Jason - Super Staying Power: What You Need to Become Valuable and Resilient at Work

What You Need to Become Valuable and Resilient at Work!

JASON SEIDEN

Copyright 2010 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN: 978-0-07-166421-9

MHID: 0-07-166421-1

The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: ISBN: 978-0-07-163716-9, MHID: 0-07-163716-8

All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than put a trademark symbol after every occurrence of a trademarked name, we use names in an editorial fashion only, and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark. Where such designations appear in this book, they have been printed with initial caps.

McGraw-Hill eBooks are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales promotions, or for use in corporate training programs. To contact a representative please e-mail us at bulksales@mcgraw-hill.com.

TERMS OF USE

This is a copyrighted work and The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (McGraw-Hill) and its licensors reserve all rights in and to the work. Use of this work is subject to these terms. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976 and the right to store and retrieve one copy of the work, you may not decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, reproduce, modify, create derivative works based upon, transmit, distribute, disseminate, sell, publish or sublicense the work or any part of it without McGraw-Hills prior consent. You may use the work for your own noncommercial and personal use; any other use of the work is strictly prohibited. Your right to use the work may be terminated if you fail to comply with these terms.

THE WORK IS PROVIDED AS IS. McGRAW-HILL AND ITS LICENSORS MAKE NO GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES AS TO THE ACCURACY, ADEQUACY OR COMPLETENESS OF OR RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED FROM USING THE WORK, INCLUDING ANY INFORMATION THAT CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE WORK VIA HYPERLINK OR OTHERWISE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. McGraw-Hill and its licensors do not warrant or guarantee that the functions contained in the work will meet your requirements or that its operation will be uninterrupted or error free. Neither McGraw-Hill nor its licensors shall be liable to you or anyone else for any inaccuracy, error or omission, regardless of cause, in the work or for any damages resulting there from. McGraw-Hill has no responsibility for the content of any information accessed through the work. Under no circumstances shall McGraw-Hill and/or its licensors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, consequential or similar damages that result from the use of or inability to use the work, even if any of them has been advised of the possibility of such damages. This limitation of liability shall apply to any claim or cause whatsoever whether such claim or cause arises in contract, tort or otherwise.

Styra, I know you still whisper
encouragement to me when you can.
Thank you for everything.
I love you and miss you.

PART 1
Seeing Success in a Magic Moment

PART 2
Reinforcing the Winners Attitude Through the Three Perspectives

Wisdom is not gained from a book but from the discussions that surround it. Following is a part of one such discussion, in which executives, students, psychologists, human resources practitioners, attorneys, bloggers, managers, job seekers, business owners, account executives, sales professionals, and financial advisors, from Korea to London to Brazil to Philadelphia, have taken part.

Career resiliency is

having a pulse for today and your heart beat for tomorrow. We need to keep a pulse on the business and drivers today while we create an exciting vision for tomorrow.

Kristen Richardson, global human resources executive

knowing how to recognize opportunities when they present themselves. I chuckle sometimes when I hear young people, especially undergrads, talk about an entire career trajectory as if its preordained. I say this to them: Pay attention to the buffeting winds.

Frank Roche, employee communications expert

having your priorities in order. Knowing your goals. Having character. Behaving with integrity. Those people who crumble easily? They need to work on their own personal infrastruture.

Laurie Ruettimann, human resources blogger

positive persistence toward what you wantpersistence despite all the naysayers.

Angela Jacobs, workforce architect

accepting criticism and responding to the critique. Being prepared to fail and learning how not to repeat the mistake.

Adam Greetis, attorney

the mental state of being open to change, understanding change, and seeing options within change.

Paul Hebert, managing director

tolerance of uncertainty, adaptability, a big network, and lots of outlets for your frustrations.

Rohit Talwar, futurist

knowing the right people and not being afraid to ask for help.

Michael Shvartsman, recent college graduate

the ability to adapt and change in a dynamic environment without losing focus on whats important.

Virginia Venable, consultant

being a voracious learner about social media.

Ken Moir, human resources professional

owning up to reality.

Ryan Cooke, industrial organizational psychologist

What happens when you join the chorus? Find out: explore alternative views on career resiliency, expand your network, and contribute your own ideas to the common genius at http://jasonseiden.com/superstayingpower .

I am lucky for many reasons, chief among them being my great fortune to have had a string of truly stellar teachers. The lessons I learned from them are never far from my mind, and I want to acknowledge several of the standouts: Paul Grant, John Nickel, Tim Conway, Joyce Witt, Sally Schwartz, Todd Metz, and Ed Ruda. Even among this group, a few merit special mention:

Mr. Grant, you are the first among peers on this list. Your classroom was magic, and the love for learning you drew out from me guides me to this day. I joke with friends that I peaked shortly after fourth grade and have been on a downward slide ever since. I have made my mission in life to protect the magic you instilled within us and share it with others. Your impact extends far beyond those you had in class and I think I speak for almost everyone from our Red Oak class of 83 when I say, Thank God it does.

Todd, with laughter, realism, and unmatched power of spirit, you showed me how to make pressure disappear, under extreme conditions and zero margin of error. Though I didnt have the words for them then, your lessons gave rise to my philosophies of more perfect and active adaptation. Thank you.

Ed, your classroom covers every aspect of life. I owe you a great deal, yet rarely have I expressed my gratitude for what you have done for me. I have learned more about myself through you than any other person I have known, bar none. For permission to use your wisdom as the backbone of this book, for helping turn my formal education into meaningful expertise, for my favorite person on the planet, and for everything I have learned from you, thank you. When I think of the giants whose shoulders I am perched uponand rest assured, I am under no illusion that I got here aloneyou are one of the first.