Podcast Summary: Think Fast Talk Smart – Episode 212: "Break It to Make It: Disrupt Your Way to the Perfect Job Fit"

Introduction

In Episode 212 of Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques, host Matt Abrahams engages in a profound conversation with Whitney Johnson, a renowned thought leader, keynote speaker, executive coach, and award-winning author of Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work and Smart: How to Grow Your People to Grow Your Company. This episode delves into the concept of personal disruption, exploring how individuals can leverage self-innovation to achieve career fulfillment and professional growth.

Defining Personal Disruption

The conversation kicks off with Matt asking Whitney to redefine personal disruption and its significance in personal and career development.

Whitney Johnson elaborates:

"Personal disruption is a deliberate process of self-innovation. It's the decision where you've got these very thick neural pathways, these comfortable routines, these super highways of habit. And you are making the decision that you are going to rewire your brain, you're going to create these new neural pathways, you're going to step back from who you are right now into who you can be." ([02:31])

She emphasizes that unlike traditional disruption, which often targets products or services, personal disruption is about challenging and transforming oneself to reach higher levels of success and fulfillment.

Signs You're Ready for Disruption

Matt probes deeper, asking Whitney about the indicators that suggest an individual is ready to disrupt their career.

Whitney identifies several "tells" that indicate readiness for personal disruption:

"When you hear a person saying things like, 'I've paid my dues,' or 'I could do this in my sleep,' or when you're no longer slightly nervous about anything that you're doing, those are usually pretty good signs that you are in a place where you have started to get bored." ([05:20])

She compares this plateau to the "death zone" in mountain climbing, where staying too long without growth leads to stagnation and decline. Whitney adds:

"If you don't disrupt yourself and do something new, your brain and your body will literally start to die." ([05:20])

Additionally, she mentions an intangible yet powerful sign:

"When you have this feeling, and sometimes you can't really even articulate it, but you can feel deep inside of you that you were meant to do more on this planet, usually that's a sign that it's time for you to disrupt yourself." ([05:20])

Understanding the S-Curve

A significant portion of the discussion revolves around the S-curve model, a framework Whitney applies to personal growth.

Whitney explains:

"The S-curve allows you to understand what growth looks like and what it feels like. There are three major parts: the launch point, the sweet spot, and mastery." ([07:48])

1. Launch Point: This is where individuals embark on something new, often feeling excited yet terrified and frustrated. Dopamine levels drop, leading to feelings of doubt and discomfort. Whitney advises:

   "When you're disrupting yourself, it is uncomfortable because you're stepping out of who you are into who you can be." ([04:41])

2. Sweet Spot: After persisting through the initial discomfort, individuals enter a phase where growth accelerates, and their efforts begin to pay off. Dopamine spikes again, bringing a sense of exhilaration and alignment.

3. Mastery: Reaching the top of the S-curve brings mastery and competence. However, it also introduces a sense of boredom or complacency, signaling that it's time to embark on a new curve of growth.

Whitney underscores the importance of recognizing one's position on the S-curve to navigate the process of personal disruption effectively.

Handling Discomfort and Embracing the Uncomfortable

Matt seeks Whitney’s advice on managing the inherent discomfort that comes with personal disruption.

Whitney suggests several strategies:

1. Acknowledge the Launch Point:

   "When you're feeling really uncomfortable, I'm like, 'You're just at the launch point of the curve. It's going to get easier.'" ([07:48])

2. Leverage Loss Aversion Theory:

   "We are 2.2 times more motivated by what we'll lose than by what we'll gain. So sometimes you can motivate yourself to do something new by saying, 'What bad thing is going to happen?'" ([07:48])

3. Connect to a Deeper Purpose:

   "Remind yourself why you are doing this. Allow yourself to connect to a deeper sense of purpose. That's going to help you overcome fear." ([07:48])

By integrating these tactics, individuals can better navigate the challenges of stepping out of their comfort zones and sustain their efforts toward growth.

Envisioning Your Future Self and Career

Matt inquires about practices that help individuals creatively envision their potential future selves and careers.

