By James Santagata
Principal Consultant, Career OverDrive!


You've just started your career or perhaps you've been rolling along smoothly or at least fairly smoothly in your career for some time.

If you've been working for some time, sure, you've perhaps been pushed out of one or two companies or felt that it didn't feel like you were growing (no promotions) or the atmosphere changed (a new co-worker or new boss arrived with a bullying attitude).

But overall life is good.

And that's the danger. Life is good now. But have you stopped to consider given your age, career to date, skill set and the industry you are in what your shelf life is?

Shelf life? What's that? Isn't that just related to things like food? Well sure, but it goes beyond that and for our purposes allow me to define it :

Shelf life: The period or length of time for which an item or good remains fit or usable for consumption, or remains salable.

Think of this not as the expiry date (the date where it's not salable or that consumption is not possible) but as the freshness date.

If I eat that day old bread, sure I won't get sick but it won't taste as good as fresh bread nor would I pay as much. In fact, I would buy almost any fresh bread of any variety (french baguette, sour dough, etc.) before I would consider a day old bread of my favorite variety.

And that, my friends, is how shelf life works in the employment and business field.

So we need to think about our shelf. In general, most of us are safe until age 40. But at age 40 (it used to be 50 to 55), boom! We are given no quarter.

Our entire career, every move, every company and so on is scrutinized. If we are looked at at all.....mostly we may just be passed over.

This is why up to the age of 40 it is critical that you carefully determine your career moves as well as the work you do at each company you are employed at -- you must work to build a visible and proven portfolio, create cumulative advantages while decreasing or destroying cumulative disadvantages.

We almost all start in "technical positions" but along our career path we must move from being a "doer" to a manager -- whether we manage people, products, projects or plans.

The "P"s" as I call it.

It's equally critical that we don't just run and jump ships at the first sign of bullying or poor management, because we will face more and more of that the older we get, especially after age 40, so we must learn to engage and fight -- office politics, influencing, persuasion...

Sure, at some point it's time to move but it's a lot less than you might think and only after certain goals or objectives are realized.

By James Santagata
Principal Consultant, Career OverDrive!

In a previous post I've discussed some of the different categories or flavors of coaching styles and coaches.

Specifically I talked about:

1. The Peddlers of Hope and Passion (Hope Peddlers & Passion Peddlers).
2. The Peddlers of Fortune Cookie Inspiration.

Now, as I've said before all of these styles or flavors of coaching and coaches have their place and value depending on each client's needs and situation.

However, at some point, getting into a nuts and bolts discuss of (1) why you are here (current/present situation)and (2) how to get you from here to there, becomes extremely important, at least to most clients.

Beyond, hope, passion and inspiration there are the nuts and bolts of coaching and specific action for a client to take. But even here there are huge variations in the type of coach and the effectiveness of the coach's advice.

For instance, has the coach identified the correct or proper nuts and bolts? The proper tensile strength, the composition of metals, the number and the placement of the nuts and bolts?

One of the shortcomings I see in what most coaches offer today is that even when the nuts and bolts are offered and discussed, what is offered is very vague and generalized. 

Worse, sometimes what's offered is just plain wrong.

A simple example to illustrate this would be telling a client to "eat a balanced meal".

• But what exactly is a balanced meal?
  
• How is that determined? By the vitamins, minerals and nutrients it possesses?
  
• But then what is the proper balance of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients and what is the proper or optimal timing of intake?
  
• How does it change by person, ethnicity, gender, age, lifestyle and so forth?
  

Beyond these vague nuts and bolts, I've noticed very vague advise that parallel's what's known in the automotive repair space as "R&R" or Remove and Replace.

Basically, it's shorthand method to cut through a lot of detailed steps in the automotive repair process and focus only on the procedures with a few caveats or warnings pointed out. This works because the mechanics using these books already know all of the steps left out and the best practices associated with them.

If you've ever used a Chilton's repair manual, you know what I'm talking about.

Bringing this back to coaching or more specifically career coaching this type of R&R advice may take a form similar to this:

Objective: How To Get Your Next Job

1. Make sure your resume is up to date and really sells you - show your passion!
   
2. Located the hiring manager(s) at the company you would like to work.
   
3. Use LinkedIn to connect with them. Say something useful or work on building  rapport, etc.
   
4. And on and on.
   

Of course, when we really think about it, there's so much gray area involved here that such advice is completely useless.

• What does a good resume look like (and why)? 
  
• How do I make a good resume sell me?
  
• How do I get it to show my passion (and why should I)?
  
• And so on.
  

I mean specifics. Details. 

When you're  selecting a coach, be sure to find out if your coach can offer more than just broad procedures or a framework because what you'll find you need is very specific, very detailed, step by step guidance in today's rough and tumble world. 

By James Santagata
Principal Consultant, Career OverDrive!


What's the best startup approach to take? 

