Career intensity

The major point in Career Intensity is simply this, you are responsible for your own career and you alone will determine its outcome. Although David frames the key ideas in the book in terms of forwarding your career or business, the main ideas are essential for anyone who wants to forward their entire life, regardless of economic ambitions. The book then offers many suggestions for how you can better take control over your individual destiny.

This is a lesson that is so often obscured behind complex payment schemes, advertising or monetary systems. The essence of any economic system, and I argue, the drive of any interpersonal action is to create value so it can be exchanged for other value. Many people seem to disdain the idea of becoming wealthy as if it were inherently evil. This argument is based on the scarcity model that says that in order to have anything you must deprive someone else. This concept is fundamentally flawed in that it neglects to mention that in most cases, money is used to exchange value. Most people who have become wealthy have created a lot of value and then exchanged that value for other things.

David brings up a similar point in his book when he says that the cycle of Career Intensity is analysis, value creation and then value demonstration. The basic concept behind this is to first analyze how you can create the most value. This is especially true of your vocation in life. Determining how you can currently create the most value for your business or career positions yourself to make money. I personally believe that this is also true for any aspect of your life. By analyzing your situation and finding a way to maximize the amount of value you can create, either for yourself or others, you can ensure prosperity in far more than monetary terms.

The second step in Career Intensity is value creation. This means actually going out and doing what you had decided would be the best way for you to create value. Once you have decided how your talents, abilities and passions could provide maximal value to others and yourself, go out and pursue that. Usually the method that creates the most value is the area you are most passionate about. Humans feel immensely passionate about something that they can create genuine value in.

The final step is value demonstration. In other words, marketing. You need to demonstrate to other people the value you have created. As David points out, it is important to establish relationships and position yourself in your career so the value you create is recognized. If I were to adjust this perspective to a personal development approach I would offer that it is important that you measure and reflect where you are actually creating value for yourself and others. By positioning yourself so that others can see the value you are created it will become easier to share and create.

David makes an excellent point about being able to master a short interaction. He brings up his example of the "Starbucks Speech". The Starbucks Speech is basically the speech you give to someone to establish a relationship in the few minutes while your coffee is being prepared with the other person waiting for their coffee at Starbucks.

Source: www.scotthyoung.com