Developing a career from a startup position will help achieve professional success in an unstable modern world

The career of educated people is to climb the escalator: from the lowest position in a large organization to management and manager. This escalator froze due to globalization and new technologies. Older people do not retire, but continue to work. There are fewer entry-level vacancies; mid-level employees are eternally waiting for an increase.

Startup entrepreneurs deal with uncertainty and change. It is necessary to approach career development from a startup perspective.

The main thing is not to lose flexibility and vigilance. Your career is in the “ongoing beta phase.” Treat your professional development as an unfinished project. Actively grow and improve.

“Twenty years of experience” means that a person has repeated the experience of one year of work 20 times. Each year should be marked by new trials and new achievements. Enhance your education. In the long run, moving up a career escalator increases your risks. You need to constantly adapt, and then even drastic changes will not be able to harm you. If you stand on the escalator passively, unforeseen changes will lead you to collapse.

Find a competitive advantage at the intersection of your assets, aspirations and market realities

There is competition for everything in the world (clients, jobs, love of an attractive man). It is important to determine your competitive advantage - similar to how startups find valuable features that distinguish themselves from competitors.

Factors for competitive advantage:

1. Your assets are what you own:

• tangible assets (cash in wallet);
• intangible assets (skills, experience and education).

The size of assets changes over time. The degree of their value depends on competition. Choose those areas and markets in which, thanks to your assets, you can prove yourself brighter than competitors.

2. Your aspirations and values ​​- ideas about the future and what is important for you in life. Enthusiasm is an important condition for success. A man in love with his business will work better than someone who is not interested in this occupation.

3. Market realities - the requirements of the world. There must be demand for a competitive advantage. Taking advantage of your competitive advantage, take advantage of the market trends and technological shifts that others perceive as a threat.

These three factors are constantly changing. Make assumptions about them and adjust as you gain experience.

Plans A, B, and Z will make it possible to adapt as your perception of yourself and the world around you changes.

Example. Before turning into a successful photo hosting service, Flickr was one of the multi-player online game options. But the application overtook the game itself in popularity.

Before Cheryl Sandberg became Facebook’s Operations Director, she worked for the World Bank, the US Treasury and Google, a key competitor to Facebook.

The actions of Cheryl and the creators of Flickr may seem random. But such a zigzag path is characteristic of many prominent professionals and successful startups.

Use an adaptive planning approach. Master the strategy of ABZ-planning, make several plans.

Plan a - what you are currently doing.This plan reflects your current view of your competitive advantage and describes a sustainable situation. A good plan A needs to be versatile and flexible to allow the development of several plans B.

Plan b - what you will do, deciding to change direction towards a more attractive opportunity. Once you make a turn in accordance with plan B, it will become your new plan A, and you will need to develop a new plan B.

Plan z - A backup option in case of failure, the ability to stay afloat if everything goes to dust. Having a Z plan allows you to confidently bend toward Plan B. Even if all else fails, you will still have a roof over your head.

Seek and take advantage of new opportunities with creativity and perseverance

Fateful opportunities, unique chances for a quick career growth appear in life.

Example. Actor George Clooney, for 12 years, received only a few random roles in second-rate soap operas. Having learned about the new television series Ambulance, Clooney realized that the role in this non-standard drama could be a breakthrough for him, and convinced the producers to invite him to audition. The series was very successful, and Clooney's career went up.

Golden opportunities are not wrapped in gift wrapping; they are not advertised on every pillar. It is difficult to notice them, they are rarely found and arise, regardless of your schedule. But, not realizing the opportunity, you will miss it forever. To advance in a career, you need to find suitable opportunities and use them, showing ingenuity, perseverance and determination.

Example. AirBnB is an online short-term rental service for private housing. The founders, having difficulties in covering current expenses, were not at a loss and showed ingenuity: they began to sell breakfast cereals on the topic of the presidential election (Obama rings and Captain McCain pillows), which allowed supporting the business until profitability was achieved.

Keep in touch to attract good luck.

To find your “golden” chance, you have to be at the right time in the right place.

How to increase this probability?

1. Be open to fluke and intuitive vision by being proactive and staying connected with people. The best way to attract good luck is to be in the thick of things and events all the time.
2. Become a member of a small informal network / organization or create such a group yourself: a book lover society, a beekeeping club or a specialized conference. The best groups consist of first-class professionals who are united by geographical proximity, as well as common interests or experience. In such groups, the spirit of openness and cooperation is very strong: people help each other, even if they are to some extent competitors.

