Uncage Yourself

OVERVIEW Today, we cover how personal brands work for digital professionals. Cultivating a strong personal brand is a long-term asset that'll shape your career and propel you over a lifetime. In addition to the "what" and "why," we'll cover an 8-part framework that you can implement starting today. Go deeper with the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter: https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter TAKEAWAYS A brand is a promise. Your personal brand is your promise to the people you seek to serve. Even in political exile, Winston Churchill remained relevant and sought after because of the personal brand he created for himself. A strong personal brand includes the following 8 elements: role models, vision, niche, value proposition, online assets, content marketing strategy, social media strategy, and community value. Your personal brand is your body of work. It’s like an encyclopedia; you write it page by page, not volume by volume. A personal brand is a magnetic asset — it attracts the right people and repels the wrong people. RESOURCES Examples of a strong personal brand in tech: → John Marty: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnrmarty/ → Daliana Liu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalianaliu/ Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw

OVERVIEW "I'm not a businessman. I'm a business, man." — Jay-Z  The Creator Economy is gaining steam, and it holds huge potential for you as a digital professional. If you'd like to start a side hustle or find ways to impact more lives, this one is for you. We'll cover Creator Economy basics, why it matters to you, and how you might get started. TAKEAWAYS Society is experiencing a fundamental shift from the Attention Economy to the Creator Economy. The Creator Economy consists of the platforms, marketplaces, and tools that are decentralizing creative expression and entrepreneurship. You're able to monetize your skills and passions, diversify your career portfolio, shape your personal brand, generate audience and impact, and achieve deeper levels of fulfillment. Beyond just the top 1% of creators making a living, we're seeing the rise of a "middle class" in the Creator Economy. We cover 5 key principles for entering and establishing your presence in the Creator Economy. TIMESTAMPS [2:05] We’re experiencing seismic shifts in the global economy [4:38] How the Creator Economy is opening new doors to technical experts [7:52] 5 reasons you should diversify from corporate to entrepreneurship [9:34] Examples of technical experts capitalizing on the Creator Economy [14:42] Principles for getting started — and eventually getting good RESOURCES Jack Butcher (mentioned): https://twitter.com/jackbutcher Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw Try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter: https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter

OVERVIEW Today we're joined by Lori Zukin, CEO and founder of Zukin Leadership. With a rich history in coaching and consulting to some of the world's most prominent organizations, Lori is a goldmine for understanding the more nuanced ways that leaders cultivate and exert influence. She holds a Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and serves on the faculty at Georgetown University. Before starting her own company, Lori was an executive at Booz Allen Hamilton.  Unlock a brighter tech career w/ Wednesday Wisdom: https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter TAKEAWAYS If we focus on what we love doing, we see more possibilities in the world.  "If I'm coaching, the other is in charge. If I'm facilitating, I'm driving towards a solution. If I'm consulting, I have the answers." The move from corporate to entrepreneur isn't for everyone, but in trying, you afford yourself the chance to experience levels of freedom and connection unlike anything else. Listen to your inner voice. Constantly ask yourself, "Am I doing things that energize me?" Leadership is not about rank, and the smartest person isn't always the best leader. TIMESTAMPS [4:00]   How “love and the bottom line” can guide business growth [6:15]   Why passion is something we intentionally cultivate through trial & error [8:03]   The differences between coaching, consulting, & facilitation [12:03] The mindset shift from technical guru to effective leader [13:42]  The importance of “thinking about your thinking” (metacognition) [15:35]  Lori’s origin story, including her evolution into organizational psychology [18:09]  Taking the entrepreneurial “leap” after a long & successful corporate career [25:11]  Putting in the reps, waking up to complacency, & seeing what you’re capable of [29:56]  How we can apply “COVID innovation” consistently going forward [32:58]  Lori’s work w/ Simon Sinek (communicate while infusing accountability) [38:49]  Step off the “life” treadmill & focus on what gives you energy RESOURCES The Biggest Bluff (book mentioned): https://amzn.to/3CyfmU3 Connect w/ Lori on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-zukin-19a317a/ Learn about Zukin Leadership: https://www.zukinleadership.com/ Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw

