Phyllis Ehrlich - Rocket Your Potential: A Career Handbook for Rising Stars & Future Leaders

The views and opinions expressed in this book are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views or opinions of Gatekeeper Press. Gatekeeper Press is not to be held responsible for and expressly disclaims responsibility of the content herein.

ROCKET YOUR POTENTIAL:

A Career Handbook for Rising Stars & Future Women Leaders

Published by Gatekeeper Press

2167 Stringtown Rd, Suite 109

Columbus, OH 43123-2989

www.GatekeeperPress.com

Copyright 2022 by Phyllis Ehrlich

All rights reserved. Neither this book, nor any parts within it may be sold or reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022932698

ISBN (paperback): 9781662924538

eISBN: 9781662924545

To my incredible parents, Laura and Morty,
whose unconditional love and support gave me the confidence
and courage to always reach for the stars.
You live on in my heart forever.

Acknowledgments

Heartfelt thanks to the many wonderful people who have helped guide and inspire me both professionally and personally.

You fuel my passions, encourage me through tough times, and challenge me to be better.

Gratitude to my family and dearest friends for your unwavering loveyou ground me when needed and allow me to soar.

Special thanks to Craig and Joel. Collaborating with both of you on this mission has been infinitely rewarding.

Table of Contents

Preface

I believe that when women rise to powerful positions, they can enrich their lives, shape the success of their companies, and make the world a better place. The last years of college and the first few years of your career are the launch pad for your future success. To rocket means to rise swiftly, spectacularly, and catapult with force. This handbook will help you create your own personal plan to accelerate and elevate every dimension of your professional trajectory. Are you ready to define, fuel, and realize your unlimited potential?

If so, come with me on this journey, where I take my many years of experience and growth and prepare you for the road ahead personally and professionally.

Lets take off!

Phyllis Ehrlich, New York City, 2022

Introduction

You want to talk about not being prepared? My first job out of college was with a family-owned magazine publishing company called American Baby. American Baby created a wide variety of magazines, sampling, couponing programs, and even a cable TV show, all providing valuable information for expectant and new moms. I have always been a hard worker, and I threw myself into the job. There was so much I didnt know about the world of work, but I thought I could figure it out. I figured out high school, I figured out college, I figured out part-time jobs, so how hard could it be?

I soon realized that it could, in fact, be very hard. There are so many rules (almost all of them unwritten) about how to behave, how to manage yourself, and perhaps, most importantly, how to treat other people. I learned this quickly on my first-ever business trip for American Baby. I flew to Chicago with the publisher and co-owner of the company. In Chicago we were joined by our salesperson, Cynthia. From there we drove to Fremont, Michigan, to meet with Gerber, one of our top advertisers.

I was terrified about so many thingswhat to wear, how to act, and how to interact with clients. Fortunately for me, Cynthia took me under her wing. She even invited me to stay at her beautiful apartment overlooking the Chicago skyline the night before we headed to Fremont. She gave me great background information about the clients we were going to meet with and explained that the culture at Gerber was conservative and reserved. I observed her professional business attire and demeanor, sprinkled with a large dose of warmth. She didnt have to help me prepare for the trip, but she did. We became dear friends and over the years have shared many professional and personal highs and lows with enduring love and respect. For whatever reason she took an interest in me and positioned me to be successful on my first client visit. I was lucky that Cynthiaand so many other womenhave provided me with generous support over the course of my career. Back then I remember not knowing how to figure it out or who I could turn to. If it wasnt for them, I dont think I could have just hard-worked myself to the place I am today.

I remember wishing that someone had written a handbook to help me navigate my early career hurdles. Looking back, I realized that our careers are made up of a long series of pivotal moments. In those moments I sometimes wished there was someone to turn to who had experienced or seen the same thing I was going through. That is what I have done with this book.

Who Is This Book For?

This book is for a motivated person with a plan. More specifically, it is for women early in their careers who want to build a strong launch pad for themselves. If youre a college senior, new hire, or a rising star, Rocket Your Potential can help you accelerate your professional trajectory.

On the other hand, if you are a person who is willing to let her career flow based on whatever way the river takes you, this is probably not the book for you. Ditto if you are not particularly motivated or committed to making a contribution to where you work to build the base for a rewarding and fulfilling career.

There are thousands of books on the market directed toward executives and other senior leaders, but few speak directly to the issues we face in the first stage of our careers. Of those books, even fewer are directed toward the unique challenges of women in the workplace. Over the course of my career, I have seen a pattern with women who believe that the company they work for should establish their career trajectory for them. They believe that the company is like family and will look out for them. This book is intended to help you create your own opportunities by being prepared for those pivotal moments when they occur. And, in the long run, I believe that when women rise into powerful positions, they can make their companies and the world a better place. Since I cant physically be beside you to help you rocket your career journey, I have captured some strategies in this book to help you during those pivotal moments.

How This Book Is Organized

If you wanted to, you could read this book from front to back, and I believe you would learn a lot and enjoy yourself. But as I considered the format, I wanted to create something that was more of a handbook-style resource. With that goal, I wrote each of the chapters to address a specific issue that women face in the early part of their careeror even later. In that sense it serves as a resource at your fingertips that you can refer to as you are experiencing a specific issue. Each chapter is brief and to the point and offers a set of specific recommendations.