50 Ways to Transform Yourself (Tom Peters)

One of my favorite professors in grad school gave me a book:  Tom Peters' Reinventing Work: The Brand You 50, Fifty Ways to Transform Yourself from an "Employee" into a Brand that Shouts Distinction, Commitment, and Passion.  I pulled it off the shelf the other day after reading a book very similar to it but not as good:  Me, 2.0. 

The following items come from the Introduction to Peters' small book, in what he calls a contrast between "a-Day-in-Dilbertland-in-'Right-sized'-Towers" and the "Liberating-New-World-Order-of-brand-new-Brand-You" (6-7).  I give you 10 of the 20 he lists:

	“Brand You” World		“Employee” World
1	Working on a memorable (WOW) project. (If it’s not WOW…I’ll make it WOW…or bust trying!)		Doing what’s been assigned.
2	Committed to my craft.  Intend to be incredibly good at s-o-m-e-t-h-i-n-g.		Working assiduously on inbox contents.
3	Don’t waste a single lunch …  networking is my mantra.		Lunch is my business!
4	Willing to take a “lowly” task if I can turn it into something “cool.”		Don’t try to push bullshit off on me, bro.
5	Understand that Projects-Are-Me. Period. (This ain’t funny: I am my project “portfolio.”)		I  show up.  I don’t make waves.
6	Think “fun” is cool!		A day at work is a day at work. Don’t make a congressional case out of it.
7	Am (frequently) angry at our slowness to change.		C’est la vie.
8	Love bright colors.		Gray is beautiful. (Invisibility rules.)
9	Embrace life.		There’s enough shit that comes your way without asking for more.
10	Chose this project because it will add to my learning / because it will s-t-r-e-t-c-h me / because it allows me to hang with cool people.		It’s what the boss told me to do.

Not everyone will "get" this list, and that's OK.  For those of us who do get it, well, we get it.  But I  I need to revisit this book from time to time, especially as I make changes in my life and remove myself from an "employee" world.  If nothing else, this list reminds me that I recently made a very good decision.

Comments

[Bright Star (B*)]

This is a great list. Right now, I feel like I'm living somewhere between both columns, and I have been feeling the urge to turn more toward the left hand side... It's been a tension for me.

[Julie]

Such perfect timing for me. I just set new goals for my business's growth and this matches how I'm attacking it. :)

[Mike Brown]

I've been following your blog and twitter feeds and didn't realize you were at NCSU! (Got my BA English there in 1983. Did you work with Dr. Covington?)

I'll be entering UNC this fall for an Info Science PhD -- at the age of 48, leaving my job, rolling the dice, absolutely sure that someone there will realize they made a mistake in letting me in. Anxiety and anticipation in equal measures. But also wonderful love and support from my family and new friends.

Thanks for doing this blog. It's been encouraging and exciting to see your progress.