Leadership Hint: "You Need to Blog."

Guy Kawasaki is a venture capitalist and is very famous for his blog.  blog.guykawasaki.com. Guys blog contains great stuff!   I had it blog rolled for awhile, then after a couple of emails with Guy himself, decided that I shouldn't blog roll Guy Kawasaki for the simple reason that his world (VC finance) and mine (supply chain and logistics) are not the same.  He knows little of my world since he doesn't finance in my industry.  I know relatively little about his.  Dat's cool. 

"Respekt.. in the words of Ali G."

I got interested again in Guys site today.   He has a post up called the "The Nine Biggest Myths of the Workplace by Penelope Trunk"   These are excerpted from Trunk's book called  "Brazen Careerist: The New Rules For Success". This is a book that attempts to debunk some business thoughts and practices that Penelope thinks are overrated.  My assumption is that Guy Kawasaki agrees with Penelope Trunks missive.  That's nice internet validation...but I'm going to "pull a Shrek"...and say "hang on a minute".  I think there's more to this than what Penelope Trunk wrote.  I agree with some of her listed myths, and some I don't.

Here are Ms. Trunk's listed myths...(followed by my commentary)

You’ll be happier if you have a job you like - Certainly it's true.   If you like what you do you are likely to be more creative in what you contribute above and beyond what your pointy haired Dilbert boss says you have to do. Penelope says its all about optimism and personal relationships more than happiness, but if I am optimistic and love my job, I'm going to be happy and even better, I am going to be innovative.

Job-hopping will hurt you - Penelope says it won't hurt. Much depends on the HR person who receives your resume.  I'm 45 years old.  I've spent a number of years at most of my employers, followed by experience after 2000 in which I've spent a very healthy 2+ years at a few places.  I gained major experience at each.  Nevertheless, I'm sensitive about the appearance in my resume that perhaps there may have been job hopping. In todays market, changing jobs does not hurt if you can clearly show a trend in experience gained and value driven for each of your employers. You need to be able to articulate the value both in your resume and in person.

The glass ceiling still exists. - HECK YES.  It still does.  I look at the management boards of many of the companies I have worked for and frankly if you were a six foot plus tall white guy...you had a shot.  This isn't just a male/female/white/black deal.  This is a body type deal as well.  This was especially true in ocean liner shipping even up through the 1990's.  Tall, White and Male were the only keys to the executive washroom.

Office politics is about backstabbing - Yes.  Is that news?  Machiavelli wrote books?   Penelope says office politics is about being nice and helping people get what they want.  I'm wary of anybody who is too political. Generally speaking I like Penelope's ideas, but there are still plenty of people who smile with their mouths but not with their eyes...beware.

Do good work, and you’ll do fine.- Ahem.  Do good work producing new revenue.  Then you will be fine.  This is especially true in VC backed enterprises.  Penelope says be nice and self-promote.  I say earn the company some money first...then promote.  Depending on your role, saving the company money is as valuable as new money.  It all goes to the bottom line.

You need a good resume. - The blog is the new resume.   Anybody who wants to be a thought leader better start leading on-line. Having said that you still need a great paper resume.  However thats just a ticket to the show.  The recruiter you deal with, and most hiring authorities, are going to go on-line just to see what else they can see. Look up your name on google.  I bet you'll find quite a lot of stuff!   What you find on-line will impact an interviewers perception of you from an experience and a character viewpoint. A blog is an opportunity to demonstrate those qualities on your terms.  Please make SURE any facebook or MySpace accounts don't depict anything you wouldn't write at the top of your paper resume.

People with good networks are good at networking.  - Good networks make good networkers.  Virtually everybody who reads this post should go over to LinkedIn Networks and get busy.  Let me reiterate that the blog is the new resume. 

These days the thought leaders in any industry will be found on-line and in professional social networks.

Work hard and good things will come. Yes. This is true. However in the meantime "do humble works greatly and great works humbly". Dare to take advantage of new technology and every opportunity to communicate your personal vision.

Create the shiny new brand of you! - Blog.  Nuff said.   This is about personal branding.

Eric

Add Freightdawg.com to your social bookmarks!

Comments

[Dan Schawbel]

Trunks book is good and I recommend it. Due to competitive natures, job hopping will increase over time. In order to move up the corporate ladder, if there is no spots available you are forced to job hop.

Dan Schawbel
Personal Branding Spokesman
www.personalbrandingblog.com