Erin Hatzikostas - You Do You(ish): Unleash Your Authentic Superpowers to Get the Career You Deserve

YOU DO YOU (ish)

YOU DO YOU (ish)

Unleash Your
Authentic Superpowers
To Get the Career You Deserve

Erin Hatzikostas

b Authentic Inc Publishing

b Authentic Inc Publishing

Copyright 2021 by Erin Hatzikostas, Marlborough, CT.

Contact info:

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for insertion in a magazine, newspaper, broadcast, website, blog, or other outlet.

978-1-7363765-0-8 (paperback)

978-1-7363765-1-5 (eBook)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021901478

Book design: Dino Marino

Cover design: Rejenne Pavon

PRAISE FOR
YOU DO YOU (ish)

Its about frickin time! You Do You(ish) is the book weve desperately needed for so long. Erin brings the fun and sass youd expect from your best friend, along with the credibility and results of a CEO badass. If youve ever felt like you needed a playbook to cut through the BS in Corporate America, to have a big career without compromising your soul, this book is a must read!

~Shelley Paxton, Former CMO Harley Davidson
& Author of Soulbbatical

Ive always believed that authenticity has contributed to my career success. Erin gives people more than just permission to be themselves though. You Do You(ish) lays out a clear business case for authenticity and gives you an actual playbook to purposefully use authenticity to fuel success. Genius! See how shedding the burden of a persona that isnt you can elicit refreshing achievement.

~ Jean LaTorre, EVP and CIO of Guardian

If youve ever felt like your career and your life are one big teeter-totter ... that you have to trade one for the other ... this is the book for you! Erin brings her notoriously authentic style to You Do You(ish) and puts a formula to career success that is refreshing and that anyone can follow.

~ Tameeka Smith, CEO, Virginia Community
& State United Healthcare

WOW! There are so few times that you get honest and impactful career suggestions that are direct and delivered in a fun and caring way. Most of us just stay on the corporate machine but the greatest achievements come from those that leverage the strategies that Erin so genuinely shares.

~ Steve Auerbach, CEO of Alegeus

You Do You(ish) is hilarious, clever, and insightful. Erin delivers authentic, unfiltered, tough-love career coaching that puts a formula to how to have success, without compromising everything else. Its a must-read for anyone; from people just starting out in their career to seasoned executives. She is simply real. Its so refreshing to have a business book thats both impactful and fun to read!

~ Renee Zaugg, CIO, Otis Elevator

BIO

Former Corporate CEO turned Professional Pot-Stirrer, Erin Hatzikostas, is on a hell-bent mission to help people have the big career they deserve, without compromising everything else. Shes the friend, mom, coach, guru, and boss you always wanted, all rolled into one. Erin became a CEO at 42 yet she smashes open the executive mold. She is most regarded for her Midwestern-inspired, unpretentious, witty, and authentic style of leadership. She is an author, career coach, TEDx speaker, podcast co-host, mom, wife, runner, skier, and someone who loves doing the Running Man dance anywhere shes not supposed to.

DEDICATION

To my father, whose authenticity laid the foundation for my obsession. And to my mother for putting up with this authenticity for fifty years and counting. I love you both.

To my mini-humans, Ella and Mick. You inspire me more than you know.

And to my husband, Manny. Thank you for loving me. All of me(ish).

Table of Contents

Preface(ish)

In the days before I worked on this (not quite) preface, I wrote an email to my book coach with this subject line: Ive hit a massive wall . I told her I felt like I was trying to climb over one of those obstacles in a muddy endurance event and I couldnt plant my first step. She held me up with her words, as she always does, and we agreed to work through it together. That was on Sunday.

Tuesday, we met on Zoom, and I told her, I know I can do hard things, but I felt disloyal admitting it Ive fallen out of love with my book.

Then, as good coaches and coachees do, we settled in to talk through my challenges. First, we tackled the issues that were laid bare, those I was keenly aware of because they were glaring at me as I wrote I was struggling to reorder sections, and my voice wasnt reaching deeply enough into the readers hearts and minds in some places. Then she nudged me into the place where the mud was plastered on the wall I was trying to climb.

Whats really eating at you, Erin? she finally asked.

I looked out my office window, got silent for an awkward amount of time, and finally replied, I loved the book until I had to start shaping it into how a normal book should be.

The light shines on what you need to see when you allow yourself to go several layers deeper.

I realized that when I got to the part in the process when I was supposed to do stuff when I was supposed to write a preface that told you all this crap about what I learned while writing when I was supposed to create chapters that mirrored how books were typically organized when I was supposed to make it sound like best-selling books always do.

And there is something I knew about myself that Id thought might not apply to book writing: When Im supposed to do something, I lose my shit.

With this realized, the remedy was easy. Without a second thought, my coach gave me permission to shake things up. Move the real preface to the end. Be okay with the book reading differently than others. Double down on my idea to tell you little stories throughout. And most importantly, to give you the same permission. I lit up. Really? Well, yeah, I would love to do that!

So, heres the deal: I finally gave myself the same permission I want to give to you. My entire goal is to help you unlock authenticity as your new secret weapon for success in your career. For that reason, I decided it was okay it was actually necessary to create an authentic book. To do it my own way.

This book isnt normal. I created it my own way, and I want you to read it your own way. If youre looking for a full-fledged voyage that convinces you of the power of authenticity, primes you for change by ridding you of the Sucky Songs you sing, and offers you a framework for how you can use authenticity to transform your career, Id love nothing more than for you to read the whole damn thing.

If youre one of those people that skips straight to the end of an email to figure out what the call to action is, then what the heck, go ahead and jump right to Part 3, where I teach you, methodically and simply, how to use authenticity as your new career playbook. (If you do this, youll be an IGW, but youll have to read Part 1 to know what that that is.)

If youre the type that just wants to ride the waves of my personal journey to discover the power I believe authenticity has, then simply surf from page to page at whatever pace you like.

Oh, and if youre the traditional type (I suspect youre not though), youre more than welcome to flip all the way back, straight-away, to read the more traditional preface at the end.

I realized that this wall Id hit with my book was the same-shit-different-day of nearly every other wall Id hit in my life. When things feel hard to me, its almost always because Im trying to do something someone elses way (but dont always realize it). Maybe one day Ill stop plowing into these walls and realize, in real time, that authenticity is always at my disposal. It is almost always my best strategy to climb over walls. Until then, like you, I continue with the learning. And much like my book coach did for me, I hope to hold you up with my words. Its time to get you over your own wall.