Join 60,000+ seasoned professionals who are done with the corporate world. Epic Encore is an almost daily newsletter with inspirational stories from leading experts. Your Epic Encore is about turning your lifetime experiences into the cornerstone of the rest of your life. It represents your audacious leap into entrepreneurship, fueled by the wisdom and tenacity you've garnered in your successful career. This isn't about playing catch-up in business and building a 7-figure business. It's about forging a unique path, using your distinct perspective, seasoned judgment, and invaluable insights that can only come from years of life experience.
Hard work made me invisible
|
Ten years after I burned myself out trying to get promoted… I finally understood what I did wrong. It wasn’t technical. It wasn’t my performance. It wasn’t my work ethic. It was the way I saw people. A few years ago, a friend gave me a copy of the book Leadership and Self-Deception. I wasn’t expecting a gut punch. But page by page, it felt like the author had shadowed my entire career. What I thought was being “helpful” and “dedicated” was actually me being stuck in what the book calls “the box.” ➡️ I saw people as obstacles or problems to solve. ➡️ I focused on doing, not connecting. ➡️ I tried to prove my value… instead of building real relationships. The network ran flawlessly. The tickets were closed. The fires got put out before anyone noticed. But do you know what I missed? Influence. Trust. Sponsorship. Leadership. All the things that come from people—not checklists. Today, I still catch myself slipping back into that old mindset… …but now I recognize it. I know how to step out of “the box” and into connection. I’ve learned how to build mutual success instead of quiet martyrdom. As I transition into my Epic Encore, this is the #1 lesson I pass on to my clients: 👉 Your value doesn’t just live in what you do. It lives in how you relate 👉 The work that earns you a living isn’t always the work that earns you a seat at the table 👉 And the next chapter of your life deserves more than transactional output. It deserves transformation If you’re entering your Encore Chapter, I’d love to help you avoid my mistakes and turn your wisdom into something visible, valuable, and legacy-worthy. Let’s build what lasts. Ted |
Ted Prodromou
Join 60,000+ seasoned professionals who are done with the corporate world. Epic Encore is an almost daily newsletter with inspirational stories from leading experts. Your Epic Encore is about turning your lifetime experiences into the cornerstone of the rest of your life. It represents your audacious leap into entrepreneurship, fueled by the wisdom and tenacity you've garnered in your successful career. This isn't about playing catch-up in business and building a 7-figure business. It's about forging a unique path, using your distinct perspective, seasoned judgment, and invaluable insights that can only come from years of life experience.
Quick question: When someone asks what you do, do you rattle off your credentials like a resume? “I have 15 years of experience…” “I’ve worked with over 100 clients…” “I’m certified in…” Here’s the problem: Nobody cares. Well, that’s not entirely true. They want to care. They just can’t connect with a list of achievements. That’s why I’m excited about our upcoming Mastermind Book Club meeting featuring David Garfinkel, author of The Persuasion Story Code. What Are Origin Stories? According to...
A career transition after age 55 can feel like an unexpected and unwelcome event. One moment, you occupy a corner office. The next, a brief meeting concludes decades of corporate tenure, leaving you with a box of personal items and a sense of displacement. At 55 or older, the world can make you feel unnecessary. Perhaps you have lived this experience. Or perhaps you sense a change is coming, despite consistent performance and deep experience. You might even have chosen to retire and now face...
One of the most powerful stories in Barry Kleiman's "The Playground Principles" isn't actually about what happened on the playground. It's about the man who never set foot on it but shaped everything that happened there. The Blue-Collar Foundation Barry describes his father as a man who "never set foot on the blacktop" but "instilled the quiet, blue-collar examples of humility, effort, and always showing up." This father, captured in a cherished family photograph with Barry and his brothers,...