"Advanced Career Intelligence" is an indispensable guide for those striving to elevate their careers to the next level. Building on the principles outlined in its predecessor, "General Career Intelligence," this book provides actionable insights and frameworks for tackling the multifaceted challenges of modern professional life.
The book delves into executive leadership and mentoring, offering tools to cultivate effective teams and foster individual potential. It explores the dynamics of conflicts, influence, and negotiation, empowering readers to navigate complex workplace interactions with confidence and tact. The chapters on entrepreneurship and consulting provide a blueprint for building successful ventures for aspiring entrepreneurs and seasoned professionals alike.
"Advanced Career Intelligence" also addresses work culture, work-life balance, navigating toxic environments, and much more. The book provides frameworks for driving innovation, fostering teamwork, and excelling in project management, enabling readers to thrive in collaborative and high-stakes settings.
"Advanced Career Intelligence" reminds us that success is not solely about profit or wealth-building. It underscores the essential role of ethics, morality, and the philosophy of giving in shaping a career and a life of meaningful impact. By celebrating what makes us uniquely human, "Advanced Career Intelligence" offers a timeless roadmap for thriving with purpose in an ever-evolving world.
"Advanced Career Intelligence" is an indispensable guide for those striving to elevate their careers to the next level. Building on the principles outlined in its predecessor, "General Career Intelligence," this book provides actionable insights and frameworks for tackling the multifaceted challenges of modern professional life.
The book delves into executive leadership and mentoring, offering tools to cultivate effective teams and foster individual potential. It explores the dynamics of conflicts, influence, and negotiation, empowering readers to navigate complex workplace interactions with confidence and tact. The chapters on entrepreneurship and consulting provide a blueprint for building successful ventures for aspiring entrepreneurs and seasoned professionals alike.
"Advanced Career Intelligence" also addresses work culture, work-life balance, navigating toxic environments, and much more. The book provides frameworks for driving innovation, fostering teamwork, and excelling in project management, enabling readers to thrive in collaborative and high-stakes settings.
"Advanced Career Intelligence" reminds us that success is not solely about profit or wealth-building. It underscores the essential role of ethics, morality, and the philosophy of giving in shaping a career and a life of meaningful impact. By celebrating what makes us uniquely human, "Advanced Career Intelligence" offers a timeless roadmap for thriving with purpose in an ever-evolving world.
Excerpt:
Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. âWilliam Shakespeare, English playwright, poet, and actor.
Executive leadership demands a unique blend of strategic insight, vision, and the ability to drive effective organizational execution. At the highest levels, leaders must balance decisiveness and assertiveness with approachability and relatability, understanding that their actions and decisions shape the company's culture. A successful executive embodies technical expertise, industry knowledge, and the ability to inspire, motivate, and guide diverse teams toward a common goal.
Executives set the tone for excellence, navigating complex challenges and opportunities with a clear vision while maintaining the agility to adapt and innovate. Whether leading with a firm hand or adopting a more inclusive approach, executives understand that effective leadership combines strength with empathy, strategy with execution, and ambition with integrity and morality. In doing so, they achieve their organizational goals and set a standard for superior leadership in the modern world.
The role of an executive can be demanding and challenging, often shaped by the expectations set by the CEO and the Board of Directors. The responsibilities can be immense, requiring a unique blend of skills, temperament, and dedication. The CEO, for example, shoulders a tremendous responsibility as their decisions ripple through the lives and livelihoods of employees, stakeholders, and communities. The weight of steering an organization toward success while navigating risks and uncertainties amplifies the gravity of their role and the stress inherent in making choices that can shape futures and legacies.
The dynamics within the executive team play a prominent role in determining the overall experience as an executive. A supportive, collaborative, and cohesive team can transform challenges into opportunities for growth and fulfillment. In contrast, a dysfunctional or combative team can amplify the burdens of the role, leading to a toxic and draining experience.
Not surprisingly, executive arrogance or ego can poison the workplace environment, making collaboration and progress challenging. When executives prioritize individual success over collective goals or encourage an environment of competition and turf wars, it erodes trust and undermines the organization's culture. Further, when a CEO promotes chaos or unhealthy competition among executives, it can create a toxic atmosphere that can harm the well-being of the entire executive team. In such environments, it becomes challenging for executives to thrive and fulfill their roles effectively.
