is not saying 50 things once. It’s saying 1 thing in 50 different ways.
It’s easier and simpler than you think.
Pick your niche or expertise. Whether it’s gene therapy or project management or start-ups or insurance or vaccines or …. you get the point.
Describe the following for your topic.
– Tips
– Tools
– Hacks
– Guides
– Listicle
– Contrarian
– Observation
– Mistakes
– Lessons
– Reflections
– Trends
– Myths
– Insights
– Comparison
– Explain
– Analysis
The more ways you say your One Thing, the more you become known for it.
Follow me for more insights, frameworks, and tips for career growth
Don't Worry about the Salary Raise!
Your salary is not the only thing that should go up at your job.
In fact, it’s the last thing to rise.
5 things that go up before:
– Influence
– Reputation
– Writing skills
– Name-recognition
– Executive connections
In other words, add value first.
Then, expect a reward.
Habits for Insane Transformation.
Habits over a long period lead to insane transformations.
That includes your career as well.
Here are a few work habits I’ve had success with:
• A gratitude journal about good things happening at work
• Taking regular breaks for stretching, especially if you have a Zoom call with video off
• Meditation – it’s not only for monks and spiritual people
• Templatize any recurring task
• Read and write every day – even for a few minutes
• Batch your work (this is how I do it since I’m a morning person)
Morning – creative (reports, presentations etc.)
Early afternoon – productive (updates, project emails, team meetings etc.)
Late afternoon – tasks (uploads, admin emails, optional meetings etc.)
• Regular breaks from a computer screen even for a few minutes
• Consume internet with a timer – I use the Tab Countdown Timer chrome extension
• Always be working on your next career goal
I’d love to hear what your work habits are.
Remember, what may seem mundane to you can be valuable to others!
Must Have Employee Traits.
Some of the best traits an employee must have:
– Self-care
– How to market yourself
– Insatiable intellectual curiosity
– People skills for different people (intern to CEO)
– Bias for action, particularly for a recurring problem
– Calculated risk-taking ability
– Be nice (you’ll run into the same 500 people in your industry)
– Self-promotion without being annoying or bragging
– Identifying and solving problems
– Keep professional and personal lives separate
– Identifying your tolerance for BS level and not exceeding it
– Knowing when it’s time for the next career change
– Be humble enough to get and learn from a mentor
– Find meaning in your work (it’ll make your job more pleasant)
– Share your qualifications online
What else would you add to the list?
Use Your Superpowers!
21st-century career growth superpower:
Minimum time between a plan and action.
Here are 3 lenses I use to act quickly:
• Urgency
• Consistency
• Focus
Make it actionable:
• Do it because it’ll take less time to do it than thinking about it
• Do it consistently even if I don’t feel like doing
• Do it with a specific end result in mind
Like most things in life, it’s simple but not easy!
What do you do to overcome procrastination?
Don't Start a Blog.
For a beginner writer employee, a blog is the worst place to write.
Instead, start with LinkedIn.
Here’s why:
• Your procrastination will take over when setting up your blog.
• You’ll spend months obsessing over font, theme, style etc.
• Hard to get people to visit your website
• Slow feedback loop, if any
But if you write on LinkedIn:
• Built-in industry audience
• Polite, professional interaction
• Quick feedback loop
The only reason to start your own website is if you want to collect emails or have something to sell.
If not, and if you want to grow professionally, write on LinkedIn.
Make Success Inevitable.
The best corporate career is not a result.
It’s just a byproduct.
A successful corporate career is just:
– Setting a goal
– Demonstrating skills, and abilities
– Connecting with the right people
– Self-promoting in a pleasant way
– Blocking the social media motivational crap
If you have a system, the outcome becomes inevitable.
Employees Have Employees Too!
The Paradox of the Employee:
They TOO have a staff of highly efficient, and eager employees.
But….:
Their employees are not humans, they are robots.
They are free and work 24/7 without a bathroom break.
– Free platforms – LinkedIn, Twitter, Blogs, YouTube, Instagram
– Articles, Posts, Videos, Podcasts, Newsletters
Create stuff to get noticed and grow your career.
Post it on the free online platforms with built-in audiences.
All you need? A desire and willingness to grow your career.
Welcome to The Creator Economy!
What to Ask Executives?
Want to become a corporate executive faster?
Use your time wisely when you run into one.
Here’s what not to.
Don’t waste your (and theirs) time by asking them about:
– Favorite books
– Podcasts
– Routines
– Habits
– Political opinions (avoid it like the plague with everyone!)
Instead, ask them about:
– What was a total waste of time
– One or two things they’d focus on
– Setting priorities
– Making the best of meetings (don’t we all wish how to do this?)
Emulate who you want to be.
Write Online. Here's Why.
Most employees don’t consider themselves creative.
