This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "The Startup of You" by Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
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Has your career come to a halt? Where you can find advice that is worthwhile?
Making a change in your career is a big step, and having other people’s insight can help you navigate tricky decisions. In The Startup of You, Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha suggest looking for advice within your professional network because those people may have gone through the same thing.
Here’s how to get advice that is worth your time and will get you the best results.
Seek Information From Your Network
When you’ve built a strong network, it can offer personalized advice and insights about your career that you won’t be able to find in books or on the internet. Like successful entrepreneurs, you must learn to extract insights from your network to navigate uncertainties, stay on top of new developments in your field, and make important career decisions. To know how to get advice, Hoffman and Casnocha advise you to practice communicating with your network regularly to best benefit from their information and expertise.
(Shortform note: While Hoffman and Casnocha suggest you communicate frequently with your network, experts suggest you be careful when consulting multiple advisors because people’s perception of you changes based on whether or not you take or ignore their advice. Studies have shown that, when advisors know that they’re one of several experts that the advice-seeker has consulted, they’re more likely to believe that their advice will be disregarded and distance themselves from the relationship. Consequently, they tend to view the advice-seeker more negatively.)
To get the best advice, Hoffman and Casnocha recommend you:
Figure out who to consult. First, consult with the most relevant experts to your situation—those most knowledgeable or experienced with what you’re dealing with. For example, if you’re considering going back to school to get another degree, reach out to someone in your network who has that degree or works in a related field. After you’ve talked with them, reach out to close allies who know you well and can help you assess the relevance of the information based on your personal situation. Additionally, consider asking people whose judgment you trust in general, as they can often provide valuable outside perspectives on your situation.
Ask good questions. When asking for advice or information, avoid making it seem like an interrogation, which might make the other person uncomfortable and prevent them from sharing rich insights. Instead, encourage a real conversation by preparing a handful of good questions such as, “What’s the most exciting development in your field these days?” Ask both broad and specific questions to get the best information. If you’re interested in discussing a topic deeply, try framing the question in a new way.
(Shortform note: In addition to asking good questions to help your contact feel comfortable, you can also try displaying open body language and mirroring how they speak (such as softly or enthusiastically). Repeat back some of their words, but don’t interrupt them mid-sentence.)
Synthesize the information. Once you’ve spoken with different people, take time to synthesize the information you received and assess what’s helpful and what’s less relevant. Since everyone has their own biases and experiences, you can get the most out of your network’s knowledge by carefully comparing different pieces of information and making sense of contradictions.
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Here's what you'll find in our full The Startup of You summary:
- Why you must approach your career as if it's a startup company
- How to overcome unexpected career obstacles
- The three entrepreneurship principles you should adopt
