Tactics for navigating uncertainty

We are all living through a very uncertain time, whether we like it or not.

At this point in a normal year, I would have had the majority of my summer planned out. Weekends away with friends at the beach, annual trip to Martha’s Vineyard, and bike rides on the calendar to Brooklyn Crab so I could spend all evening playing games outdoors. I’m sure like yours, my summer is a pile of open questions.

On your agenda for this summer, there might have been a wedding that you’ve had to postpone, a job search that now feels less tangible, or a big birthday celebration that now will likely take place over Zoom. There are many empty spots on all of our 2020 calendars. 

Before COVID, many of us had decided at a particular point in our lives to be uncertain on purpose!

What a novel concept! I did that myself back in 2017, when a startup I’d joined wasn’t panning out as planned. It was the first time in my career (since I was 19 years old?) that I quit something without another job lined up. Even though quitting was a conscious decision that I made, it was terrifying! Uncertainty was NOT something I wanted to welcome in my life.

My very good friend Julia on the other hand, took the same leap of faith with much more confidence a couple of years ago. After a long and vibrant run at Adobe, she decided that she needed a break, and took a full year away from her professional career. During that year, she enjoyed time in different locations around the world, learning new skills (she’s now my favorite yoga teacher), and away from her beloved San Francisco. She shared her journey recently on one of Power to Fly’s Live Q&A chats where she answered questions about how she made her decision to step into uncertainty, her time away, and ultimately how she moved forward to her awesome role now at Guru Technologies, where she runs go-to-market enablement (and remains one of my closest confidants).

Many of the lessons she shared can help us all wade through the deeply uncertain time we are each living through, including:

1. Focus on your north star Looking inward and getting to know yourself more intimately can help you stay clear minded, so you come out on the other side with more clarity. For Julia, this means:

   • Detoxing from technology

   • Seeking a diverse set of perspectives - especially look to people outside of your norm

   • Asking yourself essential questions like What lights you up? What brings you joy? What drives you?

2. Quell the voice of productivity by asking yourself, what am I producing with all of this productivity? Understanding the business of productivity and strategies for how to move away from it can help.

3. Trust the process by taking one day at a time, asking for help when you need it, and remembering that people want to be helpful to you.

The recording of Julia’s full Q&A on Power to Fly can be found here. And BONUS, she’s sharing more tactical tips that you can access here.

How to use “weak ties” to get your next job

Basically me, going back and forth to NYC for job interviews in April 2012.

In April 2012, I (Laura) was yet again riding Amtrak back to DC after two straight days of exploratory chats and interviews in NYC. 

I checked my inbox and had gotten an offer for my first startup job: General Manager at HowAboutWe (a now defunct dating site).

My interview didn't come from a job board or my business school network. It came through a connection made by a high school friend I hadn't talked to in over 5 years.

Every job opportunity I've gotten has come from a connection, even if it wasn't a strong one. Turns out weak ties are the way to go.

Here are some tips for how to find your next job by nurturing weak ties in a way that feels authentic to you.

First, the start with the basics:

What’s a “weak tie”?

Weak ties are the people you’re loosely connected to through any activity in your work or personal life. Here’s how they’re described by Allie Volpe for the New York Times.

Think of the parents you see in the drop-off line at school. Your favorite bartender. The other dog owners at the park. The sociologist Mark Granovetter calls these low-stakes relationships “weak ties.” Not only can these connections affect our job prospects, they also can have a positive impact on our well-being by helping us feel more connected to other social groups.

Why are my weak ties important for finding my next job? Let’s talk about pie.

Imagine the jobs you know of only represent 2 pieces of the pie. If you don’t think your dream job exists, go looking in the other pieces of the pie.

Do you know exactly what you want to do for a living? Are you clear on the job you’re hunting for? If yes, congrats! That job search might be tedious but it’s helpful to know what you’re hunting for.

For so many people, the answer is a sheepish “no.”