OVERVIEW Today, Matthew slides away from the show's usual focus and talks about a difficult incident involving his nine-year-old son. He reflects on how fragile life is and shares some Stoic-driven lessons on how to handle life's toughest situations. TAKEAWAYS It's all too easy to get caught up in "the grind" while losing sight of what truly matters in life. Unfortunately, it often takes a life-altering event to shock us back to our true priorities. Amor fati (Latin for "love of fate") is an attitude that we should welcome everything that happens to us as necessary. We are fallible humans, not robots. We need to build internal capability for dealing with life's biggest stressors. Premeditatio malorum is a Stoic exercise for proactively anticipating adversity to become resilient if the bad thing should happen. RESOURCES Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw Try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter: https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter

OVERVIEW We all face a content overload problem. Everything we need for self-development is at our fingertips, but we're drinking from a firehose and unable to focus. Today's most successful leaders know how to cut through the noise and find the signals. They do this by mastering a key skill: curation. Listen in to figure out the why, what, and how of making curation your superpower. For a weekly dose of digital leadership and career advice, try Wednesday Wisdom: https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter TAKEAWAYS Before the digital age, people paid to access valuable information. Now, we're drowning in content. To be successful, we need to be intentional with our learning and development. For that, curation is your superpower. With your long-term vision of your future self as a backdrop, follow this step-by-step approach to curate your personal knowledge feed (channels and content). Developing your curation superpower is both intrinsically and extrinsically rewarding. Curation enables you to succeed at multiple levels across your digital career: self, organization, and industry. RESOURCES Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw Try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter: https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter

OVERVIEW Today we're joined by Simone Petrella, CEO of CyberVista. Simone lives and breathes education, and her organization specializes in upskilling cybersecurity and technology professionals. In our conversation, we explore the radical transformation that the education industry is experiencing, and what that means for the aspiring digital leader.  Unlock more professional freedom with the new course: Digital Career Flight Plan. Try it: https://matthewdoan.com/flight TAKEAWAYS There's still a significant divide between business strategy and digital strategy — leaders on both sides of the aisle need to further harmonize their understand and efforts. Especially since COVID, education and employment shifts are changing what it means to be "qualified" in a technology-focused job. CyberVista is working to upend traditional measures for gauging a person's skills — moving from static to dynamic. Being a mother has helped Simone lead with empathy, honor the human condition, and see life as much more than achieving professional goals. Digital leaders are primed to help steer organizations going forward as they work to weave technology capabilities into the heart of customer experience and business strategy. RESOURCES Try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter: https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter Connect w/ Simone on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simone-petrella-a213a42/ Follow Simone on Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonepetrella Learn about CyberVista: https://www.cybervista.net/ Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw

OVERVIEW Gatekeeping has long influenced our careers, and it's limiting upward progress for most people. Today, Matthew talks about the five (5) key points that will help aspiring digital leaders better understand the gatekeeper model and how to rocket past the "standardized credentials" game by betting on their uniqueness. Accelerate your professional rise with the new course: Digital Career Flight Plan. Try it: https://matthewdoan.com/flight TAKEAWAYS When America's revolutionary generation died off, dramatic changes in the education system occurred. Standardized education began to push everyone towards the mean. Credentials feel good on the surface, but that doesn't directly reflect capability. In most cases, it just proves we're good at passing standardized tests. It's a game of compliance imposed by gatekeepers. By paying the gatekeeper's game, you'll end up in a crowded space, looking like everyone else. In contrast, a digital leader creates immense impact, steps outside the norm, and champions uniqueness. We're seeing trends of people bypassing traditional higher education systems all together and finding more creative and direct ways to develop monetizable skills. Some industries are dropping degree requirements as a result. Shifts in education and employment encourage uniqueness. The gatekeepers are losing power; now is the time to move beyond credentials. You don't need permission to ascend to higher levels of leadership. RESOURCES Try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter: https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw

OVERVIEW Today our guest is Alexandra Heckler, Chief Information Security Officer at Collins Aerospace. In our conversation, she lays out why a digital leader should take an "ecosystem" perspective when viewing and engaging the business. I hope you’ll also be inspired by Alexandra’s journey — a story of embracing your uniqueness and delivering uncommon value. Accelerate your professional rise with the new course: Digital Career Flight Plan. Try it: https://matthewdoan.com/flight TAKEAWAYS Lessons from modifying a ‘68 Corvette: before moving forward, sometimes you need to deconstruct the system and see how it works. Think like a diplomat — take a sweeping internal and external view of the environment to gauge where digital capabilities are needed and then go build the relationships that get you there. We can achieve so much more when individuals acknowledge the limits of their strengths and, in turn, partner with people who bring polar opposite skills to the table. A solid cybersecurity strategy rests upon entering the environment with bold assumptions about what “might be” and then ruthlessly testing them — discarding those that don’t apply and updating the approach as you learn. Figure out how to balance macro-culture and micro-culture: sometimes you want to be unified with the greater organization while other times there’s value in pockets of isolation. The quiet, listening leader can be a more dangerous (effective) leader. RESOURCES  Connect w/ Alexandra on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandrazofia Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan Book mentioned - The 48 Laws of Power (Robert Greene): https://bit.ly/3Aa98IS Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw Try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter: https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter

OVERVIEW Today, we talk with Mission Multiplier CEO Jamie Miller about the skills that technology and cybersecurity professionals need to become potent leaders. Jamie shares his journey on creating more community impact by building a "get what you give" business. Accelerate your professional rise with the new course: Digital Career Flight Plan. Try it: https://matthewdoan.com/flight TAKEAWAYS While technologists generally focus on solving technical problems, their leadership impact comes from how they communicate and align the value of their solution to the business. Mission Multiplier’s guiding belief: when objectives between people and organizations are aligned, the enhancement to the underlying mission is multiplied exponentially. A digital leader can continuously sharpen their skills by working closely with experts and technical teams in synthesizing new ideas. Cultivate many opportunities, find out what you’re passionate about, and be disciplined about it. Don’t let others dictate who you’re going to be in terms of your career. RESOURCES Connect w/ Jamie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiemiller7/ Check out Mission Multiplier: https://missionmultiplier.com/ Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan/ Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw Try the Wednesday Wisdom newsletter: https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter/

OVERVIEW Today, we talk about escaping comfort zones and why it's essential to strategically design your own career. You can't just let your career happen to you — there's too much at stake. To ensure professional success, Matthew introduces a three-part career navigation system that helps digital professionals take and sustain flight — establishing clarity over their long-term vision while also thriving in the here-and-now. Access the free career navigation course: https://matthewdoan.com/flight For weekly digital leadership and career advice, join Wednesday Wisdom at https://matthewdoan.com/newsletter TAKEAWAYS Digital professionals are vulnerable to trends and market changes that can affect their careers if they lack career planning. Your comfort zone is different from your safety zone. Because one-third of life is spent at work, realize that careers are massive investments. Similar to the navigation systems used by modern aircraft, we each need the proper instrumentation to ensure a long, healthy career.  25-5-1: a three-part career navigation system that helps you "fly" and differentiate yourself. More than other disciplines, digital professionals have abundant opportunities that they need to take advantage of. If interested in this navigation system, sign up for the free email-based course: Digital Career Flight Plan at https://matthewdoan.com/flight RESOURCES Connect w/ Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdoan/ Follow Matthew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewRDoan Check the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZeCjHjtq3g7mIuPwvKRrjw