Leverage the Power of Three for Your Career

One of my colleagues suggested to me that there is power in the number three and that we should call attention to it as it applies to executives seeking to advance their careers.

Where to begin?

Three is an odd number. This means, for example, three decision makers will avoid a tie, like the Roman Triumvirate, or a best-of-three competition. Three has rhetorical rhythm, meaning when a speaker is listing arguments, three is typically the right number to be convincing without overdoing it. This might also be because most people can remember only a limited number of facts or details when they encounter a list. Three items most people can remember; with four, five, six… it becomes more difficult.

Three is also structurally strong, like a triangle, because it distributes the weight evenly, for example in a roof. Three has spiritual relevance, too, whether Christian, Hindu, or other traditions. And three brings luck: “Third time’s a charm.”

So it is easy to list items that come in threes: “Goldilocks and the Three Bears; Three Blind Mice; Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil; On your mark, get set, go…” [see source.]

What about in business?

“In business, you can use the power of three to define your audience, structure your pitch and clarify your product or service offering and sales strategy. This allows the business owner to have increased clarity and direction of their business and service offerings, whilst still being diverse enough to simplify taking action and avoid information overload.” [see source.]

Here’s one example of a firm marketing itself using threes:

“The “Rule of Three,” a renowned writing principle, suggests that when things come in threes, they are inherently funnier, more satisfying, or more effective than other numbers of things. Think of a famous phrase or slogan and chances are it’s structured in three. […] For today’s post, we put “blood, sweat and tears” into our effort to get you to “stop, look and listen” to the video below…” [see source.]

In this case the firm is harnessing an ancient principle: “When Cicero was perfecting the art of oratory in Ancient Rome, the Latin phrase ‘omne trium perfectum’ was key – meaning ‘everything that comes in threes is perfect.’” [see source.]

Three is not always perfect, though. Think about “three’s a crowd,” for example, or “three strikes and you’re out.”

Another source highlights the fact that only with at least three elements can you have a beginning, middle, and an end, for example, to a story.

And that is exactly how The Barrett Group structures our approach to helping executives find their next position—in three key stages.

First, we typically do not accept the obvious business progression from manager to director to vice president, etc. because this approach is unnecessarily constraining, eliminating far too many alternatives that might be more attractive if the candidate considered them in the first place. Also, staying in the same industry or even city is not as attractive as it may once have been. Working virtually means flexibility, and, more importantly, skills and experience are transferable between industry verticals. Career opportunity is fluid, so candidates must learn to be flexible.

For example, we once helped an older stock trader who felt he was being excluded from career options due to ageism in his historical industry. We helped him reexamine his options and apply his superb pattern recognition skills to the field of big data. And, voilà, new doors opened up for him.

That is why in the first part of our career change program (the Clarity Program©) we emphasize discovering who our clients really are based on their personalities and preferences, taking stock of their current life conditions and what they may want to change. Then we support them in charting a personal strategic plan that lays out how they will attain these career goals while meeting their personal needs for income, security, and satisfaction.

The Clarity Program induces a pause in the headlong rush to “just find a job” that is often invaluable. Here’s one client’s take on it:

I will admit that before starting on the Clarity Program I was somewhat skeptical, as I thought I was pretty clear about my career objectives. Once I started on the Clarity Program it became clear to me that there was a whole other level of clarity I could achieve, and as I went through the program with the assistance of my coach, I reached a level of clarity that I didn’t think was possible. I now have a crystal clear vision for what I want from my next career move, along with the core values and requirements I am not willing to compromise on. I also have a clear sense of the steps I need to take in order to stay true to my core values as I achieve the goals I have set for myself. This was an excellent process and well worth the investment of time.

[Client Dush Ramachandran]

After we have set the targets for a client’s career change program as described above, we then move into the second stage. In this step we help the client package him- or herself effectively so as to reflect the new career targets.

Yes, this is certainly a resume or CV, as well as a LinkedIn profile, but it is so much more. We help clients explain why they are the best candidate for a position even if their direct experience may seem less relevant by harnessing the transferability of skills. So this middle section also encompasses interview skills and handing those difficult questions—now with our AI-aided myinterview Companion software.

The third stage takes place in the market, whereby we do not just mean the recruiter and published markets, but most frequently our clients land through the unpublished market. Tapping into this enormous and perpetually active market is a skill all in itself, one we train our clients to master so that fully three-quarters of our clients land in this manner.

Why is that important?

Typically unpublished opportunities do not have a fully fleshed out job description or compensation plan so that the candidate has much more opportunity to influence the scope of the role and the relative attractiveness of the final compensation package—particularly with our more than three decades of experience at their beck and call.

THREE career change stages that typically yield success, enormous satisfaction, AND income.

Access to THREE employment markets, and not just the obvious ones.

And our more than THREE decades’ experience in helping executives grow and prosper.

Maybe that is the true power of three in the career market: hiring the Barrett Group. Give us a call and let’s find out.