Synopses & Reviews
Conform to the norm or stand out? Fit in or break the mold? What's the key to success in the business world? Can you be what they expect you to be and still be yourself?
In The Fearless Fish Out of Water, Robin Fisher Roffer offers a business success guide for anyone who's different, and gives readers a permission slip to celebrate their unique style. Here are the insider secrets to doing it your way and doing it big! You can be true to yourself and you can be your own person—without sacrificing the success you know you're capable of achieving. No matter what sets you apart—gender, race, age, style, attitude, or anything else—you can still make it to the top, not despite your differences, but because of them. In fact, being different is a powerful force if you know how to make the most of it.
At one time or another, we've all been the fish out of water. You might have felt left out, undervalued, ignored, or misunderstood—whether because of your style or your circumstances. But when you focus on the positive aspects of what makes you different, you can turn your differences into an advantage. Here, you'll find personal stories from successful professionals who were also fish out of water and learn how to make the most of your differences with practical insight, easy-to-follow guidelines, and engaging exercises.
You can fit in without blending in or disappearing, because being different gets you noticed. The secret lies in learning how to be more of who you are without alienating those around you. The Fearless Fish Out of Water shows you how to open up to your authentic self, use your differences to attract opportunities, and project a magnetic persona out of those personal qualities that set you apart.
It's time to stop apologizing for who you are and instead celebrate it. You may be different, but you aren't alone. Standing out is often the critical key to success for everyone from businesspeople to entrepreneurs to entertainers. Follow their lead, but do it your way. Read The Fearless Fish Out of Water and learn to show your true colors and reel in unlimited success.
Review
Roffer, CEO of entertainment branding firm Big Fish Marketing, has long felt like a “fish out of water” in the office place (a convenient metaphor, to be sure, but also smart marketing). Instead of conforming to corporate culture, however, she learned to achieve success by turning “uniqueness into an advantage.” From her own experience and others’, Roffer draws seven “career-tested steps” to help anyone facing the daily problem of feeling “left out, undervalued, unheard, ineffective, or misunderstood.” Unsurprisingly, finding and accepting yourself is the first step; later steps encourage risk taking, open-mindedness and trusting one’s instincts. At first glance, chapters entitled “Find a Few Fish Like You” and “Swim in Their Ocean Your Way” seem counter to the book’s thesis, but are rooted in solid strategies: identifying what gives you comfort “so you can anchor yourself in your own uniqueness,” and observing closely the office ecosystem. Thoughtful, motivating and compassionate, Roffer does an excellent job laying out the give and take of corporate culture—and how not to get taken. (Feb.) (Publishers Weekly, February 23, 2009)
Synopsis
Praise for The Fearless Fish Out of Water
"In The Fearless Fish Out of Water, Roffer has crafted a motivational and inspiring text that taps into a theme that has inspired me for years. The idea that within a seemingly ordinary individual there is something extraordinary, and by embracing these extraordinary aspects, one can enrich their own life as well as the lives of those around them. A blueprint for how to apply your personality and your unique abilities to succeed."
—Tim Kring, creator and Executive Producer of Heroes
"Say 'yes' to fearlessness! It's time to celebrate your uniqueness and make it your success strategy. Roffer delivers exceptional interviews with executives on the frontlines of mega-corporations and weaves in her personal experience as a woman entrepreneur, inspiring all of us to define and then embrace what's different about us that can lead to success."
—Cynthia Good, Editor and CEO of PINK magazine
"We need big ideas and big thinkers now more than ever. The Fearless Fish Out of Water helped me see that, as scared as I am, as scared as we all are, there are ways to figure out what's next, and to forge plans to accomplish business hopes and dreams."
—Marian Salzman, CMO, Porter Novelli Worldwide, coauthor of Next Now: Trends for the Future
"A fearless fish herself, Roffer has written a guide to the challenges of maintaining one's identity in the contemporary workplace. Insightful and entertaining!"
—Aline Brosh McKenna, screenwriter of The Devil Wears Prada
Synopsis
Everyone's felt out of place at some point - be they female, minority, a geek, a non-conformist, or just boldly individual. Fearless Fish will show readers how to stay connected while maintaining a unique identity, how to fit in without blending in, how to transform exclusion and have an impact. After all, there is tremendous opportunity for influence when you're on the edge -- you're already noticed! Fearless Fish will demonstrate how to make the most out of being noticed as you gain the tools for becoming more of who you are, instead of trying to change who you are. It will help readers use the tools they already have to find everything they want in their careers -- without sacrificing their souls.
About the Author
Robin Fisher Roffer is CEO of Big Fish Marketing, one of the entertainment industry's preeminent brand marketing and digital advertising agencies, with clients such as A&E, Bravo, CNN, Comedy Central, FX, MTV, NBC Universal, and Sony Pictures.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments.
Introduction.
Step 1. Go Fishing for the Real You.
Step 2. Use Your Differences as a Lure.
Step 3. Find a Few Fish Like You.
Step 4. Swim in Their Ocean Your Way.
Step 5. Put Yourself Out on the Line.
Step 6. Evolve by Casting a Wide Net.
Step 7. Reel in Your Unique Power.
Fearless Last Words.