GETTING STARTED

THE CONCEPT OF TRAJECTORY

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

—LAO TZU

Every person has a trajectory. Your trajectory is the path you create for yourself. This book shows you how to own yours. The general idea has been around for ages, but it is rarely understood or consciously managed effectively. And when it is, people often take a narrow view based on traditional models that worked in the past. That is why Trajectory is critically important to helping you find relevant ways to manage and grow your career. Every organization has a culture and must decide if that is something it wants to manage intentionally. The companies that choose to do so are more successful in the long run. Just as organizational culture must be managed, you must manage your career—your trajectory. And it is up to you to determine how you manage it. This book will make it immensely easier for you to do just that.

Thomas Jefferson was someone who knew his trajectory. Although he is remembered primarily as a Founding Father and the third president of the United States, his accomplishments were many. Jefferson did not attain that esteemed position by accident. In an era without the many modern conveniences we take for granted, including electricity, phones, and the Internet, he was amazingly productive. He spoke five languages. He was an architect. He was a lawyer. He was a congressman. He framed the Declaration of Independence. He founded a major university, the University of Virginia. The list goes on.

After each of his successes it would have been easy for Jefferson to settle into complacency, but he chose to never stop learning and sought to continually drive his trajectory upward. He pushed for the betterment of himself and those around him, often at considerable risk. He put his life on the line by committing an act of treason against Great Britain when he signed the Declaration of Independence. He did this because it was the right thing to do for his fledgling country, and he knew that it would lead to greater things. You too must do the right thing, always. Do not always opt for the easy thing, as it may not be as beneficial to your long-term trajectory.

We cannot all enjoy the phenomenal historical significance of Jefferson, but each of us controls our own trajectory and success. Circumstance will influence your trajectory, but it is ultimately you who will choose it. From chaos and uncertainty comes opportunity. From opportunity comes growth. From growth comes success. As you will learn, you need to recognize and capitalize on those moments when growth can occur. Sometimes it is hard to do so amongst the daily turmoil, so you have to be deliberate and pull the positive lessons from every situation, including those that may seem negative at the time.

YOUR FOUNDATION

Creating a solid foundation is essential to your trajectory. You must establish strong core skills and continue to build upon those. Success builds more success. Even for our earliest ancestors, success developed over time. It is incremental progress that serves as the impetus for even faster progress. Consider the use of fire. Fire is something we all now take for granted, yet it is necessary for survival. From fire comes warmth and the ability to cook food. Only after this basic need was met could human civilization advance.

Keep in mind, however, that although fire is one of the earliest steps in a society's trajectory, it alone is not sufficient for true and sustained progress. You can build a bigger and bigger fire, but ultimately that will not equate to greater success in fire building. Similarly, bigger and bigger of the same thing in your career or organization is not necessarily always good. We will explore that idea in more detail in Lesson 5.

Consider too the human concept of numbers, another thing we take for granted. Anthropologists have identified the invention of a number system as a crucial step that begins to transform a primitive group of people into a civilized and educated society. A number system, even if it is as basic as using one's fingers to express the numbers, results in many desirable outcomes. Numbering leads to counting, and counting leads to bartering. Bartering leads to an economic system in which goods and services begin to obtain differential value. From this evolves a premium for certain skills and jobs. As these roles reap higher rewards, people can invest more in creating better services and products. As with fire, numbers provide a foundation to do even more.

It is not difficult to apply these basic principles to the world in which we live and work. These two simple examples demonstrate how success can evolve from simple beginnings. It is important to create and implement solid building blocks in your own life and career. It will be these foundational elements that will prepare you to manage your own personal trajectory and success in life. Just as organizations develop business strategies, you must create a career strategy for your trajectory. No company will be blindly successful over time without looking into the future and creating a plan. You will learn to do the same for yourself as you read this book. This is not to say you need to plot out your entire life. You simply need to plot it out far enough in advance to ensure that you keep moving your trajectory in the direction of your goals and aspirations.

WHERE TO BEGIN

It is never too early to start your trajectory. Remember the story about the red paper clip that was traded for a house? It started when Kyle MacDonald traded a simple red paper clip for a pen. He then traded the pen for something better, and continued to make trades until he ultimately was able to trade all the way up to a house. This so fascinated nine-year-old Brendan Haas that he decided to use the same idea—but in a different way. He realized he could leverage the general concept to do something very meaningful. He started by putting a toy soldier on Facebook to see what people would trade for it. He kept trading for bigger things and made several trades before ultimately swapping for an all-expenses-paid trip to Disney World. As planned, instead of keeping the trip he gave it away to a young girl who had lost her father in Afghanistan. Upon learning of his benevolent actions, Disney offered to give him another trip for himself. What did Brendan do? He gave it to a second child who also had lost a parent in war. Remember, Brendan was only nine years old. Brendan embarked on this journey with the goal of helping others. Even at this young age Brendan had a keen sense of his purpose and trajectory. Not only did he meet his initial goal, he was able to expand it and provide the same to another person.