If you haven’t been inspired by the jobs around you, chances are part of what’s holding you back is not having a model that resonates with you. Someone, doing something that seems realistic and inspiring to you.

If you’re only exposed to your immediate circle of friends, you’re only going to see the jobs that are in front of you. The ones your friends have, the ones that pop up on LinkedIn or get pushed to you by your career counselor.

Consider this your piece of the pie, combined with the piece of the pie your friends and co-workers know. The rest of the pie is unknown to you, for now.

If none of those jobs sound appealing, you have to broaden your view. Get a new perspective. See how the rest of the world works. What’s happening in all the other slices of the pie?

There are likely dozens of jobs out there that you know very little about, but that could bring you joy. That was the case for me.

When I started as a coach, all I knew was that I wanted to learn how to coach. I come from an operations background and love doing puzzles. Solving problems is my jam.  After 14 years of working to solve business/operations problems, I wanted to learn how to help individuals navigate their own challenges.

At the time, being a coach full-time seemed insufficient to make a living and totally out of left field in a way I couldn’t explain to people. No one in my immediate circle was a coach, or even had a coach. So I had to do some exploring. One of my first connections was through my CFO at my last startup, a wonderful friend and colleague named Chris. Over drinks, he mentioned our CEO who I had worked with for 2 years had recently hired a coach, paying him/her a not-cheap retainer. Both Chris and my former CEO, two people I respected, spoke highly of a successful coach. It put this whole coaching thing in a very appealing new light. This career became that much more realistic.

You can get exposed to new jobs by having conversations with people who run in different circles. Through your weak ties.

Where do I start to connect with my weak ties?

Start by identifying one thing you know you like (e.g. working for a particular cause like the environment or animal rights). Then look at all the people who you’ve ever been in contact with. Through sports teams, your alma mater, school programs, etc. Does anyone have a connection there? Could anyone make a connection for you?

What if I haven’t talked to these people in 5 years?

That’s A-OK. You can still reach out. Just acknowledge the passing of time and be earnest about it. One example:

“Hey Jon!

It’s been so long! Last time we talked you were in SF working for AirBnB. Still there? How are things?

I’m reaching out because I saw you’re connected to ASPCA. It’s an organization I’m really interested in getting involved with. I wanted to see if you had 20 minutes to spare to chat through your experience with them. If it’s not a good time, I totally get it. It would be good to hear updates either way.

Hope you’re well. — Laura”

In the meantime, start nurturing your connections with more intention to make these conversations even easier.

How can I nurture my connections with weak ties?

What is nurturing?
Nurturing is a series of touch points with someone. The goal is to know what's going with each other, e.g. where you are today and what you're looking to do next. Once you have the info, you'll be in a better position to help each other out in a mutually beneficial way.

Who should I be nurturing?
Anyone you've ever connected with could be worth nurturing if you think they could be helpful to you and you to them. You already know a ton of people, even if you don't believe us (yet). You know all of your current and past colleagues, friends you play soccer with (or whatever else), book club friends, neighbors you grew up with, friends of friends, your family friends ... you get the idea. All of these are fair game, even if you haven't talked to them in 10 years. 

How should I be nurturing?
Not all relationships are created equal. Your nurturing activities may be different by person. Think about "what type of activities do I already do to maintain relationships?" and "what types of activities do I hate doing?" "What feels most appropriate or natural for this person and for me?" Find a nurturing style that works for you (there are lots of ideas below).

Do I have to get coffee with everyone?
Nope. You might love to get coffee chats, or grab drinks, or have a Zoom catch-up over breakfast. These 1-on-1 connections can be meaningful and useful. However, they're not the only option. Let's check out group nurturing...

What is group nurturing?
It means a touch point that goes to many people, so you get the most bang for your buck. You likely already do this in your WhatsApp groups, text chains, when you’re throwing a dinner party, when you’re sharing an update on LinkedIn, when you play a game of soccer with your friends...etc.

