YearUpJune 2016
James Parks
SURVIVING CORPORATE
AMERICA AND KEEPING YOUR SOUL
INTACT
1. Understand why you’re here2. Focus on your brand3. Always manage up4. Serve with humility5. Play politics by not playing
politics6. Don’t play a rigged game7. Become a Scattergories
champion8. Resonate9. Have your cake and eat it too10.Adapt, don’t dwell11.Never give up on people, but
manage your investments in them
IF I COULD LEAVE YOU WITH 11 THINGS…
1. UNDERSTAND WHY YOU’RE HERE
What are you good at?What do you like to do / passionate
about?What are your values?
…and let it guide your career path rather than define it
HAVE A MISSION
Gain strength from pain and weakness
Accept yourself
Understand how your past effects your personal story and mission
UNDERSTAND AND ACCEPT YOURSELF
“The Well of Grief” by David Whyte
Those who wi l l not s l ip beneath the s t i l l sur face on the we l l o f g r i e f
turn ing downward through i ts b lack wate r to the p lace we cannot breathe
wi l l never know the source f rom which we dr ink , the secret wate r , co ld and c lear ,
nor find in the darkness g l immer ing the smal l round co ins th rown by those who wi shed for someth ing e l se .
You are responsible and accountable for everything that happens to you.
OWN IT
Don’t align yourself to a job,
Find a job that aligns to you.
…If you’re temporarily stuck, find another outlet
FIND A COMPATIBLE CULTURE
2. FOCUS ON YOUR BRAND
Find your niche
Never stop learning & adapting
Don’t settle for what is
DIFFERENTIATE THOUGHTFULLY
“The Road Not Taken” by Robert FrostTwo roads d ive rged in a ye l low wood,
And sorry I cou ld not t rave l bothAnd be one t rave ler , l ong I s tood
And looked down one as far as I cou ldTo where i t bent in the undergrowth ;
Then took the other , as just as fa i r ,And hav ing perhaps the be t te r c l a im,
Because i t was grassy and wanted wear ;Though as for that the pass ing there
Had worn them rea l ly about the same,
And both that morn ing equal l y l ayIn leaves no s tep had t rodden b lack .Oh, I kept the firs t for another day!
Ye t knowing how way l eads on to way,I doubted i f I shou ld ever come back.
I sha l l be te l l ing th i s w i th a s ighSomewhere ages and ages hence :
Two roads d iverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less t rave led by ,
And that has made a l l the d ifference .
YOU ARE YOUR EXPERIENCES
3. ALWAYS MANAGE UP
Your failure is your boss’s failure
…so your success is in his/her best interest
EXPLOIT YOUR BOSS’S CONFLICT OF INTEREST
If at first you don’t succeed,
redefine success.
OWN THE DEFINITION OF YOUR SUCCESS
So make it easy for your boss to focus on his/her boss by making managing you
easy
…by managing expectations
…and minimizing surprises and times when he/she must intervene
YOUR BOSS IS DOING THE SAME
4. SERVE WITH HUMILITY
Aspire to lead, not manage
Serve something bigger than yourself
Contribute
Don’t take yourself too seriously
SERVANT LEADERSHIP
5. PLAY POLITICS BY NOT PLAYING
POLITICS
Don’t fight someone else’s battle
Get to We: win-win always trumps win-lose
Make management communicate
…If all else fails, integrity and transparency is the key to maintaining trust and staying above the fray
DON’T BE A PAWN IN SOMEONE ELSE’S GAME
6. DON’T PLAY A RIGGED GAME
The generation of leaders that came before you had to deal with the generation that preceded them
They didn’t want to pay their dues…but they did
Today’s leaders are incented to erect barriers to protect the spoils they fought so hard for
So don’t play into the ”Millennials” stereotypes
…serve, demonstrate integrity, focus on adding value, stay above the fray, and make your boss successful (but not at your expense)
THE GENERATION _ DILEMMA
7. BECOME A SCATTERGORIES
CHAMPION
Learn to identify and apply patterns
Welcome complexity
Be intellectually curious
SCATTERGORIES?
8. RESONATE
“If you know an object’s natural rate of vibration, you can make it vibrate without touching it. Resonance occurs when an object’s natural vibration frequency responds to an external stimulus of the same frequency.” (“Resonate” by Nancy Duarte)
So understand pain points and motivationsAnd tune your message, work, and product to
resonate
…every conversation, deliverable, and sale wil l be easier and your influence will soar
WHAT IS RESONANCE?
9. HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO
Ben Zander (in “The Art of Possibility”) encourages us to step into a universe of possibility, realizing that “it’s all invented”
How we perceive a problem constrains our ability to perceive potential solutions
RULES ARE WHAT YOU ALLOW THEM TO BE
10. ADAPT, DON’T DWELL
“Every challenge, fear, or loss bears gifts far more valuable than the price of trouble they cause”
- Attributed to some chain letter I received
WHAT DOES DWELLING ON PAIN DO FOR YOU?
11. NEVER GIVE UP ON PEOPLE, BUT
MANAGE YOUR INVESTMENTS IN
THEM
YOU CAN LEAD A HORSE TO WATER….
…a lot of horses could use a drink, so be mindful of how much time you spend with each one