Christopher Lochhead is a #1 Best Selling Amazon Author and “Top 30” rated Podcaster who now hosts the podcast “Follow Your Different.” He’s been an advisor to over 50 venture-backed startups, and a former three-time Silicon Valley Chief Marketing Officer, and he’s the co-author of two best selling books.
Chris’ story is anything but ordinary. He went from being a kid with a paper route who got kicked out of high school to starting an Information Technology Company, Mercury Interactive, and selling to HP for $4.5 billion.
“Sometimes in life you just jump off the high dive and start swimming,” said Chris.
Tune in to hear how Chris achieved stunning success on the Find Your Passion Career Podcast!
Chris’s path to his passion career wasn’t necessarily straightforward. He was always creative as a kid, dreaming of becoming a rockstar like Joey Ramone or David Lee Ross.
It should be no surprise then to learn that when it comes to being unique, Chris has no issues.
“My dream is that more and more people focus on what makes them exponentially different as opposed to incrementally better,” added Chris.
What could be more ‘different’ than starting your own career at the age of 18? How about doing so in a market that you have no clue about.
That’s right, Chris ventured into the computer industry knowing zilch about technology!
Using failure to fuel success
I know what you’re thinking, “Somehow Chris turned into a computer industry expert or why else would I be reading about him?” Well, that’s not the case.
Chris experienced major failure, even showing up to a sales meeting with the price tag still attached to the sleeve of his suit. And he learned the hard way that he needed to do his homework, getting called out by a CTO for not knowing the ins and outs of the technology. Fortunately for us, he lived to tell the tale.
“Other people make you successful, but you’ve got to give them a reason to help make you successful…you’ve got to show up…in a lot of ways, success is about failing in the right direction,” Chris said.
Making a difference
Resilient doesn’t even begin to describe Chris. Chris took the failure he experienced and turned it into a learning experience. He manifested from a scrappy kid to a Silicon Valley Chief Marketing Officer, and used the power of open-ended questions to fuel his success. These are engaging, conversation-starting questions, that show other people YOU care.
The key to mastering the open-ended question is simple – do your homework! Research the company you’re applying for, come prepared with specific questions, jot notes down during the interview.
As Chris simply puts it, “No matter what, train yourself to be a legendary result producer.”
Think about how you can surround yourself with legendary people. This is the key to living a legendary life. Ask yourself: Who can I surround myself with that challenges me to be the best version of myself? Then start making that shift. Gravitate towards these people.
Download our podcast interview with Chris here on iTunes!
Once you’re inspired by Chris’s story, we would love to read your review. Thanks so much!
Shoutout to our sponsor Cutco & Vector Marketing! Check out their summer job opportunities here: http://www.workforstudents.com/college. It’s not about the knives, it’s about the relationships you create
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