Want to download our checklist on how to nurture connections with weak ties?

What are some of your favorite nurturing ideas?

Sometimes the hardest part of nurturing is deciding on how to nurture your connections in the most effective way. And often if we get stuck at this point, it can lead us to getting stopped altogether.

All you need is a touchpoint that works for both you and them. Here are some of mine and Carly’s favorite nurturing ideas:

Virtual Nurturing Ideas

• Send a postcard

  • Collect vintage or unusual postcards on your trips or in flea markets and send them whenever it strikes your fancy.

    • My sister regularly sends postcards, whether she’s traveling or not.

• Send a mass letter to celebrate around:

  • Holidays

  • Birthdays

  • Work anniversaries

• Send a mass email announcements because you:

  • Are graduating!

  • Had a life event - got married, had a child

  • Change of address - work or personal

  • New business card

  • Want to give a semi-annual update on your new business

• 1-on-1 “thinking of you” emails:

  • Share an article that you think is useful

  • Invite them to an event that you're going to

  • Send something relevant to them that made you think of them

  • Just saying hi

• Send a text:

  • A gif

  • TikTok Video (some good ones)

  • Medium article

  • A relevant tweet

Ways to nurture more than one person at once

• Organize an event:

  • Happy hour

  • Group activity

  • Game night

• Invite them to an existing event:

  • Work event that you're hosting

  • Webinar that might interest them

  • Virtual or real life trivia night

• Attend an industry event:

  • Conference

  • Party

  • Meetup

• Invite friends on social media, in online groups, or on your sports team to read a book alongside you, especially one that’s topical (e.g. How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi)

1-on-1 (these can be virtual or in-person)

• Coffee

• Lunch

• Drinks

• Dinner

• Go for a walk

• Co-work together

• Do an activity together (e.g. exercise class, summer concert, museum)

Want another way to strengthen weak ties?

Join our 5-week career accountability group. You’ll meet others navigating their own career journey and get coaching from me and Carly. We’ll share proven tips to get you moving, feel clear-headed, accomplished, and energized. Join us!

Are we missing your favorite nurturing tip? Share!

Comment below or email us (hello@thecrabwalk.com) and tell us!

If you liked this blog, check out some of our others on the topic of nurturing:

• 14 Ways to Virtually Nurture your Connections 

• Tactical Tips: How to Nurture More Relationships, Faster

• Easy Ways to Nurture your Connections Over the Holidays

Want to download our checklist on how to nurture connections with weak ties?

Crabwalking to a Brooklyn Apartment (from Carly)

The end of the year can feel like a big sigh of relief. You’ve been breathing in everything that’s happening every single day.

For me, 2019’s big breath included: piloting Crabwalk’s 5-Week Program for the first time, saying goodbye to and eulogizing my grandfather, coaching and meeting with hundreds of MIT student entrepreneurs, traveling back to Buenos Aires, starting this Crabwalk blog...oh wait, this all actually happened in the first quarter of 2019, so you get the idea and I won’t go on! 

I spent the last two weeks of 2019 trying to exhale all of the year’s happenings, out. One thing I sought to be better at in 2019 was leaning on and sharing with others. I’ve always been pretty good at sharing what’s happening for me professionally... accomplishments, struggles, interests. Sharing about what’s happening for me personally or emotionally has not been my thing. My parents and husband will back up this claim.

But, I co-founded a business that teaches others how to lean on the people that are in their lives. So, I decided I better get better at that habit - that I’ve so successfully employed throughout my professional life - to my personal life too.

In addition to shaming myself into this exercise because of the business I co-founded, I also know that this is vital because our personal lives are really not linear. “Life” comes at each of us, relentlessly, all of the time and I am no exception to that rule! 

So, what changed for me in 2019 because of this new focus? A lot! Taking steps throughout the past year to figure out what was blocking me from reaching goals, identify what or who could help me get past whatever was blocking me, and asking the people in my life for help, allowed me to take small exhales throughout the year. Exhaling more frequently makes me feel less alone, like I can drop-kick my anxieties away, and it turns out, get the things I want, faster!

