July 12, 2023 – JOLT – A JOLT of Summertime Connection Savvy
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“I like chance meetings – life is full of them. Every day, without realizing it, I pass people whom I should know.” – Krzysztof Kieślowski
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Summertime Aspiration Intelligence
Many folks consider summertime and the end-of-the-year holidays a career dead-time, meaning they don’t plan on making any significant inroads on upgrading their work or business situation. They figure everyone is out playing with their mind on other things.
If you’re on my newsletter list, you’re not one of those who believe that! Congratulate yourself.
Because, if you know anything about my philosophy of lifetime career management and the “backdoor” approach to career elevation, you know that these times are the BEST! Connecting with people in the casualness and ease of playtime and joviality can create miracles in life.
You never know who is standing or sitting right beside you: in the beach chair, in the theme park concession line, or in your coach or business class row on the plane.
In Chapter 1 of Never Apply for a Job Again: Break the Rules, Cut the Line, Beat the Rest, I offer some “Rules to Start Breaking.” Here’s a rule to break that applies so abundantly now (and during the holidays) when you’re rubbing elbows with way more people than at any other time of the year.
If you’re on my newsletter list, you’re not one of those who believe that! Congratulate yourself.
Because, if you know anything about my philosophy of lifetime career management and the “backdoor” approach to career elevation, you know that these times are the BEST! Connecting with people in the casualness and ease of playtime and joviality can create miracles in life.
You never know who is standing or sitting right beside you: in the beach chair, in the theme park concession line, or in your coach or business class row on the plane.
In Chapter 1 of Never Apply for a Job Again: Break the Rules, Cut the Line, Beat the Rest, I offer some “Rules to Start Breaking.” Here’s a rule to break that applies so abundantly now (and during the holidays) when you’re rubbing elbows with way more people than at any other time of the year.
Don’t Bother PeopleThis is a major voice of early programming that ensures that “salespeople” will always have a special place in society–because they transcended this voice! Whether it was a busy parent we felt intimidated to make requests of or some particular incident that had us believe we were a nuisance, the idea that we shouldn’t bother others took hold.
The truth is that, outside of our deeply ingrained fears of rejection, we all love to interact and participate with one another! The point, yet again, is that folks live inside their safe little worlds and don’t reach out or let in what could help. Your “bothering” someone to start a conversation with them in the line at the grocery store may serve to transfer some information between you that could be helpful.
I’m not saying go out begging for what you need, or become the do-or-die Boy Scout forcing a reluctant old lady across the street. Just keep in mind that when we’re out pointedly finding ways to interact with others, we discover resources, knowledge, and information that moves everyone forward. Plus, we have an opportunity to be continually amazed at the profound truth of the simple statement: “It’s a small world after all.”
(Excerpted from Never Apply for a Job Again, Career Press, 2012, p. 34-35)
So, if you’re anywhere near a theme park and have that song pounding in your head, take it in: it IS a small world, after all. You’ll be blown away when you take the little effort to simply say hello to the person beside you.
They might just happen to be a CEO or thought-leader in an area who could open doors for you. . .or your next business partner. . .or your next life partner. . .or, who knows, maybe they just know where to find the best pizza!
Tips for Transition (of an AI variety)
Beginning in the last newsletter, with all of the hubbub around AI (the artificial, not aspiration, type of intelligence), here are some tips on how you can incorporate new gadgets into your career management toolshed.
They come from my wife, a talent & leadership/HR executive, who is cultivating new opportunities for herself. After being together 8 years, being professionally engaged and without the time to explore the science and practices of her career-coach husband’s transition program, she recently did and (understandable for those who’ve read Never Apply) is basing her “backdoor” research campaign on AI’s use in the HR and talent fields.
She’s meeting thought-leaders and executives left and right and learning more about AI than she ever thought possible. . .while also understanding and appreciating the strategy behind her husband’s career program.
Here are some further tips she has to offer:
ChatGPT is a great tool to use in your Back Door Campaign!
As part of your Career Transformation Program, before starting on your Backdoor Campaign, you will choose a subject for your research project. ChatGPT is a great tool to use for researching your subjects of interest, to ready yourself with conversations with thought-leaders and influencers prior to scheduling your Backdoor meetings.
In my own Backdoor Campaign, I was researching the use of AI in Human Resources and found ChatGPT to be very useful in preparing for those meetings. For example, ChatGPT:
They come from my wife, a talent & leadership/HR executive, who is cultivating new opportunities for herself. After being together 8 years, being professionally engaged and without the time to explore the science and practices of her career-coach husband’s transition program, she recently did and (understandable for those who’ve read Never Apply) is basing her “backdoor” research campaign on AI’s use in the HR and talent fields.
She’s meeting thought-leaders and executives left and right and learning more about AI than she ever thought possible. . .while also understanding and appreciating the strategy behind her husband’s career program.
Here are some further tips she has to offer:
ChatGPT is a great tool to use in your Back Door Campaign!
As part of your Career Transformation Program, before starting on your Backdoor Campaign, you will choose a subject for your research project. ChatGPT is a great tool to use for researching your subjects of interest, to ready yourself with conversations with thought-leaders and influencers prior to scheduling your Backdoor meetings.
