A local woman has done it again! Dorie Clark, who had such success with her first book, “Reinventing You,” has a new handbook for people wanting to get ahead in their careers in “Stand Out: How to Find Your Breakthrough Idea and Build a Following Around It.”
Clark stresses that it is not enough to work hard, but that you must share your unique perspective and inspire others. She acknowledges that to do this you must develop ideas that set you apart, build an audience, communicate your message, and encourage others to embrace your vision.
Become a thought leader, she stresses, and ask what others are overlooking, what is thought to be impossible in your field and what initiative would change how your field operates. You will face competition and have trouble gaining recognition, as others will trust the established experts, she admits, but you must distinguish yourself. Clark says you must be willing to expand your niche, and asks, “What adjacent areas can you move into?”
Clark advises readers to keep up with news events, provide new research, study other fields, and create a framework that can be helpful to others in the same areas of expertise.
Clark also emphasizes the power of local help, and suggests blogging, saying, “Go where the people are, and listen.”
As a marketing and strategy consultant and frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur, and Forbes, Clark recommends writing a book. She serves as an adjunct professor of business administration at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.