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10 STRATEGIES TO TAKE YOUR CAREER FROM
ACCIDENTAL TO INTENTIONAL

Know Your Professional Values

The most intentional and successful careers share a single commonality, and that is the identification of both personal and professional values, which illuminate potential areas of alignment and/or conflict.

How would you possibly know which career path to pursue if it’s not grounded in clarity on what you value?

Decide if You’re a Specialist or a Generalist

One is not better than the other, and yes, you may be both. However, to avoid being sucked into the Comparison Conundrum in a world of increasing generalists, it’s vital to determine your primary path.

How will you identify which path best describes your career and what steps you will take to ensure your multipassionate interests work for you, (and your employer) and not against you?

Study Yourself

In a world dominated by an endless array of books, podcasts, blogs, conferences, videos, etc., it’s easy to find yourself studying other people rather than developing the discipline to study yourself. Intentional careers develop when you build the discipline to enhance your self-awareness and gain invaluable insights about what it’s like to work with and/for you.

How much intentional thought and time have you invested in understanding what it’s like to be in
a personal or professional relationship with you?

Illustrate and Recalibrate Your Long-Term Plan

Most professionals think of their careers in terms of what’s next–immediately next. Intentional careers are built through designing a strategic multidecade plan while still allowing for a healthy level of serendipity and unexpected opportunities.

Have you ever thought about what’s next, or more importantly, what’s after what’s next?

Define and Build Your Brand

How you view your brand is rarely congruent with how others see it or experience it. Your brand happens either accidentally or intentionally; both are strategies, whether you realize it or not.

Is the brand others experience with you what you want and truly need it to be?

Be Willing to Disrupt Yourself

“You’re never in the room when your career is decided for you.”
Horrifying? Yes!
Piercingly accurate? Yes!

Your career will inevitably be disrupted multiple times. Will it be by you or someone else?

Take the Lead With Your Leader

The single most important relationship in your career is the one with your leader. Like it or not, your current leader has a disproportionate impact on the likelihood of you being promoted or considered for new opportunities– both inside and outside your employing organization.

How closely do you know their goals, fears, needs, pressures, and own career-track aspirations? Do you even care enough to find out?

Do the Job You Were Hired for, Plus the One You Want

Too many careers are self-sabotaged by blatant opportunism. The most intentional careers balance a fierce focus of delivering results with a deliberate desire to offer more in their current areas of responsibility. The absolute best way to earn a promotion is to overdeliver on your current responsibility.

Ask yourself, “Does my leader see my results accurately and the same way I do, and will they champion my ambition for growth? Have I provided them with clear evidence that is not in dispute?”

Keep Your Ear to the Ground

Gossip is the most pervasive cultural cancer in every organization. Stay far from it. However, intentional careers carefully seek and leverage “need-to-know information” to ensure adaptability and ”sur-thrive ability”.

How adept are you at staying far from the gossip while still being “in the know?”

Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty

The vast majority of open positions are filled through an internal referral or by a familiar network. It’s not just what you know but who you know.

Ask yourself, “Does my leader see my results accurately and the same way I do, and will they champion my ambition for growth? Have I provided them with clear evidence that is not in dispute?”

Most careers are accidental, easily interrupted, and sadly disrupted by other people.

If you want to take complete control of your career and be hyper intentional about it’s trajectory and ultimate success, you must read Career on Course.

Career on Course is ideal for professionals in both the early and midstage of their careers who want to develop the confidence and competence to truly own their professional lives.

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      What those with the most successful careers
      are saying about Career on Course:

      Michael Hyatt
      NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
      NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
      As someone who has spent decades in the corporate world, I can attest that Career on Course is an invaluable resource for career development. The 10 strategies are a treasure trove of wisdom, offering a blueprint to transform your career into something purposeful and intentional. If you’re serious about your professional growth, this book is your compass.
      Jon Acuff
      NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF ALL IT TAKES IS A GOAL
      NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF ALL IT TAKES IS A GOAL
      I get smarter every time I hang out with Scott, and you will too! It took me years to figure out how to navigate my career. I could have spared myself a lot of wasted effort and dead-end jobs with Scott’s advice. Save the headaches and hassles with your career and read this book!
      MJ Fievre
      MULTI BESTSELLING AUTHOR
      MULTI BESTSELLING AUTHOR
      Every new high school and college graduate needs to read Scott’s book and make it their career bible. If you want to prevent a lifelong professional journey of bouncing around and never gaining traction or momentum, then Scott’s book isn’t just a must read — it’s a must absorb.
      Dr. Ruth Gotian
      THINKERS50 #1 EMERGING MANAGEMENT THINKER IN THE WORLD, AUTHOR OF THE SUCCESS FACTOR, AND COAUTHOR OF THE FINANCIAL TIMES GUIDE TO MENTORING.
      THINKERS50 #1 EMERGING MANAGEMENT THINKER IN THE WORLD, AUTHOR OF THE SUCCESS FACTOR, AND COAUTHOR OF THE FINANCIAL TIMES GUIDE TO MENTORING.
      Those who succeed know to control what they can control. In Career on Course, Scott Miller gives you a blueprint to take control of your career so that things happen for you, not to you. This is the roadmap needed to empower you to take your career from accidental to intentional.
      Erica Dhawan
      AUTHOR OF DIGITAL BODY LANGUAGE
      AUTHOR OF DIGITAL BODY LANGUAGE
      Career on Course is a must-have for anyone who’s tired of drifting through their career. With its actionable strategies and expert insights, this book will help you steer your career in the right direction. It’s a valuable resource for those who want to be the captain of their own professional ship.
      Ron Carucci
      MANAGING PARTNER, NAVALENT, AND BESTSELLING, AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF RISING TO POWER AND TO BE HONEST
      MANAGING PARTNER, NAVALENT, AND BESTSELLING, AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF RISING TO POWER AND TO BE HONEST
      I can’t count the number of times professionals, whether early in their career or pretty far along, have come to me confused and troubled about “what’s next.” Too many of us assume the next “job” will just appear. But finding a job and building a career are radically different undertakings. Thank goodness Scott Miller’s book helps ambitious but sometimes stuck professionals shape a fulfilling and prosperous career. Career on Course is a masterclass in career planning and development. If you want to take charge of your professional destiny and achieve your goals, this book is your secret weapon.
      Chester Elton
      BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE CARROT PRINCIPLE AND LEADING WITH GRATITUDE
      BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE CARROT PRINCIPLE AND LEADING WITH GRATITUDE
      Career on Course is an invaluable textbook for anyone who has ever felt adrift in their career. My friend Scott Miller provides practical guidance and a roadmap on how to set clear goals, make strategic decisions, and build a fulfilling work life. This book is a game-changer. Are you ready to transform your professional life? Start reading!
      Alain Hunkins
      CEO, HUNKINS LEADERSHIP GROUP, AND AUTHOR OF CRACKING THE LEADERSHIP CODE
      CEO, HUNKINS LEADERSHIP GROUP, AND AUTHOR OF CRACKING THE LEADERSHIP CODE
      Career on Course is the book I wish I had when I was starting my professional life. For someone beginning or even well into your career, I can confidently say that Career on Course is a game-changer. It’s packed with practical advice and insightful strategies that will help you take control of your career trajectory. If you absorb its wisdom and apply its lessons, this book will be your compass to success.
      Alisa Cohn
      AUTHOR OF FROM START-UP TO GROWN-UP
      AUTHOR OF FROM START-UP TO GROWN-UP
      Scott Miller’s new book is a master class in how to accelerate your career. Written in his frothy style, Scott shares his 10 strategies that have helped him navigate his own course to an exciting and satisfying career tapestry. A great read from a great role model!

      You’re never in the room when your career is decided for you.

      – Jennifer Colosimo

      So act, or be acted upon!

      Welcome to “Millerland”

      About Scott Jeffrey Miller

      Scott Jeffrey Miller is a highly sought-after speaker, seven-time author, and podcast host. He is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author and currently serves as FranklinCovey’s senior advisor on thought leadership. Prior to his advisory role, Scott was a 25-year FranklinCovey associate, serving as the Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President of Thought Leadership. He also hosts On Leadership with Scott Miller, the world’s largest weekly leadership podcast.

      Scott is a founding partner in Gray + Miller –a speaking, literary, and talent agency– and creator of the Ignite Your Genius career-coaching course.

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