Executive Excellence
Successful CEOs understand the importance of building strong executive teams, as they constitute the backbone of successful companies. They meticulously select exceptional partners whom they can trust and engage in honest communication. An exceptional leadership team goes beyond individual performance; it inspires collaboration, makes sound decisions, introduces innovative ideas, and offers constructive upward feedback. CEOs should resist surrounding themselves with sycophants and loyal followers within their executive team, as this can undermine the company's success in various ways.
The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good people to do what needs to be done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it. âUnknown.
Below is an abbreviated list of attributes that further describe exceptional executives and CEOs:
- Integrity and ethics: They demonstrate honesty, integrity, and ethical behavior in all aspects of their leadership.
- Visionary leadership: They have a clear vision for the company's future and inspire others to follow it.
- Strategic thinking: They develop and execute effective strategies to achieve long-term goals.
- Communication excellence: They communicate clearly, transparently, and effectively with employees, customers, stakeholders, and the public, facilitating understanding and engagement.
- Decision-making: They make informed decisions based on data, analysis, experience, and intuition.
- Empowering leadership: They empower and trust their team members, creating a culture of accountability and innovation.
- Positive influence: They leverage their position, power, and exceptional communication skills to drive positive progress beyond what authority alone can achieve.
- Results-driven: They set ambitious and compelling goals that align everyone toward a joint mission. Leveraging their position of influence, they model positive examples for others to follow and eliminate barriers that hinder progress. They hold themselves and their team accountable for achieving results.
- Adaptability: They adapt to changing market conditions and embrace new technologies and trends.
- Patience: As new hires, they carefully evaluate the business and seek input from team members before making any substantial changes. They proceed cautiously, ensuring their actions align with the company's goals.
- Financial acumen: They possess a deep understanding of the company's financials. They avoid rushing into contracts or making hasty decisions under pressure. CEOs often demonstrate financial acumen comparable to that of their CFOs.
- Diversity: They value a robust, independent board and advisory team and welcome candid feedback and honest discussions. While they seek and consider advice, they understand that final decisions rest with them and embrace the responsibility that comes with it. Transparent in their methods, they recognize the value of diverse perspectives.
- Confidence: Great executives are confident in their leadership and style. They work to cultivate a personal brand that aligns with the company values and then model it for others.
- Fundamentals: They understand company fundamentals, including levers of influence, sustainable profitability, and critical concerns of other executives. They grasp customer motives and know when to reject unprofitable pursuits.
- Self-awareness: They exhibit self-awareness and emotional intelligence, building solid relationships and modeling organizational values. They demonstrate proactive, consistent leadership, inspiring greatness, and nurturing a positive work culture centered on employee well-being. They actively contribute to building an inclusive, inspirational, and sustainable workplace environment.[i]
- Storytelling: They possess exceptional storytelling skills and are adept at articulating their company's mission and story to employees, investors, customers, and beyond. Their stories energize and inspire others, compelling them to align with the company's vision.
- Role model: Great executives embody creativity, energy, and receptiveness to learning and growth. They actively listen to feedback, adapt their plans accordingly, and lead by example, demonstrating hard work, grit, and resourcefulness.
- Teambuilding: The best leaders build great teams that appreciate camaraderie and collaboration. Team participants know how and where they fit in, and they understand how their efforts contribute to the greater good.[ii]
- Metrics: Great leaders measure what matters most. They understand the differences between ROI, ROE, and ROA and use them effectively to inform decisions, clarify resource efficiency, and drive strategic outcomes.
When searching for an executive role, selecting the right leadership environment is crucial for your professional growth and well-being. When interviewing, be sure to thoroughly research the incumbent executives, evaluating their professional reputation, interpersonal dynamics, and behavior under pressure. Supportive and non-combative executive leaders promote positive work environments conducive to personal and organizational success. Finding the right fit ensures you align yourself with leaders who inspire and empower you to thrive in your role.