Well, why not go into your (next) startup as you go into life -- completely naked and alone with nothing to lose, expecting no applause.

This will allow you to start immediately and most importantly to start with a "the buck starts and stops here" mentality.

And as a bonus, anything above that which you experience will be a very pleasant surprise.

By James Santagata
Principal Consultant, Career OverDrive!


We hear a lot these days about the supposed value of being a "digital native" (defined as a person born or brought up during the age of digital technology;  familiarized with computers and the Internet from an early age) as though being a digital native will automatically bring value to a hiring company.

Well, I'm here to tell you that a "digital native" is most often  a flat out nothing.

What, why? How can you say that? 

Because being a "native" doesn't mean the individual competent at the skill to which they claim to be native.

Doubt that?

Well, consider how the communicative efficacy of the English speakers we all know or have heard who claim to be "native speakers".

The problem with the "digital native" moniker is that most of the folks this applies to only have experience sole as digital consumers.

They no experience or only very limited experience as digital producers.

They don't possess digital competency in general and more specifically they don't possess digital competency in a business context.

They are competent at perhaps locating an app in iTunes or Google Play, installing it and then using it among friends for fun.

But can they write production quality code? No.

Can they design, run, analyze, interpret and improve an online marketing campaign? Heck no.

Can they troubleshoot or debug a software or hardware problem? Nope.

The answer is most likely no, no, no.

The bottom line is that signing up for a twitter account to tweet your college ski trip is not the same as creating a twitter campaign for a fashion brand let alone an integrated multi-phase marketing program for said fashion brand.

There is good news, so hang tight.

The good news is that for those digital natives that do go beyond the install, that take the time to look under the hood, that actually remove the valve covers and look at the source code or to work to apply these tools in a business context to satisfy real world use cases, well, those digital natives are worth their weight in gold as they are as rare as an honest politician. They can write their own tickets and would be welcome just about anywhere.

So stop thinking being a digital native is enough. It isn't. A digital native is just a fancy word for a digital consumer.

Strive to be a digital producer. Be a digital creator. Be a digital expert.

Think about it. 

You can thank me later.

By James Santagata
Principal Consultant, SiliconEdge

"So, what, you think you're a minder read and can read minds, right?! Ha!"

I often find myself fielding this question although sometimes it's delivered in a tone of voice that conjures up images of an accusation such as "charlatan!" rather than a genuine question.

But that's okay, as it shows interest and engagement on the person asking it and once they allow me to explore a little more with them, they are usually hooked and have an "aha!" moment.

....

So the simple and honest answer to this question or perhaps the rejoinder to this accusation is, of course, I'm not a mind reader nor do I purport to be. And yet my results are there and they are what they are with them being more often than not extremely uncanny in their accuracy. 

The most important insight from my work and research that I try to impart to my students, clients and skeptics is that you don't need to be a mind reader to be accurate in your reading of a situation because in most cases the party in question through their actions, reactions and inactions almost to a tee loudly and graphically telegraphs exactly what they are thinking and how they are thinking as well as their intentions.

....

By James Santagata
Principal Consultant, Career OverDrive!

Over the last 8 years or so, as the coaching and personal development field has continued to bloom and then explode, I've noticed the rise to prominence of two types of coaches.

1. The Peddlers of Hope and Passion (Hope Peddlers & Passion Peddlers).
2. The Peddlers of Fortune Cookie Inspiration.

Now, don't get me wrong, both coaching categories have their value and their place. It all depends on the needs of their particular clients.

In fact, helping to instill or to activate hope or passion in a client is surely a noble act and it can have much value as can short, pithy inspirational talks or interactions.

The danger, though, is when Passion, Hope and Fortune Cookies (PHFC) are the extent of the coach's toolkit or when the client isn't self-aware that they may well need to "graduate" to a more Nuts and Bolts focused coach.

For instance, if you are a carpenter or design commercial structures, initially PHFC can be very motivating and valuable.

"You can do it!" (Peddler of Hope)
"You're Howard Roarke! and don't even know it!" (Peddler of Passion)
"Rome wasn't built in a day!" (Fortune Cookie Inspiration)

At some point, Nuts and Bolts matter - the types and variations of nuts and bolts, the dimensions, the specifications like material and tensile strength.

We'll talk more about Nuts and Bolts coaches and coaching as well since even that has some shortcomings which are not readily apparent.

By James Santagata
Managing Director, Career OverDrive!

Don't waste your life waiting for the bus to come pick you up. 

Newsflash: It ain't coming!

Well, at least it ain't coming anytime soon or it would have been here by now...

Sometimes, the smart move, sometimes the only move is to make a conscious decision to lace-up your boots and start the long, back breaking journey on foot.

You'll be told by others, perhaps even through your own internal talk, that you aren't ready, that you aren't prepared, that the timing isn't right.

But you need to realize one thing while you ask yourself another.