Example. PayPal Mafia is a group of former PayPal executives. This informal association is a rich source of new opportunities for its members. Former colleagues continue to exchange ideas and work together on projects, despite intermittent situations of competition. Among the participants are the founders and investors of the most successful Silicon Valley companies: from LinkedIn and Facebook to YouTube and Yelp.

Take reasonable risks to gain an edge over your competitors.

All attractive opportunities are associated with varying degrees of risk. The younger the person, the more he is willing to take risks. People tend to overestimate the degree of risk. First of all, we pay attention to the potential danger of the situation and do not always notice its advantages.

In an effort to protect yourself and minimize risks, you can miss promising opportunities. Take reasonable risks and actively seek opportunities that others find too risky and underestimate.Assessing the risk, answer the question: will you survive the worst case scenario? If in case of failure you find yourself without a roof over your head - the degree of risk is unacceptably high.

Consider a possible change of your decision towards Plan B. If this opportunity requires everything to be at stake, irrevocably sacrificing your time and resources is a risky option. It is better to choose one that allows you to make small bets and, in case of danger, back up.

Build strong relationships with reliable allies and maintain a wide network of “weak ties”

Form a network of professional contacts around you. Its presence will increase your chances of professional success. This is not about superficial and insincere “building useful connections”, but about building genuine professional relationships.

Focus on quality, not quantity. Be prepared to help others. When making an acquaintance, first of all think about what help you can provide to this person. Good advice or useful information is a great way to strengthen new relationships.

The core of your contact network should be trade unions - people you trust, consult with, collaborate and share opportunities in the professional field. Such relationships require geographical proximity and the ability to sacrifice their time.

Beyond this core, there are weak connections and acquaintances - classmates or people you met at the conference, but communicate rarely. An extensive network of such "weak ties" allows you to establish contacts with representatives of many other geographical regions and industries. Such relationships cannot be called deep, but it is thanks to them that people most often find new career opportunities.

A strong network of professional contacts is a moderate number of close professional allies and a wide network of weak ties. Use your network of contacts to meet interesting people, find new opportunities and get the information you need.

Use the potential of your network of professional contacts to the maximum. A strong network of contacts is indispensable: it will help you meet interesting people, learn about new attractive opportunities and take advantage of the knowledge of a wide range of experts.

If you want to make a career in a new field for you, conduct a “network intelligence” - take advantage of the knowledge and experience of the participants in your network of contacts. Search the “extended network” that includes contacts of the second and third degree (those you can meet through the second and third hands). LinkedIn is perfect for such a search. Your network can have millions of people. All these are people whom you can meet with the help of recommendations: one “intermediary” is familiar with you, and the other with the person who interests you.

Having found the contact you need, get to know this person through mutual friends. Invite him to dinner, and he will not only advise you to get a job in a new industry, but can also offer you a place in his company. To decide whether to take this opportunity, consult with members of your professional network.

Be interested in the opinions of specialists who are well versed in this field, but do not forget to consult with your close friends who will help assess how this career decision is consistent with your priorities and character. Conduct a survey among the closest circle of friends, colleagues and acquaintances.

After a thorough analysis of all the information received, you can make a confident, balanced decision.

The most important thing

Studying the strategies used by startups can be very useful in the field of professional career development.To succeed in an unstable modern world, you need to be competitive, ready to adapt and be able to use a solid network of your contacts to find and realize promising opportunities.

How to apply startup management principles to building a professional career?

• To achieve professional success in an unstable modern world, approach career development from a startup perspective.
• Find a competitive advantage at the intersection of your assets, aspirations and market realities.
• Think of plans A, B, and Z to be able to adapt as your perception of yourself and the world around you changes.

How to find and realize opportunities that will allow you to make a breakthrough in your career?

• Seek and take advantage of new opportunities, showing ingenuity and perseverance.
• Keep in touch to get good luck.
• Take reasonable risks to gain an edge over your competitors.

How to maximize the potential of your network of professional contacts?

• Build strong relationships with reliable allies and maintain a wide network of “weak ties”.
• Use your network of contacts to meet interesting people, find new opportunities and get the information you need.