Author Dorie Clark on Plan B: "You can reinvent yourself into almost anything."

 Quick question, don’t overthink it: what’s your Plan B? That idea for what you’ll do if your job goes away, and your industry flatlines? 

Because this is definitely part of what’s going on this year. Take media companies. I spent most of my career working for them. I’ve been crushed to watch so many talented people get laid off. It’s got me thinking: as we prepare for the next big shift, maybe we shouldn’t be looking for a job just like the one we had. Maybe it’s time to look for something else altogether.

So how do you do this?

If anyone has a good answer to that question, it’s my friend Dorie Clark. Dorie is a master at reinvention. She’s actually written a book called Reinventing You. It’s one of a few she’s written on business, entrepreneurship and branding. She’s also a coach, and she has taught at the business schools at both Columbia and Duke.

In addition, Dorie’s the person I called for advice a couple of years ago when I needed advice on my own side hustle. Because she’s all action. Tips. Ideas. And she’s always in your corner. You can download this week's episode to hear from her, or listen to it below. Then, please, share your own thoughts and tag them #HelloMonday so I can jump into the conversation.

Here are some highlights….

On branding yourself: "When you are creating content, you're putting something out into the world. That is the way that people who do not already know you personally can get a better sense of who you are as a person."

On using social platforms: "What you're trying to do is give people a lens into your thinking and how you see the world. And when you do that, they get a better sense of your personality and what you might be like to work with."

On launching a side hustle quickly: "What is the thing that you can do as rapidly as possible? It is typically performing some kind of professional service. It could be coaching. It could be consulting. It could be a service that you happen to be good at, like photography."

On what makes a good entrepreneur: "I think that entrepreneurship is something that is a constellation of different skills. It is a lot more about willingness to learn and to try than any kind of natural disposition."

On the importance of timing: "The truth is you can reinvent yourself into literally almost anything as long as your runway is long enough. The problem that a lot of people have is that they assume that things have to be an all or nothing proposition. They assume that, oh, well, I've decided I'm not happy in my current career, so obviously, I'm gonna quit my job and then suddenly find another job. In a down economy, it often takes a while to find another job, and it can be very, very hard, especially if you've built up a certain level of seniority, to find another job right away at that same income level."

On networking, a tip: "Oftentimes, people underestimate their own ability to be the host of something, but it is actually such a low bar. And people appreciate it so much if you are the host and you invite them."

?? Office Hours

It's June, which means it's Pride Month in the United States. While many of the celebrations have been postponed, it's still an important time to mark the importance of coming out. This week, my friend Ramon Vinluan will join us for our Wednesday coffee. Here at LinkedIn, he helps run our LGBTQ employee resource group. Whether you've benefitted from people coming out or you have questions about how you can be a better ally, we want to hear from you. And as always, if you just want to drop in and have coffee with us, we welcome that, too.

You can rsvp here, or just follow me on LinkedIn.