I Cracked the Code for Success (And No, It’s Not Clickbait)

What you’re about to read isn’t a trendy hack. It’s a formula I’ve personally created and followed since 1997 — a compass that has guided every move in my career. I call it:

🧮 The Employability Coefficient.

The idea is simple: Your current performance versus your outside visibility, relevance, and perceived value. Let’s build this!

1️⃣ Get real with yourself

The first rule is brutal honesty. You need to look at your professional reality — not the one your ego paints, or the distorted version that fear and imposter syndrome whisper in your ear. If you're unsure how to do this, do what I did: get a therapist. Seriously. Lucidity is a competitive edge.

2️⃣ Score yourself — no fluff

This is math. Your math. You don’t need a calculator, just a pencil, paper, and courage. Numbers don’t lie. Feelings? They often do.

3️⃣ Use your number

Once you’ve got your Employability Coefficient, you’ll know whether you're evolving, stagnating, or quietly fading into irrelevance. Let me explain with a fictional example:

🤓 Meet John

John is a high performer. Smart, reliable, respected. Inside his company, he’s a solid 8 out of 10. Great internal rep, real influence, loved by his team. He’s a key piece in the business puzzle. Bravo, John.

But let’s leave that bubble.

What happens outside? On LinkedIn, in PR stories, at award shows — he sees peers publishing articles, launching projects, speaking at events, winning recognition. Yes, people exaggerate a little on social media. But behind some of that self-promotion is real work.

John, humbly, gives himself a 3 on external presence. Now let’s calculate:

🧮 8 (internal value) + 3 (market perception) = 11 ÷ 2 = 5.5

That’s John’s Employability Coefficient. Which means: in the eyes of the broader market, he’s 10% above average. Ouch. But also — good to know. Now John has clarity and a direction.

📈 So how do we improve that number?

• Learn basic math — Especially percentages. It’s about context, not just absolute numbers.

• Respect others — You may not like what you see, but it took work to get there. Use comparison as reference, not judgment.

• Success isn’t a solo game — It’s who you bring with you, who’s got your back, and who inspires you to level up.

• Consume real information — More economics and politics, less trash content.

• Diversify. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Build something in parallel.

• Be visible. Low profile is fine. Invisible is not.

• Be yourself. In a world of copy-paste trends, authenticity is a premium currency.

• ROI. Use a spreadsheet to understand where your time and money go. Great investors know when, not just where to invest.

• Invest in yourself. Pay out of pocket for that course, that pro designer, that better presentation. You're worth it.

• Go to therapy. Not just in tough times, but to stay grounded in good ones.

Be honest. The number is there for us to grow with more sanity and fewer delusions. So… what’s your Employability Coefficient?