Your Pivot Might Feel Like a Disaster. You Have to do it Anyway. A conversation with LinkedIn's Dan Roth
Nov 26, 2024
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This week, Suzy talks with Dan Roth, the Editor-in-Chief of LinkedIn News, known for revolutionizing the platform's content strategy. They dive into the emotional rollercoaster of career pivots, discussing the challenges of identity loss and self-worth. Dan shares his transformative journey from traditional journalism to a vital role at LinkedIn, emphasizing the importance of resilience and adaptability. Their candid conversation highlights how overcoming obstacles can lead to personal and professional growth, inspiring listeners to embrace their own changes.
Dan Roth's courageous career pivot from traditional journalism to a tech environment illustrates the importance of confronting fears during significant transitions.
Identifying one's 'area of transcendence' is essential for aligning personal values and market needs, facilitating fulfillment and adaptability in a changing job landscape.
Deep dives
The Courage to Pivot
Making significant career changes often requires a leap of faith, as illustrated by Dan Roth's journey from traditional journalism to a tech company. Roth faced a challenging transition when he left a well-known media career to become the first editor at LinkedIn, where his identity as a journalist felt diminished and unrecognized. This pivot involved embracing a new identity and navigating the uncertainty that came with it, highlighting that the path of transformation is rarely straightforward. Ultimately, the willingness to confront his fears and embrace change proved essential for Roth to successfully carve out a new role within the evolving landscape of media.
Finding Your Area of Transcendence
Roth emphasizes the importance of discovering one's 'area of transcendence'—the intersection of personal values, skills, and viable interests—as a foundation for career decisions. His successful alignment with this concept at LinkedIn showcases how leveraging deep knowledge of one's abilities coupled with a clear understanding of market needs can lead to fulfillment in work. Despite initial struggles and doubts, Roth learned to navigate his new environment by identifying what he loved most about storytelling and connecting with people. This adaptability facilitated not only his growth within the company but also allowed him to thrive in the new digital content landscape.
The Power of Relationships
Building strong relationships and seeking mentorship played a crucial role in Roth's transition at LinkedIn. He found support from colleagues who recognized his potential and encouraged him to share his insights, even when he felt out of place. Ryan Rosansky, a key supporter, helped Roth find his footing by integrating him into discussions and validating his contributions, reminding Roth of his capabilities. This highlights how having advocates in your professional journey can make a significant difference in overcoming challenges and regaining confidence during periods of change.
Embracing Change and Lifelong Learning
Roth's experience underscores the necessity of adaptability in an ever-evolving job market, especially in light of technological advancements that constantly reshape industries. He emphasizes that career paths are not fixed; thus, professionals must remain open to learning and evolving their skills to stay relevant. Roth’s ability to recognize that not just the tasks, but the entire nature of work is changing, propelled him to explore opportunities beyond traditional media. Ultimately, approaching change with a mindset geared towards learning enables individuals to navigate transitions successfully, encouraging exploration of new competencies and realms.
Buckle up because this week the topic is change -- big change. Specifically, we're talking about career pivots, which are not only good for your personal growth, but often necessary for your professional survival. Does that make them easy? Good freaking lordy-lord no! Are you kidding? That's why this week, Suzy talks to a person who made a brilliant and heroic pivot, only to walk through fire before (eventually) reaching his hoped-for mountaintop. Such a journey will probably happen to you too, if your Becoming You journey includes a pivot. But Suzy's interview this week will give you the resolve and courage, not to mention some actionable advice. Tune in for her poignant, funny, useful, and altogether relatable conversation with the amazing and amazingly candid Dan Roth, Editor-in-Chief of LinkedIn.