Be A Player - Titles Are So 20th Century

Titles don't matter, or at least not for long.  The average Chief Executive Officer only keeps that title for about 56 months.  The average Chief Marketing Officer keeps it for about two years. 

What does matter is being able to stay in the game, no matter how the rules may be changing.  In his book "Re-Imagine: Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age," management visionary Tom Peters tells us to wake up to the brave world of technology and change everything about how we plan our professional life and maybe become very successful.  Peters calls that new way Being A Player.

Think Player Bill Clinton.  No title, but lots of influence and everyone wants him around to think with them, talk, raise money.  Think Steve Jobs who no one refers to by his title at Apple.  Jobs flits from smart project to smart project.  Think Angelina Jolie.  She's made the globe her sandbox and has created a very complex way of play.  Acting career?  That's too narrow a role.

How I started to become a player and stop being an entrepreneur, vendor, public relations pro and all those 20th century roles is by taking full responsibility for my own survival.  Forget reading THE WALL STREET JOURNAL's "Career Journal." Forget searching for a mentor, at least not after you've been earning a living for a few years (that includes delivering pizzas).  Forget loyalty to an idea, organization, boss or client.

It's all about us.  For me that has meant only doing work that I can leverage for other work.  Players never evereverever approach the game as simply the need to earn a living.  It's all about leverage.  I don't accept an assignment in order to pay my rent.  I accept it because I know that I will make the contacts, pick up the skills, and understand the concepts I need to land me the next assignment, at a little higher price that I billed for the last assignment.

Being a player also means dumping from my network the clueless.  If they're out of work or new clients for more than two months and still don't get it, cut 'em loose to hang out in Starbucks with laptops and cell phones and pretend they're up to something.  Yes, the world is moving as quickly as it seems to be moving. 

One other lesson I had to get down cold: Be visible, even if 20th century types label me obnoxious.  When agents ran the old Hollywood they called that "being in traffic." We call it personal branding.  The day I haven't enhanced my personal brand by accomplishing something over-the-top or attracting 12,000 clicks on this blog is a day I've lost and will never get back.  Each day in the game is a use it or lose it.  No holidays, not even Christmas.  You bet I put it out there on my blog even on that holy day that's become pretty controversial.

The best way to morph from earning a living to being a player is to observe other players.  Don't judge.  Don't recoil in horror.  Don't try to fix their game.  Just consider where they are and where you are.  The latter you can change.