Which is why they don’t write online.
Here are 4 Reasons why every employee must write online:
1. Attract opportunities – internal and external
2. Connect with the right people – who can help you achieve your career goal and vice versa
3. Only good things will happen to you. No downside.
4. Literally, everything else in your life will get better – you’ll be a better thinker, more open, better person, happier, and better analyzer.
What are other reasons to express your creativity in the corporate world?
Be a Better Writer.
80% of corporate career growth is writing.
20% is actual work.
But then you have to
– write reports
– create presentations
– send emails
– prepare summaries
In other words, you have to let others know by *writing* what you’re capable of.
Why not take it all and put it online to let people OUTSIDE of your group know about your skills and abilities?
Get Rich as an Employee.
When people think about being rich, they think “business”.
But you can do it as an employee too.
👉Here’s how to get rich as an employee:
– Build skills, abilities, and leadership for your next goal job
– Write about it online to let the handful of right people know about it
Most employees are effective at the first, but not the second.
Attract opportunities. Keep rising.
The 7/30 Rule for Guaranteed Job Growth.
A job can get boring.
After all, “same thing, different day” is how we define boring.
Enter the 70/30 rule.
This professional development rule works something like this.
**YOU SHOULD KNOW HOW TO DO 70% OF YOUR JOB BUT NOT THE OTHER 30%.**
Why?
• Knowing 70% keeps your employer happy.
• Not knowing 30% keeps you engaged.
The unknown 30% will make you Google, read, learn, be nice to those who do know and keep you humble.
Over time, the 70/30 ratio will change to 80/20, 90/10, and eventually, 100/0. When you know 100% of your job, you’ll get bored and stop growing.
When That happens, it’s time to change the job.
(Or work for a project-based consultancy firm (like DPS) where you work on a different project every few months. It solves the boredom problem.)
If you’re getting bored at your job, either find a new job or work for a company that keeps bringing you back to the 70/30 ratio regularly.
Any thoughts on how else to solve the boring job problem?
A Writer Employee Can Make More Money than a Professional Writer.
An employee can make more money by writing than most novelists.
Wring a novel is hard, long, and arduous.
But writing for your next career goal or promotion is easy, short, and simple.
👉👉👉 Here’s how to do it.
Set your next corporate career goal.
Make a list of required qualifications.
Write about them in multiple ways. Tips, ways, books, lessons, stories, resources, etc.
Imagine teaching them to yourself from 2 years ago.
Share on LinkedIn 2/week. And with the hiring people (or the algorithm will bring them to you).
Get your next job with more money.
And it will take only a few minutes per week.
👉 For the record – less than 0.0025% of authors make any money from royalties.
See what I mean?
Build Your Digital Presence.
Had a chat with a recruiter friend about an intern job.
Over 100 applicants.
But, almost no one had a:Â
– Personal website
– Digital presence
– Good Google search return
– Published portfolio
If you’re looking for a starting job, any of the above WILL make you stand out.
Entrepreneurship vs. Job.
No career is perfect.
Entrepreneurship.
– Long hours
– Uncertain income
– Difficult clients
– Overwhelming
– Stress
Job:
– There’s an afternoon meeting today
Do You Love Your Job?
Some people really love their jobs.
Everything they could ask for in a job.
– Exciting work
– Good salary
– Manager/coworkers
– Benefits/perks
– Flexibility
Like the job was crafted just for them.
If you are one of them, don’t let the social media noise make you unhappy.
Make the Most of Your Time at Work.
Unpopular Opinion.
You owe your job your best (as opposed to what social media will have you believe).
– You spend most of your time there
– It’s paying for your lifestyle
– It’ll attract the future opportunities
It’s up to you how to make it more meaningful to you.
You do You!
Let’s not let anyone make us unhappy about a job due to the romanticization of entrepreneurship.
Be a 9-5 person as long as you want, especially if you’re happy.
Don't be Fooled by the Social Media.
It’s not surprising that employees feel imposter syndrome all the time.
The loud one-hit-wonder entrepreneurs on social media have convinced us that everyone else has got their things together.
They don’t.
Not any more than you and me.
The Truth about the Business Trips.
Going on your first business trip is like finding out (spoiler alert!) Santa🎅🏽 doesn’t exist.
The glamor wears off.
From then on, you become more attentive to the *actual work* to be done on the trip.
The rest just becomes logistics.
Are You Ready for the Future?
This will be obvious in a couple of years.
Professionals who write are the most influential in the corporate world.
It's not about You.
If you want to be a Thought Leader, here’s the number 1 tip.
You – the benevolent Thought Leader – are completely and absolutely irrelevant.
Here’s what I mean:
The follower does not care:
– What you think
– Why you think so
– How difficult it was
– How much research did you do
They care about 1 thing:
What your answer/solution does for them.
