Dan Schawbel - Promote Yourself: The New Rules for Career Success

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DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my incredibly supportive parents, who believed in me in the best and worst of times. Through all the stress and obstacles, they made sure I kept my head up and had a positive attitude. I feel very privileged to have them both in my life because having great parents makes it that much easier to Promote Yourself and achieve your dreams. The best advice theyve given me is to not take life too seriously, always be yourself, and not to let anything get you down. This book is written in honor of them because without them, I wouldnt be here.

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

BY MARCUS BUCKINGHAM,

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF NOW,
DISCOVER YOUR STRENGTHS AND STANDOUT

Change is constant and certain. We may flatter ourselves into thinking that we feel the pressure of change more keenly than our ancestors did, but it seems especially easy to notice flux and uncertainty in our time. Technology has made the world a smaller placepeople and companies are intimately interconnected. Economic bubbles and recessions have left corporations and communities repeatedly having to adjust to new realities. Jobs are more variable and skills more quickly obsolete than ever before. Organizations are hiring less, for less, replacing humans with technology and outsourcing or offshoring jobs whenever they can.

Generation Y will come to dominate the workforce, but they are entering it at a particularly difficult time. While they are oftenand rightfullyconsidered to have a pioneering, we-can-change-the-world outlook, they are also a more delicate cohort than the stereotypes might suggest.

We all know that members of Gen Y are accustomed to constant, immediate feedback. Forget annual reviews; they want weekly or daily check-ins with their supervisors. And we know theyre used to that feedback being overwhelmingly positive. They are accustomed to being praised for their uniqueness. The result is a challenging set of expectations. Nearly 40 percent of Gen Y respondents to a 2012 Trendera survey believed that they should be promoted every two years. An even more eye-opening statistic: Only 9 percent believed that their promotions needed to be warranted by their performance.

What will help them, on the other hand, is that all they know is a world of constant change. Its their normal. When the Baby Boomers entered the workforce, they sought jobs at corporations where they envisioned staying for the next thirty years. Now, Gen Y is entering the workforce knowing they are likely to have at least seven jobs during the course of their careers. In fact, 60 percent of Gen Y respondents recognized their current position as a mere stepping-stone.

Given these realities, the most critical skill anyone can have is awareness of his or her unique, transferable strengths. My research involving literally hundreds of corporations and millions of people has demonstrated that top performers are those who focus on their strengths the majority of the time. That may seem obviousplay to your strengths and youll succeed. But, even more than preceding generations, Gen Y needs to learn that simple truth. For all the analysis indicating that they are praised and self-entitled, they show a marked tendency to overlook their strengths. Asked whether they will succeed professionally by fixing their weaknesses or by enhancing their strengths, an astounding 73 percent of Gen Y respondents (as compared to 55 percent of people overall) chose fixing their weaknesses.

So what does all this mean for Gen Y in the workforce at large? It means that they need to learn how to double down on their strengths. Winning in the workplace mandates that you know who you are, where your greatest strengths lie, and how to differentiate yourself. When your job could shift tomorrow and technology is constantly making old skills obsolete, your strengths are your constant. You must understand and promote your greatest strengths, your edge that can be applied in every situation. Is your strength strategic thinking? Competitive spirit? Empathy? Ability to bring people together? All of those ingrained talents will travel with you, regardless of technological or societal change. These strengths are multipliers, adding value to what you do in any situation. Specific skills may become irrelevant with change, but strengths are infinitely transferable.

In the chapters that follow, Dan will help you figure out how to take your strengths and uniqueness and turn them into your personal brand. Promoting yourself doesnt mean getting promoted. Instead, Dan will show you how to communicate your unique contribution, so that you make yourself indispensable. In this competitive world, he will ensure that you highlight your strengths for all to see. As the workplace continues to transform, your personal brand is the key to your success. Be the best version of youand let everyone else marvel at that value.

INTRODUCTION

Thinking Inside the Box

If everyone has to think outside the box, maybe it is the box that needs fixing.

MALCOLM GLADWELL ,

BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF T HE T IPPING P OINT

Meet Jason, a typical twentysomething college grad. Hes at the office, working hard on his latest projectand doing a great job. Like many of his peers, Jason is pretty good at multitasking, so while hes working hes got his earbuds in and is listening to music on his smartphone, texting and IMing his friends (some of whom are only a few cubicles away), and checking Facebook status updates. Jason has been working for his employer for about a year, and hes getting itchy feet. His manager has been out at an offsite meeting and Jason is waiting for her to come back so he can ask her about working at home or that promotion he thinks he deserves. A year in the same job is a long time, he thinks. Its time to move up or move on.

As recently as five or six years ago, Jasons move-up-or-move-on calculation would have been a good one. The economy was chugging along nicely, unemployment was low, and newly minted college grads were getting jobs right awayand if you couldnt get a job, you could at least get a paid internship that would most likely lead to one fairly quickly. Bonuses were big, and recruiters were always calling. But today, the economic situation is pretty grim. Millions are out of work, and it doesnt look like things are going to get much better anytime soon.

But thats just the beginning. Jason and most of todays young workers are competing for jobs and promotions not only against other young people, but also against experienced older workers whove lost their jobs and highly trained workers in other countries. And internships, if you can get one at all, are usually unpaid.

In other economic times, Jason might have quit his job to start his own company. But small businesses that were created just a few years ago by young aspiring entrepreneurs who had been attracted by the prospect of making millions blogging and doing social networking, are failing because of the lack of resources, mentorship, and funding. Banks arent lending, venture capitalists are only investing in new companies with a track record, and established companies are cutting back.