Read people, bet wisely, and strategize to win: “You’ll be able to see what’s happening under the surface at work, and prepare for whatever may be ahead.” —Marshall Goldsmith, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Triggers
In this guide, a career advisor reveals the tells, blind spots, secrets, and unspoken rules you need to know in order to play the game—and even win against those who’ve been dealt better cards, like high-status college degrees or family connections (or just a more supportive boss).
The most successful people don’t rely on luck—because they know it always comes and goes. Instead, they prepare for the setbacks that are inevitable in any job and use smart strategies to manage them. In Workplace Poker, Dan Rust gives you the strategies you need to accelerate your career, and prevent setbacks from stalling your progress or spiraling it downward. The trick, he reveals, is to “play the game under the game.” If you’re talented, ambitious, and hardworking, but feel your career is frustratingly bogged down, you’ll find insight and skills to adapt to every hurdle, turning adversity into advantage and struggle into strength, including:
• Recognizing your own “blind spots” and what to do about them
• Mastering strategic and authentic self-promotion
• Enhancing your personal charm and likeability
• Achieving the high energy, both mental and physical, necessary to drive an exceptional career trajectory
• Developing an interest in “corporate anthropology” and the complex human dimensions of business
• Neutralizing the career-stalling impact of difficult or dysfunctional colleagues
• Owning—and learning from—career missteps and failures
Smart, funny, and relatable, Rust shares stories of individuals who’ve applied these capabilities in real world situations, and provides short, focused exercises to help you think about yourself and your own career. With Workplace Poker¸ you can get out of you own way—and play to win.
From the Publisher
Bend Your Career Curve
By Dan Rust, author of Workplace Poker
“I don’t have any complaints,” he said. “Career is going well, life is good . . .”
I could hear a ‘but’ coming. On a flight from Minneapolis to Phoenix we were seated together in first class—frequent flyer upgrade for me; he seemed more like a full fare guy.
“But . . . I do see people moving up faster in their careers. Definitely not because of talent, or hard work. A lot of it is just timing, or luck.” He took a sip of his second gin and tonic.
“Like a career lottery,” I said. “And your numbers just haven’t come up yet.”
He smiled and nodded, then we fell into a somewhat uncomfortable silence. Maybe he was hoping for my advice, because we had earlier talked about the keynote speech I was going to be delivering in Phoenix on career management strategies. But I try to never give advice to anyone unless they specifically ask. He fiddled with his laptop for a while, having trouble with the onboard wifi. I’m sure the gin and tonic wasn’t helping. And then the question came.
“So how do I win the career lottery?”
“Well, hmm . . . usually a good place to start is the choices you’ve made to hold your career back.”
“I’m not choosing to—”
“—I know. But when was the last time you interviewed for a new job?”
“Well, like I said, things are going pretty well at work. So I haven’t really been focused on sending out resumes. I’m more focused on doing good work and the opportunities at my current company.”
“Nothing wrong with that,” I said. “But it is a choice you are making. And it does tend to limit your career trajectory.”
Since he had asked for my opinion, I shared with him some of the common choices people make which sometimes limit their careers. I’m in no way arguing with any of these choices; we are free thinking human beings and have a right to whatever life path we choose—but it is easy to forget that the choices and decisions are ours, not forced upon us.
Almost every career has a natural trajectory, but if you want to bend that curve further upward, you are probably going to have to make some uncomfortable choices. Here are just a few of the common career-limiting choices I’ve seen people make:
-Choosing to stay comfortable rather than take a risk.
-Choosing to leave a high-potential job or project because of personality conflicts with a boss or others.
-Choosing to remain “technology-challenged” and not master the tech tools others are using to boost productivity.
-Choosing a college major with limited prospects for a well-paying career path.
-Choosing to accept a job offer without negotiating for professional development funding, or a higher salary, or other tangible financial benefits (stock options, etc.)
-Starting a new job and stopping the job search process, rather than keeping your “job radar” continuously scanning for good opportunities.
-“Waiting your turn” for promotions or assignments to fast-track projects.
-Confining your job opportunity search to a limited geographical area.
Almost anyone who spends 30 minutes thinking about this can come up with a page of potentially career-limiting decisions they’ve made. My new flight friend came up with over a dozen without spilling his drink. The point of this isn’t to beat yourself up, but to reinforce that you there are many, many ways to bend your career curve upward (or downward) and most of them are within your control. This isn’t the solution to “winning the career lottery,” but it’s a good start.
ASIN : B0105V634A
Publisher : Harper Business
Accessibility : Learn more
Publication date : March 15, 2016
Edition : Illustrated
Language : English
File size : 3.3 MB
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Not Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 304 pages
ISBN-13 : 978-0062405272
Page Flip : Enabled
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