Managing your career, what do you in your 30s and 40s?

Edward Lewine interviewed me today for an article he's writing in Details Magazine. I don't know how much of the interview with me he's going to use, but since I prepared some information from my years of coaching, I figured I might as well share it with you!

Joan Didion, the author says that we tell ourselves stories in order to live. I believe that we live our life through stories and in chapters.

Chapter one is your childhood.

Chapter two is creating yourself. Whatever your passion in life is, whether it be college, a trade, a craft, whatever your chosen profession this is the chapter you should look to develop yourself, work your way up the ladder, fall flat on your face a few times (or lots like I did!) get banged on the head, and generally work your petunia off.

Chapter three is invest in your assets. Refine your expertise, whatever that may be. If it’s acting, plumbing, or investment banking, you need to refine your expertise.

1. Seek out mentors and develop relationships with the right people because look at who you spend the most with, ,that is who you will become. Those influences in your life have a dramatic influence on who you turn out to be. So your mentors need to have a high bar and need to be able to tell you the truth and have a vested interest in your success.
2. Join toastmasters. I am an avid believer in being able to communicate. Toastmasters teaches everyone how to communicate and it will help you in whatever your chosen profession is.
3. Invest in yourself. Never stop learning in your 30s. You can’t afford to, you have the energy, and as you know Einstein said we only use 3% of our brain capacity. So Read biographies and history. I am an avid believer than a wise man learns from others mistakes a fool learns on his own.
4. Join professional organizations and then go to those meetings. Biggest mistake I have seen people make is think they do not need to meet people outside of their given profession.
5. Be respectful of everyone always because you never know what will happen. This is the best way I know how to describe a fool. I have met gentleman from Arthur Anderson, Bear Stearns, Enron and a host of companies over the years that treated me with disrespect, then came back to me and asked for my help. A wise man, by the name of Mark Yusko who is President of Morgan Creek Capital said to me, “I believe in the power of karma.”
6. I believe in the power of what I call the GPS. Goals, plan and structure. In your 30s you need to see yourself as CEO of you, Inc. In that role, you need a GPS system, a business plan. Write it out. What are the goals, the plan and put the structure into place to achieve it. You do those six things, it will help you fly first class into your 40s.

Chapter four of your life is leverage your assets and that takes you into your forties. If you’ve done a great job in your thirties, then you’ll go first class into your 40s. So what do you do in your forties? Pursue perfection, fail up and trust yourself.

In the pursuit of perfection, Do four things…ask for feedback, study the people you aspire to be, manage emails and phone calls within twenty four hours. Then a local billionaire met me on a Saturday morning a few weeks ago and thanked me for meeting him. Imagine, is he worth studying? You bet.

Fail up? The top one percent don't believe in failure, they believe that every lesson is simply a lesson learned. So for those of you who believe in failure, think again. The one percent believe that failure isn't failure at all, it's failing up!

Trust yourself. George Soros doesn't have a CFA designation and says he would probably fail the exam. The CFA is similar to the CPA but harder, and is specific for a financial analyst. What does George Soros trust? His gut, his intuitive knowledge of the markets. So if you did a great job laying the groundwork, foundation in chapter three of your life, then you should be able to fly into the next chapter. If you didn't, you may have a layover.

Thank you for being here. I am thrilled that you take time out of your schedule to come by.

Copyright 2007 Ev Nucci

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ev nucci

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