Life isn't a dress rehearsal and if you aren't ready now, without getting in the arena of life, bench marking your skills, tempering and honing the skills you already have now while developing new ones, when, pray tell, when will you ever be ready?

The answer is NEVER.

And in that case your future is as clear as day and ends with a Death Bed Regret.

Remember, we almost never regret what we do, we regret what we didn't do.

By James Santagata
Principal Consultant, Career OverDrive!

So many of us, myself included, have been in situations where we either don't attempt something or spend too much time worrying about some future event that may very well never come to pass.

If you've seen the heart-wrenching clip Christopher Maloney prior to his taking the stage to sing and then singing you know what I mean (give it a look below).

Two lessons (and a bonus) From Christopher Maloney's Experience:

1. Put yourself out there. Until you put yourself out there, you can't benchmark yourself or find out if you're good at something, need improvement, love it or hate it. This takes some risk, but it's mostly psychological risk. This is often compounded as people tend to label learning experiences as "failure" and then give up or avoid future opportunities to improve themselves. Don't be like that.


2. The difference of worrying about the future and being "in the moment". When Christopher stepped onto the stage he was overtaken with stage fright, shaking and becoming teary-eyed -- and who can blame him? But once his song came on and he opened up his pipes, he immediately went into a trance as he was overtaken by the music and his passion as he was transformed into another person -- with an amazing voice!


3. Bonus Lesson: When Christopher was asked by the judges why he had kept his beautiful, rocking voice hidden for all these years he said that people told him he wasn't good enough and that he would embarrass himself or fail. 

They said, "Don't come on here, you're gonna embarrass yourself, make a show of yourself."

Fortunately for him and for us, he finally went ahead and put himself out there. It was also beautiful to see the love and support he had given to his grandma and that she returned in supporting him. The bonus lesson: dump or disassociate with those who bring you down, and double-down on those who support and love you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1T9-I3wx8I#t=23

By James Santagata
Principal Consultant, Career OverDrive!


Why do some many good, smart and experienced people seem to have such a rough time in their careers, personal relationships and lives?

Is it because they didn't study hard enough or learn their lessons well enough?

Or is it because the lessons they did learn were the wrong ones?

It's my contention that if you run with the herd you can expect no more than average results and more often than not you'll find that you are trampled underfoot in the stampede of life as the herd rumbles from one shiny thing to the next - the new cool gadget, the next career move, the next life stage and so on.

Far better, in my opinion, is to be unconventional and contrarian, although we must be extremely careful NOT to be different simply for the sake of being different. Rather we must focus on results-driven and tally our actual results. Our wins versus losses.

And that is one of the most powerful aspects about the Career OverDrive! systems. All of the systems are results-driven, battle-tested and battle-proven but to the outside eye these systems often seem "bizarre" or "quacky". 

Yet, when the results consistently prove the systems work, naysayers are then quick to suggest there must be a easier way, a less risky way, a more comfortable way. 

But they miss the point - these systems ARE EASY too learn. Once you understand the universal framework and principles you'll see the essence replicated again and again not only in all of these programs but in the behaviors of the most successful people in your life.

The point is, the Career OverDrive! systems work which is exactly why they are so easy to learn and apply. They are NATURAL and there is no contrived complexity injected into the systems.

In fact, the only reason they may APPEAR difficult is when an individual has been taught and has subsequently internalized and integrated defective scripts and systems.

For this reason, some will find that this journey isn'te easy although it’s probably not for the reasons you may think. That is, the conceptual framework, techniques, strategies and their application are not difficult to understand or master if you take the time to practice and apply them. 

Therefore, the vast majority of difficulties people encounter will occur whenever they are asked to step outside their comfort zone and reframe the world around them or when they are asked to re-interpret their understanding of the world.

Further in some cases, we’ll ultimately be questioning reality itself. 

Many readers will quickly discover that what I’m sharing with you is not only unconventional and inherently different in nature but often the flat-out opposite of what other “experts” and “authority figures” in your life have been teaching and preaching to you as being “necessary for success”.

What I'm teaching you may also be far different and most likely will be far different than what you have so far come to accept as “life’s reality”, “your lot in life” or what you have come to rationalize as “just the way things are”.

For example, in certain circumstances we’ve all been programmed (by our well-meaning parents, schools, peers, media, religious institutions, government institutions or society at large) to zig.

However, given those same circumstances you'll soon find that I will often direct you to zag. And I'll explain why.

Other times, you’ll feel the overwhelming urge to run, while I will suggest that the most appropriate response is to shelter in place. Again I'll explain why.

At still other times, you may find yourself frozen with fear and want to stay put while you’ll find me screaming at the top of my lungs for you to make like Pink Floyd and run like hell!

These behaviors and responses are all valid and have their properly application at certain times. The trick is, we will explore at what times which behavior and response is not only the most appropriate but the most advantageous.