A trajectory is rarely constant, and it does not need to be. A constant trajectory can actually be limiting if it is too flat. A more realistic—and common—trajectory is one that may include shallow rises, flat periods, and rapid ascensions. These can occur in any order, and you will likely have several periods of each over your career. Changes can occur within your current job or company, or could be driven by your desire to make a large transition, perhaps even into an entirely new line of work. Envision the stock market, but without it ever losing value for a sustained period of time. It may remain unchanged, lose short-term value, go up slightly, or it may spike dramatically upward. In your career you should expect and be prepared for similar dynamics along your trajectory. In this book you will learn more about how to prepare for and respond to these situations.

People often remark that you should think of work more as a marathon than as a sprint. It is not quite as simple as that. Your long-term trajectory and full career is the marathon; there will still be many sprints along the way. Give it your all at each step and focus on the moment, but do not lose sight of the long-term goal. Your short-term career strategy will inform and enable your long-term goals. Do not take a new job for short-term advantage; the new job must also serve as a setup to the next step in your career and trajectory. Many people look primarily at short-term gain, and in doing so compromise future opportunities. Jumping to a higher-paying job at every chance can result in nothing more than a hodgepodge of experiences that are not coherently integrated. Changing jobs often is not bad in and of itself, as long as you can string the jobs together to build the trajectory you want to achieve.

PERSISTENCE

Ben Saunders was devastated. He had failed in his dream to ski to the North Pole, something few others had accomplished. He was practically penniless. Gone were his visions of throngs of admirers meeting him upon his return at the airport and agents waiting with book and movie deals. He felt like a complete failure. But he had tried. He and his partner had made it two-thirds of the way to their goal. He began to consider what he could do differently and was determined that he would not give up on his dream. He was going to try again. He began planning and training for a second attempt. Not only did he decide to give it another try, but this time he was going to reach for something even harder—he was going to attempt the trek by himself.

During his solo attempt his progress was continually pushed backward. There were strong headwinds and whiteout storms. Temperatures dropped to fifty degrees below zero Fahrenheit. Large ice buildups required him to pull one sled, then go back and get the other. Sometimes this would require him to hike a total of three miles just to make it one mile forward. He persisted. While he slept at night the ice fields he had to cross floated him backward, as far as two and a half miles. He would spend hours in the morning reclaiming lost ground. Still he persisted. At various points the gaps in the ice were so wide that he had to don a dry suit and plunge into the water. He towed his sleds through the water like boats. He plowed on. After ten weeks he reached the North Pole—by himself! He was only the third person in history to accomplish this feat solo, and he did so ten years younger than anyone else before him.

After the first attempt to reach the North Pole, it would have been easy for Ben to say he gave it his best and not try again. But that was not his way. He had committed himself to a trajectory and pushed himself along it. He had persisted. Your journey may not be undertaken in such brutal physical conditions, but it will nonetheless be difficult in many other ways. We all encounter obstacles. As you will learn in Lesson 2, like Ben you also must push on. Headwinds may slow you down, but you must not let resistance stop you from reaching your goals and dreams.

A MATTER OF MINDSET

Cindy and Ron were both hired into similar roles on the same marketing team within two months of each other. Both were highly sought after by an outside recruiting firm and had outstanding credentials, including top university educations. Both left companies where they were highly regarded, and they chose to leave because of the tremendous opportunities provided by the new organization. Only one, however, was successful.

Shortly after they started their new jobs, their organization was acquired by another company. During this process great attention was given to creating a leaner organization and eliminating redundancy. They were both dismayed when they learned that their supervisor was part of the initial wave of layoffs. The new organization had acquired a significantly more diverse product portfolio through the acquisition, and both Cindy and Ron felt overwhelmed trying to understand the additional marketing complexities along with the management style of their new boss. Though both were disappointed in losing the supervisor they had come to work for and learn from, Cindy and Ron viewed their new situation differently from each other and chose diverging trajectories from that point forward. Cindy decided that this time of uncertainty could provide her with the visibility and jumpstart she sought. Ron had a more cynical view and began to fear that he would be the next to be let go.

