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Life After College Book by Jenny Blake

So you've graduated from college and ready to enter the real world...now what?!

Jenny Blake, Career Development Program Manager & Life Coach at Google, points out how at each level through college we have an adviser to help us succeed. Yet "life after college" we're officially on our own.   

In her book, she shares her own journey and challenges of going through a "quarter life crisis" and gives practical suggestions in the following areas: life, work, money, home, organization, friends/family, dating/relationships, health, fun/relaxation & personal growth. (What doesn't she cover?!)

Jenny's book is refreshing because it's written as a journal of stories and recommendations. Ultimately, there's no road map for the real world, but this is as close as it's going to get.

As a coach myself, I appreciate how Jenny has opened herself up and shared a great resource that you can actually write in and use to track your own progress. When reading her book, it feels very personal, like having a life coach talk you through the steps.

Besides writing a great book, I've had the chance to speak with Jenny before and she's an even nicer person. For all you people in L.A., she's actually coming to speak at Career Synergy in Santa Monica on June 14 @ 7 PM. If you want to be on the invitee list, shoot me an e-mail at: scott@growingforward.net 

Reid Hoffman's (Owner of Linked-In) 10 Rules for Entrepreneurial Success

1. Be disruptive. Ask yourself: "Is this massive and different? It's got to be ten-times different. It's got to be something that changes an industry." Hoffman uses Skype as an example, calling it a disruptive company because, "it removes these very expensive cross barrier phone charges."

2. Aim big. You'll probably wind up plowing the same amount of time into a small business as you will a big one. So, don't be intimidated by your own big ideas, as there are multiple ways of realizing them.

3. Grow your network. Your network includes investors, advisers, employees and customers. With a broad network, you have the ability to make important, global-sized changes.

4. Plan for better or worse. Part of planning is that you might come across something you weren't expecting and you pivot. And if something doesn't work, you must ask yourself: "What is my Plan B?"

5. Maintain flexible persistence. On one hand, the goal is to have a vision and be persistent. On the other hand, flexibility and being able to change based on what your customers want is paramount. "The art is knowing when to be persistent and when to be flexible and how to blend them."

6. Launch early. "Unless you're Steve Jobs, you're most likely partially wrong about what your theory was." So launch early and often. Launching early attracts customer engagement, and it's the customer who's going to tell you what's wrong so you can correct it.

7. Seek honesty. You need friends who will tell you that you have an ugly baby. Keep your aspirations high, but don't drink your own Kool-Aid -- all the while leveraging the advice of your friends.

8. Be everywhere. It's important to have a great idea for a product, but it's downright vital to have a wide distribution of it. "You can have a kickass product, but if it doesn't get to millions of people, it's irrelevant."

9. Culture is key. You must get hiring right the first time. While experience is impressive, you'll need people who can adapt and thrive amid volatility -- especially in the beginning.

10. Break these rules. The rules of entrepreneurship are not laws of nature. You can break them. What's more, don't listen to all of the rules all of the time.

Is Favoritism at Work a Good Thing?

Yes. Let me explain myself, before you judge me. 

There's not enough time in the day to invest in everyone. The higher you move up in position, the less time you have to spend with people. As a leader, you have to make a choice. Spend your time wisely on those you trust and see potential in.

Be fair when it comes to how you treat people. Follow the same policy that applies to your entire workforce, but don't confuse fairness with productivity. In sports, coaches make decisions based on players' abilities and urgency within the situation. Why should it be any different in the workplace? 

Ultimately, as a worker, it comes back to you. Have you given your supervisor a reason to look your way? How are you standing out from the crowd? As a manager, would you want to invest time in yourself?

Don't confuse favoritism with nepotism. It's not the same. Earn your "favor" with others by your work ethic, professionalism and how you treat others.  

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