In my own Backdoor Campaign, I was researching the use of AI in Human Resources and found ChatGPT to be very useful in preparing for those meetings. For example, ChatGPT:
- Offers suggestions, explanations, and summaries on complex topics.
- Helps explore different perspectives and ideas related to the subject.
- Helps brainstorm and generate ideas for research topics or questions.
- Offers a quick and efficient way to gather insights and information for analysis.
NOTE: always check the facts and data provided by ChatGPT.
Prompt Tutorial – get advice from the best experts in your area of research.
To begin your research, start with a general prompt asking ChatGPT to provide information.
For example, put this prompt into ChatGPT:
“Imagine you are an [insert subject you are researching] expert with 30 years of experience and awards for excellence and achievement. Please give your best advice on [insert subject you are researching], drawing on research and best practices. Write your advice as an article using plain English and subheads to make it more readable.”
The article you get in response can give you a great starting point for the main topics and areas of development for the area you’re investigating, including some of the key players to be aware of. Then, ask follow-up questions and explore in different ways for more insight. You’ll be well-prepared to have initial Backdoor meetings even in topics you knew nothing about initially!
AI Tool Highlight
Merlin AI
Chrome Extension
Get ChatGPT and GPT-4 to work for you on any website. Merlin AI is an incredible assistant that combines advanced technology with a vast knowledge base. It’s there to support you, learn from you, and make your life easier by providing accurate answers, automating tasks, and offering valuable data analysis and predictions. It also summarized websites for you
Go try it out, and see what you get!
Think differently, play better.
Radically,
Darrell
CareerGuy and Back Forty Freedom Flier
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“Even chance meetings are the result of karma. . .Things in life are fated by our previous lives. That even in the smallest events there’s no such thing as coincidence.” – Haruki Murakami
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The post July 12, 2023 – JOLT – A JOLT of Summertime Connection Savvy appeared first on CareerGuy.com.
June 14, 2023 – JOLT – A JOLT of Aspiration Intelligence
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“Our future success is directly proportional to our ability to understand, adopt and integrate new technology into our work.” – Sukant Ratnaker
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Career Aspiration Intelligence
Making a career transition can be a difficult process if you don’t have support.
Similarly, NOT making a career transition (when you need to) can be a difficult process if you don’t have support.
So, what’s the common key? Get support!
Too often, we think that pondering our navel in the solitude of our closet will provide the answers we need. Look, I don’t knock a good spiritual check in. The “know the truth” of yourself element of being set free is critical.
Yet, your best insights and next steps will often unfold out of interacting with folks outside of your own head: trusted colleagues, mentors, and (if you’ve cultivated one) your “career tribe.” Sometimes they’ll provide valuable info or direction completely outside your wheelhouse of knowledge and, at other times, they may offer the kick in the butt needed to wake you up.
Don’t wait to get your ducks in a row to begin cultivating connections that can open new awareness for you. But also don’t go out in “need.” Rather, tap into the psychological tendency for humans to want to give (advice, information, direction) and feel helpful when they can do so with no strings attached.
Reach out to others based on similar interests and fascinations, and watch the world open up for you.
One of my books offers a great deal of inspiration and strategy around this.
Tips for Transition (of an AI variety)
With all of the hubbub around AI (the artificial, not aspiration, type of intelligence), here are some tips on how you can incorporate new gadgets into your career management toolshed.
They come from my wife, a talent & leadership/HR executive, who is cultivating new opportunities for herself. After being together 8 years, being professionally engaged and without the time to explore the science and practices of her career-coach husband’s transition program, she recently did and (understandable for those who’ve read the book above) is basing her “backdoor” research campaign on AI’s use in the HR and talent fields.
She’s meeting thought-leaders and executives left and right and learning more about AI than she ever thought possible. . .while also understanding and appreciating the strategy behind her husband’s career program. 
Here are some tips she has to offer:
ChatGPT is a great tool to use in your Back Door Campaign!
Open AI ChatGPT: https://chat.openai.com/
Career Mapping:
Prompt: “Provide an overview of career paths and transitions common for a [role – i.e., CTO]”
ChatGPT can provide information on potential career moves, industry trends, and roles you might not have considered.
Market Insight:
Prompt: “What are emerging trends in the [x] industry for leadership roles?”
ChatGPT can give you a general view of market trends and new industry developments.
Prompt Tutorial – Find Industry Info
Prompt:
You are an expert in [field/industry you are researching]. I am looking for information about [industry/products / what you want to learn about the industry, etc.]. Give me information and resources on [manufacturers, conferences, events, and other resources, and substantial industry experts] in the [industry of interest] field.
Example – I used the above example about the guitar manufacturing industry:
You are an expert in guitar manufacturing. I am looking for information about the guitar manufacturing industry, product management, and the hottest new products in the guitar space. Give me information and resources on manufacturers, conferences, events, and other resources, and substantial industry experts in the guitar manufacturing field.
Go try it out, and see what you get!
Use these same prompts in Google Bard and Bing for more resources.
Google Bard: https://bard.google.com/
Bing: https://www.bing.com/
Think differently, play better.
Radically,
Darrell
CareerGuy and Back Forty Freedom Flier
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“The human spirit must prevail over technology.” – Albert Einstein
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The post June 14, 2023 – JOLT – A JOLT of Aspiration Intelligence appeared first on CareerGuy.com.