I’ll let you in on one personal example from my 2019. My husband and I bought an apartment(!) last summer. It took us 11 months of searching to finally have an offer accepted on a place that we loved. Over those 11 months, we both got a lot better at leaning on the people in our lives which absolutely contributed to us successfully acquiring our current home.

Our community shared their own harrowing apartment searching experiences (turns out, everyone goes through the same hellish experience - we weren’t alone!), convinced me to up our final bid by 5%, and once we won the bid, made the mortgage and moving process a bit less painful because I crowdsourced just about every vendor we used (there are so many options - how would you even pick otherwise!).

The 5-step Crabwalk framework will absolutely help you move forward in your career when you are looking to make a transition, even if the road isn’t clear. But, it’s also a handy tool to keep yourself supported and achieving in your personal life too.

Here’s to many mini exhales in 2020.

Tactical Tips: How to Nurture More Relationships, Faster.

As we’ve shared with you in an earlier blog post, you probably know more people than you think. After spending just a few minutes building your Crabwalk roster, you’ll quickly prove this to yourself. 

What do you do after identifying all of these awesome people in your life? Build and maintain strong relationships with your roster. We call this NURTURING! 

Nurturing everyone on your roster, all the time might feel overwhelming if you are thinking about nurturing each relationship, one at a time. But, what if you could reach 50 people on your roster with a single (not obnoxious) email? Enter the low-tech, super-efficient listserv!

I had the privilege of working under Mayor Michael Bloomberg at the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). In my experience, the public sector is one of the most fun environments to work within because you’re all there for a common cause and mission, as opposed to just a paycheck. My two years there resulted in some of the deepest professional relationships that I have, many of which have blossomed into great friendships too.

Like any organization you move on from, over time you get to watch your ex-colleagues take on new and exciting challenges, and route for each other in a very different capacity than you do while you’re colleagues.

My ex NYCEDC colleagues have gone onto do unbelievable things including working within large tech companies, political campaigns, venture capital funds, policy organizations, nonprofits and, even founding their own startups. They also are no longer all located in NYC, and now I have contacts in places across the country, including Boston, Ohio, Michigan and San Francisco.

Of course, each of us is pretty busy, and even though we have the best intentions, it can be difficult to stay in touch. Becoming frustrated with the amount of effort it was taking to keep track of everyone - my former colleague Matt and I started our very own listserv recently!

In just a week, we have a Google Group of 75 (and growing) former EDCer’s (as we affectionately call ourselves). The goal of our group is to connect, and keep connected, our diverse and talented community. We intend to use the group email forum to post-professional opportunities, cool events (we like happy hours!) and hangouts, political events, and fundraisers, ask for advice, or just say hi and share what we're up to.

Want to set up your own? Here’s how we created ours:

• Go to the Google Groups homepage here.

• Click the “Create a group” button

• Enter the group details:

  • Group Name: “NYCEDC-alumni”

  • Group email address: I won’t tell you ours, but I will tell you that this is a crucial field because this is the email address your entire group will write in the “TO” field of every email they write to the group. So, don’t make it too complicated!

  • Group Description: This listserv was established to foster community and share professional and social opportunities for NYCEDC alumni. Although the group was started by alumni, our community is meant to be inclusive of current NYCEDCer’s plus all the current & former partners who help ensure NYCEDC's success.

  • Group Language: Ours is English

  • Topic types: Ours is just for discussion

  • Posting Option: We allow our Members to post wherever it’s easier for them - by email or on the group website

• Next, you’ll want to go to “Manage Group” to check your settings and adjust as necessary. We’re starting out in a more watchful way than we intend to be in the future. This means that we’re moderating all messages to the group (i.e., we get to approve each message before it gets sent to the group). You will also want to look through the permissions section and maybe assign a co-owner or manager of the group in “Roles” to share some of the responsibility of managing the group.

