One way to beat the summer heat in Austin, TX is to read in the shade with a big Southern fan running. That’s what I did with this book and I have a couple observations.
It’s a “random” read because the 37 stories of do gooders isn’t in order. So I started and mid-point and read a few random chapters. Then one I got into the groove, I went to the end of the book and made a “backward pass” and I really enjoyed that “randomness” to keep my interest. I completed the book without any loss of context in this excellent and well-edited tome. I really enjoyed the short length of the chapters as I could finish each one in under 30-mins over morning coffee in my comfy chair. That also played right into my ADHD as I don’t have a long attention span.
Highlights, too many to list here, so I’ll just list two.
Chapter 15: The Third Act featuring Pete Vomocil. This is the story of a gent who modified his LinkedIn profile pic with custom art that said “Open To Help” in a time where everyone seems to be posting the “Open to Work” banner. He’s a west coast kinda guy raised in Corvallis OR and his willingness to entertain “therapy conversations” captures his vibe. The key takeaway for me is to create a “confidence folder” where you assemble your uppers like dig me press coverage, goodness pics volunteering, handshakes with VIPs and other notables, etc. It’s how the game is played to keep you on the leading edge of your profession.
Chapter 18: Ripples from a Giving Heart featuring Jenny Guan. One phrase stood out: “…relationships often determine opportunities.” I’ve been having this talk with my 30yo son in aerospace and my 28yo son in AI in the Silicon Valley. Ya gotta circulate via community involvement like fund raisers, political campaigns and volunteering and the MAGIC will follow. I plan to gift the book to my two sons.
Challenges
If/when a second volume is released, I’d offer a shorter book as I can’t even remember some of the rock stars that were featured. My bad but it all blends together at some level.
The final word: Author Dan Albaum’s amazing Rolodex has been exposed and this could be sourdough started for you to enhance your career with LinkedIn reach outs to the incumbents.
Learn more about the book HERE.