LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON — Photo by: Andrew Eccles/NBC
I go to bed most nights really happy. I know that sound a little obnoxious. I have a trick. And I’m willing to share it…Jimmy. Fallon. 15 minutes, or more, of Jimmy in my living room puts a long-lasting smile on my face.
(One admission – I realized about a year ago that Jimmy Fallon is not in fact just talking to me in my living room. He’s in millions of living rooms every night.)
I unfortunately do not have Jimmy on my client roster right now (although in case you’re reading, I’m saving a slot for you.) So why am I writing about Jimmy Fallon?
I recently listened to Alec Baldwin’s podcast, Here’s the Thing in which he interviews Jimmy. At one point Alec asks, “Jimmy, what’s next?”
And I realized that even the biggest star of late night – and my living room – thinks about what’s next.
If you, like Jimmy, are thinking about what’s next, I have a few tips for you. And if you’re not, I encourage you to keep reading and think about this. Even on the back burner. No matter if you’re at the top of your game as a late night TV host, or even just happy where you are – you need to be thinking about what’s next. What do you want to learn? What expertise do you need to develop or hone? How can you be deliberate about your career to make it what you want?
Consider author Kathryn Jones’, author of Automate your Routines, question, “If you had all the power, money, resources, and knowledge in the world, what would your dream job be?”
Think about this for a bit. On your run. During your commute. In the shower.
At the same time you need to:
- Know your strengths. Why? How will you know when a good thing comes your way, if you do not have clarity on what you do well? Consider feedback you have received from bosses, colleagues, external peers, customers/clients, etc. Assessments can be very useful for this as well. (I recommend the Emergenetics Profile, which points out your strengths and what energizes you – see my next point)
- Energizers and drains. Now that you know your strengths, make the distinction between what you’re good at and what you enjoy doing. You may be very strong at writing blogs. But if you were to spend an entire day writing blogs, you may be so exhausted at the end of the day that you have no words left to use. Or your brain can no longer function to the point that you are forgetting the best route home. At the same time, knowing what drains you, will give you clarity on what you need to avoid as much as possible. Consider the Energy Vampire – the person, action, or task that drains all your energy for what you really want to do. Not sure what your energizers and drains are? Pay attention at the end of each day of what you really enjoyed about your day and what drove you crazy. What drained you?
- Curiosities. What do you want to know more about? What have you been exposed to, and want to know more about. Where are opportunities where you can learn more? Consider volunteer (internal or external to your organization) opportunities to hone or explore your curiosities. Keep in mind your strengths and energies in this process as well.If you are unsure about figuring out what’s next, or how to bring your career to the next level of success, consider joining the Women’s Catalyst Network, a peer-to-peer network of professional women looking to take control of and ignite their careers.
Once you are clear about your strengths, energizers, and curiosities, you are ready to seize opportunities that align well with you. Raise your hand and let those around you know what you want to do. Let your audience (may not be Jimmy’s millions) know you are thinking about what’s next for you as a leader.
Lesson Learned: We all need to think about what’s next and continually work towards it. Even Jimmy.