I get asked often how I can manage to be so ‘anti-corporate’ and still be successful in my career. Often times it is from college students I guest lecture or people in the industry that are shocked regarding the latest post or crazy stunt (like allowing a picture of Brent Lightyear as my profile picture on Twitter). Sometimes, though, it is from someone close to me like a family member or ‘a girl’. Usually they are trying to ‘calm me down’ or trying to encourage me to ‘act more appropriate’.

So, is there some thread of corporate mindset in this BaldSEO head of mine? Is there some thread of professionalism? Absolutely. But this is where it is rooted . . . and not often a mindset that ‘traditional’ people tend to take.

So let me break this down for you.

1.       Be Passionate: Be passionate in your job, your work, your love. Never hold back. Doing so will surround you with other people that are passionate and crave your passion.

2.       You’re No Better or Worse Than Them: I don’t care if it is the CEO of a Fortune 500 company or the latest intern that’s walked through the doors. They are all people. They are all flawed and they are all the best at something they do or know. Learn what makes them tick as a person. Get beyond the title, the role, the job . . . get to the personality, the history, the life, the struggles, the successes that make them who they are as a person. Be willing to share who you are as well and go one step further than they do each time so they can feel more comfortable sharing with you. People are much more likely to be committed to a friend and you will be too.

3.       Be Unpredictably Unpredictable: Be wacky. Be certifiably insane at times. Then switch it up to something mainstream and then back again. It’ll keep the competition scratching their heads and it will help you to connect in more ways than you ever thought possible with potential partners from all areas of expertise.

4.       Flap Your Jaws About Everything: Information is power. Sharing what you know with others makes them want to share what they know with you. This makes both of you stronger. The cool part about it though is that if you are sharing with a dozen people and they are sharing with you, you are exponentially stronger than any one person you shared things with!

5.       Exaggerate The Good In Others: If someone does something for you. Shout it from the mountain tops. Exponentially increase the positives in others and simply be mindful of the negatives. Miraculously, they tend to do similar, which buys a lot of much needed leeway when you make mistakes.

6.       Relax: That is universally applicable. Relax in your approach. Relax in regards to stressful situations. Relax when you make a mistake. The world is wound too tightly help it to see things for what they are . . . a minor pebble drop into an ocean in comparison to all the events that have ever occurred in the history of the universe.

7.       Encourage Criticism: If you are hearing the same thing from multiple, unrelated areas then the odds are pretty high they are true—toughen up and learn to accept it. The faster you hear about your flaws the faster you can adapt to them or change to eliminate them. Figure out how to encourage more criticism not less.

8.       Under Promise and Over Deliver: It’s stated often but rarely followed. Be certain to give yourself some leeway and then fully strive to outpace every expectation. When you fail. Admit it. Beg.

9.       Do It Better Than They Do: Discover the one thing that the competition sucks at and focus on being the best at it. Then highlight how good you are at it and never once mention how horrible the competition is at it. Everyone will already know it. Plus it doesn’t allow for them to improve like it would if you simply stated the competition was bad at something.

10.   Go the Wrong Way!: It’s one hell of a trip to go the wrong way as people are screaming at you, you take unfathomable risks, you have to be relentless in focus, but WOW is it one hell of a rush too! It doesn’t always work out but when it does, it works out huge!

I’ve been influenced heavily by:

A.      The Commitment Pattern: A way of marketing and proselyting by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that teaches a person to learn the cues and relationship overlaps between ones self and others necessary to be an effective influencer. Unknowingly being taught this from age 13 – 19 and knowingly from 19 – 21 . . .it is so much a part of me that although I am now actively aware of it, I cannot stop myself from naturally still doing it.

B.      Sam Walton: His mindset on business has been tacked to my wall for nearly 7 years now.

C.      Dale Carnegie: The salesmanship and overall mindset Dale Carnegie teaches in approaching any task has been a strong influence from my early 20s on. This is partially due to my quest to expand upon what the LDS Church had taught me for the previous 10 years.

D.      Guidelines versus Rules: My parents shared with me why I should make the choice to do what they suggested versus forcing me to do as I was told without any reason for doing so. This has been both a curse and a blessing in my life. J