Whitney emphasizes the importance of understanding and valuing one's strengths:

"Start with your strengths, but it's much more difficult than it seems. Sometimes you actually reject them because they're so easy for you." ([13:04])

She advises:

1. Identify Strengths Through Feedback:

   "Look at what compliments people give you to start identifying your strengths." ([13:04])

2. Embrace and Own Your Strengths:

   "Value your strengths and own them. That's where you're going to be able to do really great work." ([13:04])

Additionally, Whitney introduces the concept of Action Boards (inspired by Tara Swart), which are similar to vision boards but focus on actionable and professional aspirations:

"Action boards allow ourselves to explore a little bit more about what we might do differently by pulling up photos, pictures, images of things that might be interesting to you professionally." ([13:04])

These practices help individuals visualize and align their career paths with their strengths and interests, facilitating informed disruptions.

Ensuring Fulfillment During Disruption

Matt raises a crucial point about the uncertainty of disruption leading to unfulfilling outcomes and seeks Whitney's insights on increasing the likelihood of success.

Whitney outlines key strategies to ensure fulfillment:

1. Experimentation:

   "You're pointing yourself in the direction of success simply by being willing to experiment." ([17:13])

2. Achievability Assessment:

   "Ask yourself, do I think this thing is achievable? Do I believe that I can get to the point where I believe that I can do it?" ([17:13])

3. Familiar Yet Novel Challenges:

   "Is this familiar yet novel? There's enough familiarity and some novelty to make it feel doable and aligned with something that makes sense for you." ([17:13])

4. Alignment with Values:

   "Does this align with my values? Sometimes disrupting yourself means changing your value system to match who you aspire to be." ([17:13])

5. Iterative Process and Grace:

   "Allow yourself to give grace. Recognize that you're creating new pathways and it's hard work." ([17:13])

6. Support Systems:

   "There are people in your life who love you and care about you, and they're going to encourage you." ([17:13])

These steps collectively help individuals navigate the uncertainties of personal disruption, steering them toward more fulfilling and successful career transformations.

Career Advice from Whitney Johnson

As the conversation approaches its conclusion, Matt poses two final career-related questions to Whitney.

1. Best Career Advice Received:

   Whitney shares a transformative experience from her early career on Wall Street:

   "They said to me, 'Whitney, we think you'd be really good at this.' And so I'm thinking about when people say to us, 'I think you'd be really good at this,' and we find ourselves rejecting it. Just stop and stay with it a little bit longer." ([21:11])

   She highlights the importance of being open to feedback and opportunities, even when initial resistance is felt.

2. One Thing She'd Manage Differently:

   Whitney reflects on embracing discomfort earlier in her career:

   "I wish that I would have, at a much, much younger age, seen that discomfort is not a bug, but a feature. Recognize that being in a place of discomfort is a signal of impending growth." ([22:57])

   This insight reinforces the podcast's overarching theme that discomfort is a natural and crucial component of personal and professional development.

Conclusion

Matt Abrahams wraps up the episode by reiterating the value of Whitney Johnson's insights on personal disruption. He emphasizes the importance of recognizing when it's time to disrupt, handling the associated discomfort, and strategically navigating career transitions to achieve fulfillment and growth.

Whitney reciprocates the appreciation, acknowledging the depth and practicality of their conversation. The episode serves as a comprehensive guide for listeners aiming to harness personal disruption as a catalyst for achieving their ideal job fit and career satisfaction.

Key Takeaways:

• Personal Disruption: A deliberate self-innovation process aimed at rewiring habits and routines to achieve greater success.

• Signs of Readiness: Feeling overly comfortable, lack of recent learning, and a deep-seated sense of purpose indicate the need for disruption.

• S-Curve Model: Understanding the stages of growth helps navigate personal disruption effectively.

• Handling Discomfort: Embrace initial discomfort as a sign of growth, use loss aversion to motivate, and connect to a deeper purpose.

• Envisioning Future Self: Identify and own your strengths, use action boards to visualize goals, and align career paths with personal strengths.

• Ensuring Fulfillment: Experiment, assess achievability, ensure alignment with values, embrace the iterative process, and seek support.

• Career Advice: Stay open to opportunities recommended by others and recognize discomfort as an indicator of growth.

This episode is an invaluable resource for individuals seeking to transform their careers through intentional self-disruption, offering actionable strategies and profound insights from one of the leading voices in personal innovation.