• Then, you’re ready to invite your Roster (!) under “Members” → “Invite Members”.

• We decided that we wanted to let people request to join (we knew there were people we had missed) but also wanted to control who was joining. You can do this under “Permissions” → “Basic Permissions” → “Join the group” → “Select who can join”. We now are notified when someone requests to join, do a quick cross-check on LinkedIn to verify their identity, and then approve their request to join.

We just sent our first invitation to a group happy hour to celebrate the holidays together. In addition to sending out a note to the listserv, we also sent through a calendar invite so we could track RSVPs. I’m thrilled that I’ll get to see so many of my favorite people in one night!

-Carly

Q&A: Career transition questions answered with Power to Fly

We recently had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with the Power to Fly community on our first ever, partnered Live Chat (check out the recording!). Not only did we get to share our “Getting out of your OH F*CK Career Moment” 5-step framework, but we also answer a lot of your questions, live during the session. The caliber of questions was outstanding so we are sharing a few here.

Not familiar with our awesome partner? Power to Fly was founded by Milena Berry and Katharine Zaleski in 2014 to connect Fortune 500 companies and fast growing startups with women who are looking to work for companies that value gender diversity and inclusion. They are building the platform to propel diversity recruiting and hiring (and they are a team of awesome humans).

Have a question we didn’t answer below? Email us at hello@thecrabwalk.com!

Want to watch the webinar?

Q&A

How do you convince a future employer you can do a job when your past job titles do not match the open position?

In our experience, job titles are mattering less and less - for one, they're not standard across companies or industries any longer. So, don't let that stop you. What can you say about your past experience that demonstrates not only that you are currently a great fit for this open position, but also shows that you will be able to learn and adapt to any new challenges or skills required?

Do you have tips on motivating myself to apply to jobs during busy season at my current job?

I am a huge fan of time blocking which means not only that you schedule a specific block of time to focus on applying to jobs, but also putting a time limit on it! For me, it's less helpful to put time on the calendar to complete a task (especially one as wide open as this!) without an end time. Without this took, I often feel like "I don't know when I've done enough." Knowing there is an end time provides a forcing function for me to be as efficient with that time as possible (i.e., not turn to twitter, instagram, or anything else that distracts me)! Even if it's only 20 minutes every day or 2 hours a week, schedule the time and you'll be surprised how much you can get done!

While navigating a career pivot, what are your thoughts on deciding whether to stay in your current job while searching for another job versus leaving to pursue your transition full time?

The situation is unique for everyone. A few questions to ask yourself to determine which of those 2 options are best for you: 

• Do you do well with unstructured time (because you'll have a lot of it if you quit cold turkey)? 

• What can you afford financially? 

• Do you think that your current employer/colleagues would be a material help to you in this search (if so, maybe it's time to tell them that you're leaving - maybe that doesn't mean you have to run out the door though)? 

• A third option..could you find a part-time gig? Either asking your current employer to hire you in a consulting capacity, finding some side gigs, or getting an arbitrary job? This could alleviate some financial burden and also provide some structure. 

When transitioning to a drastically new industry, role, or experience level, how do you best think one can explain that when applying for roles in which you are senior in other non-related fields and don’t want the “overqualified” or “non enough applicable experience” filter applied to you when it’s too late for internships to get time under your belt?

Let's go back one step. How can you get warmly connected to the companies that you're applying to? Do you have a 2nd or 3rd degree connection on LinkedIn with any current employees of those companies? Or, can you mine your own network to find them? If you can make contact with a human being at the company as opposed to solely relying on paper (i.e., resume + cover letter) to represent you, you'll have a much better chance of making your case. We have some structured exercises to help you uncover who’s already in your network and how to reach out to them for help: The 5-Step Crabwalk Framework: How to leverage who you already know to help you move forward in your career.

