YOU are a start-up
I’ve always thought Reid Hoffman was one of the true visionaries in the start-up/Internet/newest new space. The guy has an amazing resume. Success seems to always find him. He co-founded LinkedIn. He was involved as a board of director level with the founding of PayPal and helped get them to the sale to eBay. He was an early investor in Facebook and Zynga. He sorta knows what he’s doing.
A NY TIMES article passed to me by who else, @Steve83, talks about an upcoming book that Hoffman is writing called, “The Start-Up of You” (I just pre-ordered it for Kindle). In the article, as Hoffman talks about the premise of the book, the writer says:
Hoffman argues that professionals need an entirely new mind-set and skill set to compete. “The old paradigm of climb up a stable career ladder is dead and gone,” he said to me. “No career is a sure thing anymore. The uncertain, rapidly changing conditions in which entrepreneurs start companies is what it’s now like for all of us fashioning a career. Therefore you should approach career strategy the same way an entrepreneur approaches starting a business.”
I had never thought about career strategy in that way, but its dead on and readers of this blog probably understand why I agree with that whole heartedly. It got me thinking, *successful* start-ups have the same characteristics that individuals should have when they approach their career:
- unbridled passion for the work
- an uncompromising positive attitude
- confidence and belief in yourself
- a focus on results and not on putting in the minimum number of hours required
- teamwork and collaboration
I’ve written before about how to be an entrepreneur with a job, but I actually like this mindset better. How to BE a start-up. It’s a great mentality to have. Control your own destiny. Believe in YOU. Approach your career the way a start-up approaches taking over the world.
Go on, start yourself up.
