This article originally appeared in my Digital Strategy Digest emails. Subscribe on this page to get more content like this, as well as original articles on digital strategy, tools, resources and more.
Every so often, someone writes an article that hits the mark so perfectly that I no longer feel compelled to write about it. In this case, the writer was Ryan Holiday, author, and former Director of Marketing at American Apparel.
In this article, Ryan talks about one of the most important assets you can develop in your career: a platform.
Ryan describes a platform in a broader way than you might be expecting:
“In my definition, a platform is the combination of the tools, relationships, access, and audience that you have to bear on spreading your ideas—not just once, but over the course of a career.
So a platform is your social media and the stage you stand on, but it also includes your friends, your body of work, the community your work exists in, the media outlets and influencers who appreciate what you do, your e-mail list, the trust you’ve built, your sources of income, and countless other assets.”
Whether you’re an employee for a company or you run your own business, having a platform will help to mitigate career risks and generate opportunities for you.
Using many examples—from Winston Churchill to Michael Hyatt and James Altucher—Ryan makes this point in a clear and compelling fashion.
There are many strategic elements to creating your platform, but it doesn’t need to be complicated. Give it a read and think about the potentials in your own career.
Full Article: Here’s the Most Important Career (and Life) Asset You Can Develop