As the now combined organization progressed through the merger, Cindy began to learn more about the new strategy and how she could make a positive impact. She went out of her way to get to know many of the new leaders and ask for their perspective. During this time she received a great deal of advice, which she leveraged to further build out her own personal brand. She spent time with the individual product teams and learned about the pipeline and past marketing initiatives. She talked to customers to glean insights about the way they viewed the company and its products. As she continued through this process of discovery she became even more excited about her prospects for making a meaningful difference.

Ron also grabbed on to his work with a vengeance—but in the wrong way. As he was asked about his responsibilities, he was very resistant and protective of his area. At a time when the company was rapidly evolving, Ron was becoming more entrenched in his old ways. He felt that it would serve him well to show others how skilled he was in those areas. He began to emphasize his very strong technical skills, the same skills that had enabled him to differentiate himself from others early in his career. These ways had worked in the past, so he was sure they would work for him again in this time of uncertainty. Wrong. His technical skills were part of the reason he was hired, but it was his creative thinking that really stood out during the hiring process. And it was his creative thinking that he shelved out of fear of not showing tangible work. The new leadership team wanted people who were creative and could provide novel recommendations. He did not recognize or adapt to this need. By entrenching himself in his old ways out of a fear of change, he did not expand his thinking to find ways to identify and capitalize on new market opportunities. He had allowed himself to reach a point of stagnation, which is the topic of Lesson 5.

Ultimately Cindy developed and proposed a new marketing strategy to reshape how the combined organization would be positioned with consumers. She did this despite the fact that her formal job scope was actually limited to a single product line. Her recommendation was a resounding hit with her superiors and was eventually shared with the executive team and implemented. Moreover, her ability to search for opportunities and perform at a level above her job title was recognized, and it propelled her into an eventual promotion and long career with the company.

Not surprisingly the outcome was different for Ron. He languished for nearly two more years and struggled through some difficult feedback. He also began to build resentment toward Cindy as she continued to flourish and gain more responsibility. The organization was near the point of letting Ron go when he informed the company that he had found a new job. The role he accepted was at a smaller competitor and had less responsibility. In his exit interview he stated that he felt deceived after the acquisition, particularly after his boss was released. He further indicated that he did not think he received the resources and support he needed to succeed. This was obviously a bit perplexing since he and Cindy were in the same role on the same team. Ron could have chosen a better trajectory but opted to blame circumstance for his problems. Do not be like Ron. Do not use circumstances as a crutch or excuse. Be like Cindy. Flourish during times of uncertainty. Take the unexpected and use it to your advantage.

CREATING A TRAJECTORY

Each person's trajectory is different, because everyone's lives and motivations are different. Values, goals, and experiences all go into shaping your trajectory. Looking back on the first fifteen years of her career, Maria discusses many major milestones and changes. In Figure I-1 you can see how she has divided her career into three distinct chunks, each based on a different amount of time and milestones that were important to her. This is quite normal. Depending on where you are in your career and life, you may section out shorter or longer periods of time.

In Maria's trajectory you will notice that there are not just periods of rapid growth and change, but also extended periods of relative flatness. At every stage you should consider where you are, and whether you should modify or extend any part of your desired trajectory. When you do this you will be able to match your preparation and readiness to opportunity. There often are opportunities, but people aren't prepared. Or someone is prepared and there is no opportunity. When you effectively manage your trajectory you will be able to match preparation with opportunity, something that many people fail to deliberately consider during their careers.

Figure I-1: Maria's Trajectory

Through all of these periods and milestones you should pause along the way for introspection to ensure that you are still doing that which is important to you. Do not blindly continue to pursue a goal that has less meaning to you now than it once did. Maybe you once wanted to be a high school principal, but you truly love your present role as a seventh-grade teacher. That is great. Do not feel compelled to leave just because you previously thought that being a high school principal was your career aspiration. That's one of the wonderful things about your trajectory: it's yours. And it can change as your circumstances and aspirations evolve.

Maria had strong grades in high school, but for family reasons she opted to attend community college for the first two years after graduating. She knew all along, though, that she wanted to transfer into a large university afterward to get her bachelor's degree. With this goal in mind she received her associate's degree with a 3.9 GPA and was accepted into her college of choice. In addition, she received a large achievement-based scholarship award.

Maria chose a competitive major, and early on at the university decided that she needed to obtain an internship to maximize her chances of getting a good job after graduation. She began to establish relationships with professors, one of whom referred her for an internship. The internship did in fact provide her with the connections she needed; she was hired full-time at the company after the internship. This was followed by a series of quick promotions accompanied by major life events, including getting married and buying a house. Maria then made a major decision and decided to accept an international job assignment. This in retrospect was the starting point for a period of relative stability. Maria really enjoyed the assignment and stayed longer than she expected.

