“INV

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SELF” (A

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able Step

s)

1

CREATE or re-activate (and use) a Linkedin Profile

DAY (2) 1. Update LinkedIn summary to articulate competitive

advantages. “Because of my [skill/experience/strength], I can do [type of professional work] better than [specific types of other professionals in my industry].

2. How would other Linkedin professionals you work with write the above sentence (describe competitive advantage)? If there’s a gap, you have self-judgment problem or marketing problem.

WEEK (2) 1. Identify 3 people striving toward similar aspirations. How

did they get there? Bookmark their LinkedIn profiles, subscribe to their blogs and tweets. Track their evolution, take insight and inspiration.

2. On Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin, follow companies you’re interested in. Track emergence of new opportunities and risks.

3. List your key assets in context of market reality. Look for Benchmarks in Linkedin (Examples: I excel at public speaking <BAD>. I excel at public speaking on engineering topics, compared to other engineers <GOOD>).

MONTH (2) 1. Review how you spent your last six Saturdays. How you

spend your free time may reveal true interests and aspirations.

2. If you stopped going to the office, what would NOT get done? What’s a day in the life of your company without you there? That’s where you add value, your strengths.

3. Create a soft-asset investment plan that emphasizes learning about growth markets and opportunities (trips, conferences, new classes). Email your plan to three trusted connections to hold you accountable. 2

DAY (3) 1. List your uncertainties, doubts, questions

about your career. List hypotheses around these uncertainties – what do you need to figure out in order to know whether you stick with Plan A or pivot to Plan B?

2. Write out your current Plan A and Plan Z, and note what possible Plan B moves are available to your current situation.

WEEK (3) 1. Meet someone in Linkedin who used to work in your

niche who pivoted to a new career plan. How did they make the shift? Why? Was it a good move? What were the signs that the time was right?

2. Plan to develop more transferable skills which are broadly useful to other jobs (browse in Linkedin to get inspired). Writing, management experience, tech/computer skills, international experience or a second language. Once you’ve chosen, make a concrete action plan to stick to.

MONTH (3) 1. Begin a side project for nights and weekends oriented

around a skill or experience that is different but related. Ideally, collaborate on this project with someone in your Linkedin network.

2. Establish an identity independent of your employer, city, industry. Reserve a personal domain (yourname.com). Print business cards with just your name and Linkedin profile URL.

3

…use the ‘Questions’ feature on Linkedin!

*Plan Z is ultimate backup plan (moving in with

parents, waiting tables, cashing out savings)

WEEK (4) 1. Introduce two people from Linkedin who don’t know each

other. Then think of a challenge you’re dealing with and ask an existing connection for an introduction to someone who could help. Offer a small gift.

2. Imagine you got laid off today. Which 10 people in Linkedin or Facebook would you email for advice? Reach out now.

MONTH (4) 1. Pick a weaker tie in your Linkedin network who you’d like

to forge a stronger alliance. Help him or her by sending interesting articles, helping with a presentation, or forwarding jobs.

2. Look for interesting people in Linkedin and create an “interesting people fund” for coffees, lunches, and travel costs to meet new people and shore up existing relationships.

DAY (4) 1. Identify 5 people in Linkedin you spent the most time

with in the last 6 months. Are you happy with the influence those 5 people are having on you?

4

DAY (5) 1. Budget time for randomness. Read a book you wouldn’t

otherwise read, take a coworker from a different department to lunch, look in Linkedin for an speech or seminar in a different field and attend it.

2. Take the most curious person you know (from Linkedin) to lunch, and try to get infected by their sense of awe.

WEEK (5) 1. Find in Linkedin an industry event or ideas conference to

attend in the next six months.

2. Set aside a “yes day” – say yes all day and note the serendipity that results. Share on Linkedin.

3. Identify those in your Linkedin network who always find interesting opportunities. Try to understand why they’re hubs of opportunity and resolve to meet more people like them.

MONTH (5) 1. Start your own group of association. Regular luncheon,

one-time meetup – what’s important is you convene friends and exchange ideas. Create a simple wiki or LinkedIn group to organize and share details.

2. Subscribe in Linkedin to pubs like Wired or Tech Reviews. Identify friends who are early tech adopters. Understand tech, social, econ trends that might create new opportunities.

5

DAY (6) 1. Reflect on risk in your life. Rank your projects from most

to least risky. Think hard about the real downside and upside possibilities and be sure you’re not exaggerating overall riskiness. Where there’s uncertainty, are you mistakenly ascribing risk?

WEEK (6) 1. Identify and take on risks that are acceptable to you but

others avoid. Are you okay having less money in savings with a low-paying but high-learning job? Or maybe a month-to-month contract as opposed to something long-term? Find a project with these kinds of risks.

MONTH (6) 1. Plan to increase the short-term volatility in your life. How

can you take on new projects (or jobs) that involve more ups and downs – more uncertainty?

2. Revisit your Plan Z. Is it still viable? If your Plan A were to unravel, will you still be in the game? Consult your mentors to help think through contingencies.

6

…use the ‘Questions’ feature on Linkedin!

DAY (7) 1. Adjust Linkedin feed to show most helpful info. Select

which types of updates you want. Save search queries on relevant topics at linkedin.com/signal.

2. Do you have the right connections on Linkedin? Are you following the right people on Twitter? Adjust if necessary.

WEEK (7) 1. Sort your Linkedin connections into domain expertise

categories. Who do you know very well? Who is very smart in general? Who’s your go-to person on technology? Interpersonal issues?

2. Make a list of 2-3 top issues you think about. Keep related questions in mind to raise in a Linkedin discussion.

3. Post one article a week to an email list, blog, Twitter followers, Facebook friends, or LinkedIn connections. Pushing interesting info increases chances of receiving valuable info.

MONTH (7) 1. Schedule 3 lunches with Linkedin connections in the next

few weeks: 1 with someone higher than you in same industry, 1 with old friend, 1 from adjacent industry. Engaged conversation leads to serendipitous intelligence.

2. Become a go-to person for other people in your Linkedin network. Make your interests and skills known via blogging, email, discussion groups.

7

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