From Intern to VP®

First, this book is for everyone. Whether you are going into a more traditional area of business as an entrepreneur, corporate executive, attorney, engineer, or doctor—a creative area of business as a singer, dancer, artist, or producer—plan to be on the athletic scene as a player, coach, or commentator, have chosen something different or simply don’t know what you want to do, this book will help you build your brand in business and in life. Some of the best athletes become the greatest of all time when they are able to combine their skills and capabilities with what they learn from their coach. Most people don’t get access to a professional coach until they hit a certain status in their careers. I don’t want you to have to wait until then. I created this extensive and personalized professional coaching session for you so that you can take advantage of having a coach now and get ahead in your professional game! I hope you are ready to run because I’m ready to run with you to help you enhance your vision, values, thoughts, and execution for your career development in real time. What if I told you that by the time you finish this book, you will have a clearer perspective about yourself and your next steps? If you answer all the questions I have prepared for you, you will advance in real time more than you can imagine. I want you to envision what it’s going to be like once you have your professional objectives, growth strategies, language and script, presence, and more fine-tuned for where you’re going. I am going to coach you through and get you ready for the great things that are coming next. Success has a lot to do with preparation, great decision-making, and being responsible in the areas of your life that you can control. From Intern to VP® is a personal, extensive, and tailored professional coaching experience that has guided professionals across the United States to excel in their careers since 2011. It’s not enough to just go work for a company or sit in a partnership. The sweet spot—in whatever business you go into—is when you learn how to become an amazing professional partner and valued asset to any team you join. From Intern to VP® has prepared many people to develop mindsets that help them: • turn their purpose and passion into their profession • build professional brand names that they’re excited about and are significant in their industry of choice • make their business opportunities (jobs, partnerships, meetings, interviews, internships, and volunteerism) work for them • create the lives they want We don’t always know where the opportunities that we’re presented with will lead us, but when we align ourselves with those who have the potential to connect us to our dreams, we typically gain something great and unexpected. You will grow through this process, and I am going to give you everything I can within the pages of this book. Whether you are reading this because your company gave it to you as a part of your training and orientation, you’re looking to make moves on your own, or you received it from your school, this book will help you advance your perspective and professional life. Congratulations on taking control in this next step towards your success! It will give you an advantage and provide you with a mentality that will be useful throughout your career. In the future, the question will not be “Will I be given opportunities?” Instead, it will be “Have I taken the time to determine what the right opportunities are for me?” and “Have I prequalified myself for them?” Whenever you’re working with anyone, you should know a bit about who they are so that you know how and why you should gain insight from them. Since I’m going to be your coach through this part of your professional and leadership development, I’d like to take a moment to introduce myself. As an executive advisor, an international speaker, an author, and a producer, I work with Fortune 100/500 companies, entrepreneurs, professional athletes, TV and film directors, young professionals, and more. During this process, I’ll be here to work with you one-on-one. I’m excited to help you excel in the specific career or industry of your choice and build a substantial professional brand name. I am working with you because I know that, with guidance, you can push through to your defined level of success. Prepare to highlight the tips, tools, and strategies that I have outlined for you in this book. Everything I ask and share with you is about and is for you. Get your mind ready to fill these pages with your goals, visions, and thoughts so that you can create action plans that move your life forward in real time. I started my career in high school, and I know what it’s like to be young and have a desire to do great things while needing support and direction. I know what it’s like to have a vision and an interest in contributing to the world in more than one area of business. I went from being a sixteen-year- old intern in Hollywood to becoming a television executive, which is where I worked for twenty years. While I was there, my interest in writing led me to write my first book, which prompted an invitation to the White House. I took key principles from that book and developed the Intern to VP® program so that young adults like you would have the knowledge and support to focus on: • who you are • who you want to become • how to draw a map to where you want to go • what you plan to do and how you plan to lead when you arrive I was blessed to learn a lot along the way up, but if I had been given all the knowledge, insight, and direction in this book going into my career, I would have taken larger steps and moved forward on a different level. I do not want to guide you onto anyone else’s pathway; instead, I want to coach you to strategically grow and excel on your journey. Every page that you turn to will have a reminder, a tip, or a strategy. Every question has been developed to take you to your next answer. Together, we are going to enhance your vision for your future based on who you are today and where you want to go next. When working with CEOs and entrepreneurs, I often help them develop what I call their Executive Scripts. I help them develop the answers, questions, and statements they want to provide to others based on the intentions of their vision. I’ll help you with this with the professional scripting assistance I have included for you. Every question has been intentionally designed to help you: • discover and articulate your thoughts and intentions • develop your professional scripts • design your life’s road map The professional scripting assistance is a priceless part of our work together, but the only way this gift will be worth anything to you is if you activate it by answering every question openly and honestly. If you don’t have an answer right away, it’s okay. However, make sure you stop and find the answer by researching, interviewing others, or reflecting about how you really feel. You should not be pushed into a specific career path; instead, you should be guided in how to investigate which long-term career choices will work best for you based on certain aspects of who you are. Our work together is intended to help you figure out, determine, and announce who you are and where you want to go. This will help you get to where you’re meant to be and will serve as an asset for those who are willing to give you an opportunity to work with them. I’ll assist as a driver to get you to your next steps, but your answers will create the road map for where we’re going. The questions I ask you today will be asked repeatedly by other people at different levels of your career. Having your answers ready now will help you when you get to where you’re going.