16 Inconvenient Truths Employees Must Not Forget.
16 inconvenient truths you must not forget if you’re an employee (and how to make them convenient).
(If you’re an entrepreneur, this is not for you.)
1)Â Â Â Â Â Your colleagues, managers, and clients don’t care how smart or knowledgeable you are. They care what problems you can solve for them.
2)     No one thinks about your career as much as you think they do. There’s no indifference or malice there. It’s just that we’re all mentally busy.
3)Â Â Â Â Â Successful employees are neither smarter nor more creative than you. They are better at demonstrating to the executives they are ready for the next challenge/promotion.
4)     You know exactly what you should be doing for your next big jump. But, you aren’t. Only you can figure out why.
5)     Most promotions come from doing somewhat-monotonous things every day for months/years – but no one wants to hear that. Yes, the project will produce something dazzling. But execution will be boring. The more your day is like The Groundhog Day, the better.
6)     Convince yourself first you deserve the next promotion and pay raise. Otherwise, you’ll subconsciously keep sabotaging it. And blame it on corporate politics or bias.
7)Â Â Â Â Â If you are learning from entrepreneurial blogs and books, you are learning from the wrong people.
Entrepreneurs and employees need different everything to succeed.
8)Â Â Â Â Â If your career is not where you think it should be, you know exactly why. And how to fix it.
9)     “You’re responsible for your own career” is not always true. Sometimes, external factors – beyond your control – will affect your career. And there’s nothing you can do about it. It happens to everyone.
10)Â You have three finite resources: time, energy, and attention.
Once used, they’re gone forever.
However, time, energy, and attention get little respect in the corporate world. Use them to solve your company’s unsolved problems and to acquire new skills. You’ll be ahead of most people.
11)Â You can complain about the corporate game, or you can learn the rules. Btw, the internet has changed the rules of the corporate game. It favors creative and driven employees.
12) You get half of your salary for showing up (it helps), the other half for doing your job, and a raise/promotion for doing what’s beyond your job.
13)Â The companies reward not the best employees, but the employees who best position themselves as the obvious choices.
14) If you’re afraid to publish online, it’s hard for others to know your talents and capabilities. Your resume and LinkedIn profile convey less than 5% of your abilities. As for publishing online, it’s not fear or judgment that’s holding you back. It’s your ego.
15) If you’re always “busy” but not rising professionally, you need to examine your priorities.
16)Â 99% of people would rather be uncomfortable and complain than raise their head above the crowd. Get comfortable with discomfort to grow.
How to Succeed in the Creator Economy.
Every company on Earth is a media company, whether they know it or not.
How can you become a 100x asset for your company?
Share your thoughts about your domain and the industry. Create knowledge that others can’t Google.
Choose the medium you love.
– Video
– Audio
– Write
– Speak
– Design (bonus point if you can create memes!)
Become a Thought Leader in the process and create your own career path.
Action >>>> Planning
It’s easy to get addicted to the prescription and forget about the cure.
Here’s what I mean:
Writing advice is good if you write.
Health plans are good if you change your diet.
Self-help books are good if you practice.
Career planning is good if you execute.
We confuse activity with productivity.
But sometimes (or is it *always*?) we turn planning, researching, and reading into procrastination.
Are You Ready to be a Thought Leader?
After a few years in your field, you know enough to be a Thought Leader.
Remember Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hours rule?
But how do you go about it?
Here’s a simple framework.
Bad Thought Leadership:
– Here’s my idea
– Here’s how I thought about it
– Here’s why it’s so brilliant
Good Thought Leadership:
– Here’s your question
– Here are the benefits of finding an answer
– Here’s why you haven’t found any answers
– Here’s the correct answer and how it will benefit you
No one cares how brilliant thinkers we are.
They only care if you can answer questions and solve problems they have – in their head.
Qualities of a Modern Thought Leader.
The best modern Thought Leaders I look up to:
– Write concisely and every day
– Have dedicated “Thinking Hours”
– Listen to the online chatter for problems and questions
– Then, answer the questions and solve the problems
– Educate the general public about their industry
– Add knowledge by writing what Google can’t find
– Engage with their fans and followers
– Share without ego and take feedback objectively
– Read wide and write deep
– Would share their thoughts even if no one cared
Get recognized as the Thought Leader
It’s not for everyone. And that’s ok.
But if it’s for you, remember this simple mindset shift.
Traditional (and outdated) Thought Leadership:
• Here’s my idea
• Here’s how I thought about it
• Here’s why it’s so brilliant
Modern Thought Leadership:
• Here’s your question
• Here are the benefits of finding an answer
• Here’s why you haven’t found any answers
• Here’s the correct answer and how it will benefit you
Pick a topic to write about, try the latter approach and see the difference.
