Do you feel out of alignment with your work? Is your business struggling? I’m willing to bet you feel that way because your work is either out of alignment with your values or you are out of alignment with your customers. Zak Slayback will teach why it is so important to signal the right message to the right people.
I was introduced to Zak by Aaron Watson who I interviewed in episode 160 and we just immediately hit it off. We share similar views on the changing nature of work and in fact, he used to do business development for Praxis, a 6-month boot camp program to help people launch their careers without a degree using an apprenticeship model.
For over a year now, he’s been building his own business, helping people design careers in alignment with their values, needs and abilities as a communicator, a teacher, and author.
Definitely check out his books of The End School, as well as his upcoming book, How To Get Ahead.
Lot of great lessons in our conversation including:
- How Zak recommends starting a job search to find opportunities in alignment with your needs.
- Why you should build systems rather than use hacks.
- How to use sentence completion exercises to help discern what you actually want to do versus what you might be conditioned to want to do.
- Your personal brand and reputation are not what you say, but what you do and have done.
- How to find a real mentor and work with them.
Life Skills That Matter In This Episode
- Align your habits
- Practice self-awareness
- Plan your actions
How Zak Works and Thinks
- Wake up time: After 8 hours of sleep.
- Ideal work environment: For writing, either 1) at a clean desk with dual monitors and an ergonomically easy to use keyboard with either natural light or a sun lamp or 2) a cabin in the mountains that’s at least 2.5-3 hours away from his house
- Superpower: Writing really good emails.
- Definition of success: Growth or progress towards the achievement of meaningful goals.
Inspirational Quotes
“It is better to be in front of the right people than it is to be in front of the most people.”
“A least figure out what you don’t want to do and then try to signal for the traits that remain.”
Coaching Advice
If you feel like you’re getting stuck in a situation and want to do something else or you don’t want to get stuck in an undesirable work situation, Zak had this advice:
1) As a college student, go work. even if you have to take a leave of absence or only take online courses, it can help determine what kinds of work you do and don’t want to do.
2) If you’re currently feeling stuck in a job, start with taking a survey of what things you’re good at and what things you really hate.”
3) Find ways to build collateral and think about what someone might want to see if you want them to hire you.
If you’re reaching out to someone you admire that you think can help you in some way, Zak has this advice for how to create that email:
1) Remember that the email is not about you and run it through the “what’s in it for me” test.
2) Think about what you can offer to make the person look good.
Resources + Bonus Materials
The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem by Nathaniel Branden
Special Offers
Join Zak’s email list for access to Zak’s Top 12 Email Scripts for getting replies from Very Busy People.
Related Episodes
Create Your Own Job With Derek Magill (132)
Knowing When To Become Self-Employed With Aaron Watson (160)
Connect With Zak