NYC 2017: Keynoter Jenny Blake, Changemeister Extraordinaire

This is the third of a series of Q&As on the featured keynoters for “Pivot. Publish. Prosper.” ASJA’s 46th annual writers’ conference. On Saturday, May 6, Jenny Blake will be speaking on her book PIVOT: The Only Move that Matters Is Your Next One (Portfolio/Penguin Random House, 2016). It covers “anyone searching for an answer to the question, ‘What’s next?’” she says, which is basically most freelance writers. “If change is the only constant, let’s get better at it.”

Jenny’s first book, Life After College, was published by Running Press in 2011. That same year, after spending two years at a technology startup followed by five more at Google, Jenny moved to New York City to branch out on her own. Today as an author, career and business strategist/coach and international speaker, she helps people organize their minds, move beyond burnout and build sustainable, dynamic careers. She has spoken and consulted at Google, Yale, Parsons, MIT, UCLA, TEDxCMU, Best Buy and many others. Generous with ideas and advice, Jenny provides templates and tips to help you organize your book writing and promotion. Even more information can be found on her #PivotList newsletter and Pivot Podcast.

ASJA Confidential  caught up with Jenny during a brief respite from her busy book touring and speaking schedule.

How has PIVOT been received? Along with getting a 2016 Axiom business book award, PIVOT was selected by JP Morgan funds for their client #NextList2017, and Business Insider named it among the 20 best business books of 2016 -17. It has opened the door for numerous speaking and client consultation opportunities, including the ASJA conference. Needless to say, I’m thrilled.

While constant and inevitable, change is one of the biggest challenges most people face. How do you help them manage?   By emphasizing the importance of small experiments, what I call “pilots.”  Instead of pressuring yourself to make a big change, take little steps, which breaks things down into manageable chunks. That way, you learn whether or not it’s something you enjoy, something you can become an expert in and whether there’s a market for your new plan. You can get ideas by asking yourself, “Where do I want to end up a year from now?” “What would my ideal day look like?” and “How am I spending my time and what kind of impact am I making?”

How can pivoting help writers in their own careers?  My biggest suggestion would be not to take the pivot personally, because sometimes it may be unplanned or unasked for, such as the loss of a major client or magazine gig. This helps you see new opportunities instead of obstacles. If, for example, you’re on a plateau and things aren’t going the way you like, that may be a sign that you may have veered off track.  So it’s time to revisit what is working, rather than what is not. Look at what others are doing and get advice. Double down on your strengths and visions and search for pilots that will help you get to where you want to be.  

Any specific strategies or tips?  Regardless of the size of the project, always have an elevator pitch handy. And recognize that pivots are the new normal and that they can, if handled correctly, enhance rather than cause the collapse of businesses and careers. We writers are a pretty agile bunch; many of us have multiple sources of income. So we can stay ahead of the game by initiating pivots when we feel we’ve outgrown clients or specific career paths. And writing itself is a form of self-expression so once again we’re jumping on the curve because we are already communicating the message of change.

How do you, yourself, walk the walk?  Rather than a ladder, which is static and unmoving, I look at my career – as well as that of others —  as a smartphone that is adaptable and customizable. Every January (and sometimes February) I live abroad to experiment with running my business from anywhere–not just in theory, but in mosquito-ridden practice. My love language for giving is acts of service: I thrive when helping others. I am also a certified professional coach and a yoga teacher, which require two different skill sets.  So my challenge is making sure I maintain my own center—a balancing act that I learn from daily.