What You Know vs Who You Know.
There are two types of people in the corporate world – who know stuff and who know people.
They’re referred to as “what you know” and “who you know” types of people, respectively.
You know which group you belong to!
The companies promote the “who you know” group with predictable consistency.
That can be frustrating if you belong to the “what you know” group i.e. being good at your actual job and then some. And if you’re not where you thought would be after spending all that time to become an expert.
Not necessarily malice on the executives’ part, mind you. They just don’t know what and how much you know.
The internet has changed that.
Now, if you know stuff, you can let others know too. Including your current and prospective employers.
Write about and share your knowledge and acquired wisdom online. Pick your domain, audience, and platform (e.g. LinkedIn). Present your knowledge from all angles.
It’s the quickest, easiest, zero-cost, and zero-risk way to accelerate your career.
Consistency + Luck = Big Opportunity
Everyone is one LinkedIn post away from showing up in the right person’s feed at the right time and making that one connection that will open up dream opportunities.
But you don’t know which post that’ll be.
So, you’ll have to write 50 of them.
The more darts you throw at a dartboard, the higher your chances of hitting the bullseye.
Be Clear, not Clever.
The number 1 mistake beginner Thought Leaders make is trying to be clever instead of clear.
The common tendency is to try too hard to be “funny” or “smart”.
They end up using flowery language and technical jargon.
The surest way to confuse the readers.
And a confused reader moves on.
I prefer clear over clever every time.
Actionable tips to get immediate results in just a few minutes.
People don’t care what you can do. They care what you can do for them.
People don’t care how smart or hard-working you are. They care how you can solve their problems.
People don’t care which school you went to. They care if you can lead and get things done.
You don’t get promoted with logic. You get promoted with emotion. Others HAVE to like you.
Put simply: You should be the obvious solution.
All things equal, companies with the highest digital leverage will win.
Those who have motivated employees who create:
Videos
Images
Articles
Podcasts
Newsletters
Infographics
If you’re an employee, here’s your daily reminder
You do not need a huge online following.
👉👉 You need a small crowd with 1 question.
E.g. Project management for life science companies, or SaaS for small online businesses, or Financial planning for kids’ college fund.
Answer it in multiple ways, share it online, and let the algorithms find thousands of them.
👉👉 Also, you only need to be recognized by a handful of people.
Getting noticed by one recruiter or executive is worth more than 1000 likes on LinkedIn.
Don’t complicate it!
A successful formula for career growth:
– Caring very little about what 99% of people think, and
– Caring very deeply about what a specific 1% think
Be respectful to your colleagues and peers, sure. But, most of what they think has little impact on your career.
However, care deeply about what your company and industry leaders think. Think about their pain points and how you can help address them.
In the end, your entire career will come down to a handful of people offering you big opportunities.
An employee can make more money by writing than most novelists.
Wring a novel is hard, long, and arduous.​
But writing for your next career goal or promotion is easy, short, and simple.​
👉👉👉 Here’s how to do it.
Set your next corporate career goal.​
Make a list of required qualifications.​
Write about them in multiple ways. Tips, ways, books, lessons, stories, resources, etc.​
Imagine teaching them to yourself from 2 years ago.​
Share on LinkedIn 2/week. And with the hiring people (or the algorithm will bring them to you).​
Get your next job with more money.​
And it will take only a few minutes per week.​
👉 For the record – less than 0.0025% of authors make any money from royalties.​
How to be qualified for a job
(even if you're not) :
See what I mean?
Search your desired job title on LinkedIn.
Look at the skills required in job description’s first two bullet points.
Spend few hours learning the basics (use 80/20).
Add skills to your LinkedIn profile, and write about them.
A recruiter will find you.
A subtle way to let your colleagues and bosses know about your work expertise.
Write about it online (LinkedIn or blog are ideal).
Send them links.
Ask for their feedback with something like – I respect your expertise and would appreciate your feedback.
Now they know.
Want to be noticed by your senior executives?
Go to high-profile meetings. Ask your managers to identify the right ones and get the invite.
Take notes
Distribute meeting minutes and action items.
Now they know you as someone who adds value.
How to make your next promotion inevitable.
Offer to cover for your boss when he/she is out.
Learn new skills and make connections.
You become the first obvious choice for a promotion.
Bonus: You’ll also realize that there is nothing special about an executive job.
A tip to get offers above your pay grade.
Treat writing about your job like it’s part of your job.
LinkedIn, private newsletter, Twitter, Quora, etc. – doesn’t matter. Write somewhere.
You’ll attract recruiters and hiring managers.
You get half the salary for showing up.
The other half for doing your job.
But to get promoted or an extraordinary raise, you need to do what’s not your job.
Ideally solving a company problem – like making your company look good by writing online or attracting talent.