You may find it helpful to focus your research and interview assessments by asking yourself the following questions:
- Do the executives embrace kindness and flexibility towards their workers? Great executives value work-life balance and respect employees' personal lives and priorities.
- Do they genuinely understand how important it is for people to feel happy and satisfied personally and professionally?
- Are they focused on creating an âusâ environment where one supports the other, inside and outside the office, and where making human connections with other workers is the glue that binds them together?
- Do they emphasize caring and teamwork, which provide employees with a sense of purpose in their work?
- Do they care about their employees' personal and professional development by allocating resources to improve their mental and physical health, career progression, and personal growth?
- Do they excel in leading, mentoring, and developing their employees, including high-potential, next-gen executives?[iii]
Executive excellence drives strategic vision, promotes innovation, and achieves sustainable organizational success. By embodying integrity, visionary leadership, and a commitment to continuous learning and growth, executives can inspire teams, navigate complexity, and deliver exceptional results that propel their organizations forward.
Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence, and making sure that impact lasts in your absence. âSheryl Sandberg, American business executive, author, philanthropist, and women's rights advocate.
Brutal CEOs
While most experts advocate for essential leadership qualities such as kindness, humility, and empathy, we continue to witness immense success from leaders who disregard these behaviors entirely. The toxic blend of money, power, and hubris has long existed in the corporate landscape. Leadership arrogance often prevails in the most influential companies, as investors and shareholders shower their ruthless CEOs with excessive wealth.
How you make others feel about themselves says a lot about you. âUnknown.
Many founders have exhibited terrible and even tyrannical behavior, later becoming infamous for their actions. Take Steve Jobs, known for his arrogance, dictatorial tendencies, and occasional dishonesty. Despite this, he's widely regarded as having been an exceptional leader. Zuckerberg infamously ousted his friend and co-founder Eduardo Saverin from Facebook, while Twitter's co-founders repeatedly backstabbed each other. Jeff Bezos of Amazon was notorious for sending terse, single-character emails ("?"), and Bill Gates was known for his aggressive style, berating Microsoft employees for what he perceived as bad ideas or stupid questions. Elon Musk has trolled, abused, lashed out, and bullied more people, or classes of people, than one can count, especially since acquiring Twitter.
It's deeply troubling that society often excuses bad leadership behavior. Many industry titans exhibit entitlement, arrogance, and a belief that normalized leadership expectations don't apply to them. Unfortunately, this permeates other spheres, including politics, where being abrasive and disrespectful is sometimes seen as a prerequisite for power and influence. Political leaders often exploit intimidation and hard power to assert dominance, disregarding traditional norms, conventional wisdom, and basic decency. However, this doesn't mean that corporate leaders should follow suit. Embracing ruthlessness and disrespect in the workplace goes against the fundamental principles of ethical leadership and can lead to toxic work environments.
The culture of any organization is shaped by the worst behavior the leader is willing to tolerate. âSteve Gruenert and Todd Whitaker, professors of education.
When a biographer asked Steve Jobs to explain his mean streak, he replied, "This is who I am, and you can't expect me to be someone I'm not." This raises serious questions about authenticity in the workplace. While individuals should bring their authentic selves to work, it's equally important to cultivate and emphasize positive values like integrity, humility, and empathy. The challenge lies in reconciling our authentic selves with the expectations of a professional environment. While certain traits may drive remarkable performance, it's worth considering the impact of harmful behaviors on workplace culture and relationships. Authenticity shouldn't be an excuse for destructive behavior; rather, it should be a commitment to embodying the best aspects of ourselves while striving for growth and positive impact.
Steve Jobs and Elon Musk exemplify different leadership styles and approaches to achieving extraordinary results. Jobs was known for his keen ability to assess and motivate employees to achieve remarkable outcomes. He had a knack for pushing boundaries and challenging conventional thinking. On the other hand, Musk is driven by a vision to revolutionize entire industries through ambitious goals and technological innovation. He prioritizes logic and rationality over emotion, which can sometimes be perceived as heartless. However, his commitment to bold action and willingness to take extraordinary risks have propelled his ventures forward, inspiring others to push the boundaries of what's possible.
