I Found It, I Found It, I Found It! I was going through old boxes I’ve had in storage for the last 7 years. I was looking through old pictures from my martial arts training, old copies of different Ninja magazines I had during my early training days and there it was. I found the old book that contained the 3 Secrets I Learned to Grow My Career. No, it wasn’t a book of Ninja secrets. It was a book of career grown secrets I found somewhere. I can’t remember where. I think it was laying around one of the offices I was in at one time. I don’t know who it belonged to. I picked it up and began to read it. I was amazed at the ideas and concepts it held. I stuck it in my briefcase and took it home with me.

It’s a short book, a pamphlet almost. Forty-six pages that contained the most important lessons to my career growth. The book is Fast Growth – A Career Acceleration Strategy. It is by Price Pritchett as part his Fast Growth Training Program, I believe. I never attended the program, just found this book and devoured it. It has guidelines that explainn

The 3 Secrets I Learned To Grow My Career.

The times were changing. Technology was making these changes happen fast. Understanding the changes coming and learning these three secrets help to take me to greater heights in my career and led me towards where I am today. The great thing is they are still relevant today, if not more so. Technology has increased so much more and today we are seeing careers changing faster than ever before. Today and tomorrow, more than ever, You must use these same secrets to grow yourself so you can grow your career.

#1 – Align

Today we must align our efforts with our Audience. When I read this book originally it focused on alignment with our employers. It isn’t just about our employers today. We must align with our audience. We must understand who our audience is and not just align ourselves but Our Brand, with them. We are no longer just employees. In today’s market we are brands and must align our efforts with the wants of our audience. The employer is an audience, as are the people that run the company.

We must be aligned not only with their goals and strategy but also with their culture. “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” is attributed to Peter Drucker. Whether that’s true or not, the quote is and we must be aligned with the culture of our employer or audience if we are to succeed.

#2 – Adapt

The secret then and even more today is that we must adjust our thinking, actions and competencies to meet the way business work and changes now. I thought the world was changing back when I read this. I was starting to recommend email to my employer. My boss, the CFO thought email was a fad. I ended a consulting partnership when my associate told me that “No one would fill out a loan application online. People want to talk to a loan officer sitting in front of them.”

The Internet changed lending and many other business exponentially. Today we are seeing changes occur much more rapidly. We have to stay current and be able to change rapidly. Who would have thought that I would now have a career in “Social Media” almost 20 years after reading this book. We must be able to adapt and change as technology and processes change to remain relevant. Without change, there is no growth. We want our career to grow.

#3 – Add Value

Like the other two secrets, this one is a important as it was then – even more so. This is main secret I have shared with everyone one I have mentored over the years. This one secret is what will make your career grow, it will ensure any career you attempt. It is abundantly important that we provide immense value to our audience. I was leading a session on Building Your Person Brand this past weekend for our Division Toastmaster Leadership Institute. and I explained that we must no longer be concerned with just a USP – a Unique Selling Proposition. We have to create a FAVE – a Freaking Awesome Value Experience if we want to stand out from our competition. Just providing value doesn’t fly. We must stand out from the crowd.

These 3 Secrets I Learned to Grow My Career back then are more relevant today than ever before. As you go back to school, especially in higher education, you must make these three part of your planning and your mindset.

ALIGN  –  ADAPT  –  ADD VALUE