In conversations with her company about returning to the United States, Maria was offered a promotion or a chance to work in another department. Maria and her husband had been trying to start a family, and she did something that five years earlier she never would have imagined: she turned down a promotion she wanted. She did so after coming to the realization that she was at a point at which having a baby was more important to her than her lofty career goals and progression. Looking back she says that this turned out to be one of the best decisions she ever made. She had the child she wanted but also learned an immense amount in the new job, which resulted in her receiving an unexpected job offer from another company at nearly double the pay. When she maps her trajectory on paper she marvels at how the flattest part of her trajectory is actually when she learned and grew the most. She does not believe she would have been offered or prepared for her current job had she not had that stable period. The other jobs provided her with the skills and confidence to know that she would succeed. We will discuss such stable periods in more detail in Lesson 4 on plateaus.

It would be easy to compare the leveling off of Maria's trajectory to the earlier, steeper trajectory, but that would be a mistake. As you progress, you may spend more time at each stage as the scope of your jobs continues to increase. As you progress higher it will become increasingly difficult to move up, and you will need to continue to develop your skills and increase your knowledge even more to prepare yourself for the next opportunity in your trajectory. In Maria's case, the flatter lateral period involved gaining experiences that propelled her even beyond where she expected to be at that point in her career. Because of how well she managed it, her actual trajectory became better than her planned trajectory. Each of the steps in Maria's career may appear easy in isolation. The real magic comes from consciously determining in advance how to string these together such that each step better prepares you for the next. Like snowflakes, no two trajectories are ever the same, but each can be absolutely perfect in its own way.

A NOTE ABOUT JOB LOSS

At this point you might be wondering whether it's possible to prevent your trajectory from pointing downward at some point. Unexpected events occur. As we will discuss in Lesson 6, failure happens all the time. Sometimes the failure is small; sometimes it's big. Most obviously the latter happens when someone loses his or her job. The job loss may occur when companies merge, when organizations downsize and outsource, or when a major mistake or misjudgment is made. Surely if you lose your job your trajectory points downward, right? Not quite. The answer is completely dependent upon you and how you react to the situation. In general no one looks forward to losing a job, and being unemployed can create great stress. But it can also create great opportunity—opportunity that you might otherwise never be in a position to realize.

My friend Cathy was in a role in which she was responsible for an organizational restructuring and served as the face of the company in dismissing hundreds of employees. At the end of the process, her boss told her she did a great job, and then told her that her position was also being eliminated. Through the process Cathy had witnessed how so many people reacted to this bad news. Now she had to determine how she would react.

For years she had talked about wanting to be a nurse but could never bring herself to give up such a well-paying job to go back to school. Upon being laid off she finally did just that. Her first reaction was one of anger at her boss. She felt that he and the company were ungrateful for all that she had done. She thought about suing them for wrongful termination. She seriously considered a job offer she received afterward from a competitor. But I think she took the best path possible—she pursued her dream. Of course, she did not plan on her trajectory including getting fired, but to this day she considers getting fired one of the best points of her career. If that had not happened, she never would have been able to establish her true trajectory.

Ken, who was a vice president and had been with his company for more than twenty years, also lost his job rather unexpectedly. He had many outside business connections, but most of them believed that because he had spent so much time with one company his skills were not transferable. This was actually not the case; he had developed a tremendous set of skills over the course of his career. During his time with the company he remained active in many outside groups and boards. He was the consummate learner. Immediately after being released he began to do pro bono work for several nonprofit organizations. He also reentered the job market. Ken says that the pro bono work energized him in a way he had not experienced in years. He was working on projects that were close to his heart. This enthusiasm carried over and resulted in his getting a new job as a senior executive in another firm. Similar to Cathy, Ken told me that he would never have found the new job if he had not been kick-started by getting fired. He had not even entertained the idea of looking for another job until that point.

Both Cathy and Ken—who chose positive but different ways to react—emerged from their unfortunate circumstances stronger and happier than before. In doing so they kept their trajectories from pointing downward. They used the experience as a point of learning and a springboard. The point of this book is not to argue that getting fired is good, nor is it about answering every question regarding what to do if you get fired. But if you do find yourself in that situation, you must realize that you can overcome it. You still control your trajectory. In fact, a juncture such as job loss is the most important time of all to own it.

Before we get into the seven lessons, let's start off with your first exercise, which you'll find on the next page.

EXERCISE

NOTES