Is there a "normal" time frame for making a career shift?

Nope! Definitely no prescribed time frame. A couple of thoughts: 

1) When are you aiming to make a transition? Say it's 9 months - set smaller, digestible goals to help you meet that ideal date. What do you want to learn or do in the next 30 days that would make a big difference for you in this search? 

2) You're going to have moments of "I feel stuck" during this process. We all do. So, who can you talk to and what can you do when you get stuck? If you have a plan in advance for how to get yourself "unstuck", then you will not get in your own way of hitting your goals!

Should there be an objective at the top of a resume? Or a brief summary of yourself or should you just jump into experience/achievements?

Do you have a single, specific objective that you want to communicate to employers? If yes, definitely include it! It will help ensure that you're filtering out irrelevant opportunities that might take a lot of energy and time to vet and respond to otherwise. But, if you don't have a single, specific objective, don't spend your energy trying to fake one!

Have another question?

Did this spark a question in your mind that’s not answered here? Email us at hello@thecrabwalk.com and we’ll be sure to answer! Or, sign up for our newsletter to hear about our upcoming free live chats or webinars.

Want to watch the webinar? Sign up to our newsletter to receive the recording!

Podcast: How to Become “Anti-Fragile” in Your Career

What is being anti-fragile? What I’ve learned at MIT is that means that when you’re in the midst of a chaotic or distressing situation, you’re not only able to be resilient and roll with the punches, but instead, enhance your capabilities in the moment. -- Carly

Carly Chase and Dip Patel recording Soluna’s .

One of the itches I was feeling when I began to realize I wanted to leave Goldman Sachs was to have more opportunities to meet new people, more frequently. Once I started working for the New York City Economic Development Corporation, I not only validated that connecting with new people did indeed make me happier, but I realized that it could actually be part of my future job requirements for any job.

I have continued that practice to this day, and my role at MIT is certainly no exception. There are weeks when I can meet 10-20 new people. One of my favorite new friends from the last two years there is Dip Patel, who is a startup founder, my co-teacher in Building an Entrepreneurial Venture: Advanced Tools and Techniques at MIT, and current CTO at Soluna.

Dip recently invited me to be a guest on Soluna’s podcast, The Kingdom, to talk about the benefits of an entrepreneurial mindset in business.  

But, having an entrepreneurial mindset is not only helpful in business or when you’re founding a company. It’s also helpful in many other aspects of your life, including your career.

What is an entrepreneurial mindset?

At MIT, we define it as being an anti-fragile human. 

To me, that means that when you’re in the midst of a chaotic or distressing situation, you’re not only able to be resilient and roll with the punches, but instead, enhance your capabilities in the moment.

Let’s apply this idea to a time when you were contemplating making a shift in your professional life, whether that was taking on new responsibilities at your job or finding an entirely new opportunity. You certainly wanted to be able to stay sane throughout the process, and handle the inevitable no’s that you would likely get. But, imagine if your reactions during this uncertain and challenging time could have been even more dynamic than just that? What if the no’s weren’t disappointing, but informative and energizing? Just like me, you might find that mindset far more inspiring.

In the podcast, Dip and I talk through some specific anti-fragile traits that we have developed in ourselves over time, and also see in our students at MIT.

Here are three of our favorite anti-fragile traits:

1. Stay open minded and say yes. Stay opened minded enough to say yes when unexpected opportunities arise that could be a fit. You can learn from them, even if they’re ultimately a no.

2. Be honest about, and unafraid of, your weaknesses. Instead of dwelling on them, recognize other skills that help fill those gaps and leverage your unique strengths and authentic interests.

3. Know what gives you energy. Notice what fills your tank and what empties it.

There are many more but these are a start. For the whole 34 minute conversation, listen (or watch!) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxLGSJl06zc&t=1009s

Have any additional anti-fragile traits that you’ve honed over time? Comment here or email us at hello@thecrabwalk.com anytime.