In this time of upheaval in professional life, we are all struggling to find out the new rules. Therefore, it's imperative that we deconstruct the possible strategy Greg Smith used.
He was once an employee at Goldman Sachs. Not a household name but making a very good living. Then he decided to quit because of what he perceived as unethical behavior. He detailed all that in an opinion-editorial in THE NEW YORK TIMES. Many shook their heads and said that Smith had just committed career suicide.
That might have been true before careers were turned upside down. Instead of self-destructing, Smith has received a $1.5 million advance from Grand Central, a Hatchette imprint, for a a tell-all book, reports Brett Smiley in NEW YORK Magazine.
What might we learn from this windfall? At the top of the list is to take risks. Smith likely got insight into that from being on Wall Street. Lawyers have to ask themselves if they are playing the game too cautiously? Secondly, it doesn't really matter what the media and people are saying. What matters is outcomes. Being badmouthed might have become irrelevant. And, third, re-package experience into something that sells. Lawyers are very bad at doing that. Otherwise they wouldn't be unemployed so long after losing their slots in law firms.
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