How do stories influence us?
Stories have the incredible power to transform our thinking or our future. Often, we want to model our success stories based on the experiences and journeys of people we praise or look-up to.
Our perception of success is that of glorified awe and admiration toward the achiever. It’s the outcome that is most visible to us, not the path.
“Success came easy for them.”
“They were there at the right time and did the right thing.”
“They had more opportunities than us.”
For the viewer, the bigger picture comes to life only through deeper investigation, else it’s a mix of luck and skills that got those whom they admire where they are now. What is not visible is the long stream of rejections, failures and the persistence to excel that these people exhibited.
If you’ve been wondering how the 40 under 40 made it to where they are now, here’s a book that tells us all.
ZOOM: Surprising Ways to Supercharge Your Career: Secrets of Superfast Success from Fortune’s 40 Under 40, by Daniel Roberts and Leigh Gallagher, presents fascinating profiles of today’s young innovators and provides tips for a new generation on how to fast-track their own career success.
Through this book you’ll get to know some remarkably successful and inspirational present day icons who have faced failures, explored opportunities, and have shown real courage on their comeback that eventually led them to a well deserved success. You’ll get to know more about the numerous missed opportunities, of surviving rejections and multiple pivoting on their career path. At the end, you’ll feel empowered to know how these people have persisted through failures. If there was a word in your dictionary that spelt “instant success”, you’ll know that it doesn’t exist.
And more so, if they’ve shown how they did it and how they do it better than most of us – it’s the right inspiration that can be assimilated to carve our career success!
Each chapter focuses on a different theme and contains profiles of today’s young innovators who offer tips on how to fast-track your career success:
– Get In Over Your Head with Marissa Mayer, Elon Musk, and Meredith Whitney:
Take a risky step. Outside your comfort zone you’ll question what you find and think of fresh ways to approach the status quo.
– Challenge Goliath with Kevin Plank, Katrina Markoff, and John Janick:
Success doesn’t depend on creating a new market. If your idea is different enough, you can enter a market with dominant leaders and topple them.
– Stand By Your Company with Dolf Van Den Brink, Rob Goldstein, and Aditya Mittal:
This means you’re in it for the long haul and staying at one place can be a sure path to power for those willing to stick it out.
– Bounce Back with Hosain Rahman, Boaz Weinstein, and LeBron James:
When you fail, acknowledge the error and go back to the drawing board. Or move on gracefully and thrive at a new organization. If you bounce back well, your career will be stronger for having survived the setback.
– Do One Thing Well with Jess Lee, Kevin Systrom, Biz Stone, and Ev Williams:
Whether you’ve come up with a revolutionary concept or you’re building upon a preexisting one, if it’s simple and addictive it will take off with users. Get people hooked early with a simple premise and have the discipline to stick with one focus even as you grow.
ZOOM: Surprising Ways to Supercharge Your Career offers an impeccable roadmap to success for new or wannabe entrepreneurs or to those who seek inspiration on a career paved with hurdles.
Through such stories we realize that there is never a sudden leap to success. You don’t wake up one day to a successful empire, it is a step-by-step or brick-by-brick building process.
“No job is too big, no job is too small. I believe that attitude breeds success.” – Cesar Conde
Stay inspired, and be ready to Zoom!