Cleverness is a gift. Kindness is a choice. âJeff Bezos, American entrepreneur, media proprietor, investor, computer engineer, and commercial astronaut.
The successes of companies led by individuals like Jobs and Musk have undoubtedly been significant, but at a cost. Many personnel relationships have been injured, and large swaths of employees have suffered burnout, given the constant, almost ruthless push to succeed at the hands of their overly demanding CEOs.
Despite their considerable successes, Jobs and Musk may have achieved even greater success if they had exhibited compassion, empathy, and humility. Their harsh leadership tactics created substantial turnover, which may have resulted in lost opportunities for increased innovation and productivity. Work environments characterized by fear and intimidation as primary motivators stifle creativity and collaboration, potentially limiting the full potential of their organizations. By cultivating healthier and happier workforces, free from fear and undue stress, Jobs and Musk might have unlocked even more success and innovation within their companies.[iv]
That said, leadership style is often contingent upon the situation, and what may work effectively in one context might not be suitable in another. Jobs' and Musk's perceived mean-streaked leadership approaches were usually employed selectively, based on what they deemed necessary for specific situations. Despite their shortcomings, they compensated with abundant positive traits such as exceptional vision, passion for their companies, and the ability to inspire trust. Jobs, for instance, instilled a higher purpose within Apple that resonated with employees and customers alike, while his passion for the company's products was renowned. Although his interpersonal style may have been caustic, his leadership qualities remained unparalleled, leading many to overlook his occasional abrasive behavior in light of the company's extraordinary success. As Jobs famously stated, "My job is not to be easy on people. My job is to make them better."[v]
While some may argue that being mean but successful justifies negative behavior, there's almost always a better approach. Most leaders recognize that eliciting the best from their employees involves demonstrating positive behavioral traits, particularly emotional intelligence rooted in kindness. Employees are unlikely to tolerate bullying from a CEO unless the company is experiencing remarkable success in ways that align closely with their values and goals.
While it's preferable not to work under a tyrannical boss, the reality is that, in some instances, enduring such leadership may compel you to produce the best work of your career.
One of the most underrated skills in business right now is being nice. Nice sells. âMark Cuban, American entrepreneur, executive, television personality, and media proprietor.
"Advanced Career Intelligence" is the second of two books by the author, Ray Blasing, providing a structured outline of advice and guidance for having a successful career and balancing work with a meaningful life. The first chapter of the book on "Executive Leadership" reads like a mini-MBA. We learn what to focus on to be a successful CEO, and how best to leverage the team around us. Career advice on how to rise through the ranks is provided. Moving to the second chapter on "Mentoring and Coaching," we learn how to contribute to advancing our industry and vocation and how to help those with less experience than us. We also gain advice on how to obtain a mentor and make the best use of our mentor's time with us. The book changes gears for chapters 3 and 4, about "Consulting and Partnerships" and "Entrepreneurship". Readers who are considering stepping out of a full-time job to become a consultant would be wise to read this chapter. The author has personal experience in this area, and provides priceless advice and tips on how to structure your workspace, your time, and how to gain and retain clients. The chapter on entrepreneurship is very extensive. It focuses upon taking an idea to fruition, with advice about funding, management, team-building, and more. It is again similar to the content of an MBA program, but condensed. Continuing onward, there are chapters on culture, work-life balance, toxic coworkers, conflicts and negotiation and teamwork. Additional advice on engineering a successful product comes from a chapter on innovation. A crash course on project management comes in the middle. For impacting the world outside of work, the author discusses philanthropy, and rounds things out with a chapter on "Joyful Living" and the meaning of success in life.
I enjoyed reading this book because of the structure and organization along with the conversational style of prose. It is a good balance of seriousness and down-to-earth common sense, technical terms and relatable examples and analogies. I would have rated this book five stars if it were more condensed or split up into more than one book; it just feels too long and weighty as it is. The advice the author provides comes from a background of success across consulting, startups and established companies. Quotes and adages from well-known leadership gurus are sprinkled throughout to hammer home the points.