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Your 30-Day Action Plan (Living Library)

5 min read

Software Arch

Your 30 days: define your advisory niche, stay current on AI basics, and create one piece of content. Same plan, your domain.

Eng Manager

If you're 30+ and still managing, your plan: mentor one high-potential person, document one lesson, and position for advisory if that's next.

Devrel

Help James (or your James) amplify. One recorded conversation, one post, or one event. Legacy is collaborative.

Your 30-Day Action Plan (Living Library)

TL;DR

  • Week 1: Clarify your value and stay current. Week 2: Position for advisory. Week 3: Mentorship and content. Week 4: Legacy and narrative.
  • James-level professionals need a plan that honors experience while staying relevant. This does both.

Week 1: Value and Credibility

  • Day 1-2: Write down your value proposition. "I advise [who] on [what] because [35 years of X]." One sentence. Test it on one person.
  • Day 3-4: Spend one hour with AI. ChatGPT or Claude. Do one real task. Research, draft, or debug. Note what works and what doesn't. You need to advise on this. Stay current.
  • Day 5-7: Read Parts 1 and 2 of this course. You'll have the framework. You'll have the vocabulary. Credibility for the AI conversation.

Week 2: Advisory Positioning

  • Define your niche. One sentence. "I advise CTOs on [topic]" or "I do tech due diligence for [investor type]." Specific beats general.
  • Reach out to one potential client or referrer. Someone who knows you. "I'm doing more advisory. If you know anyone who needs [X], I'd appreciate the intro." Low pressure. Plant the seed.
  • Update your materials. LinkedIn, bio, website. Lead with experience. "35 years." "I've seen X, Y, Z." Make the value explicit.

Week 3: Mentorship and Content

  • One mentorship offer. Identify one person — a rising VP, a new CTO, a Staff engineer with leadership potential. "I'd like to help. Would that be useful?" Make the offer.
  • One piece of content. A post, a talk outline, or a story. "The time we [X] and it [Y]. Here's what I learned." Ship it. One. That's the start of legacy.
  • Share one lesson with someone who asked. A colleague, a former report, or a peer. Make it explicit. "Here's what I'd do."

Week 4: Legacy and Narrative

  • Answer the question: What do I want to leave behind? Writing? People? A community? One sentence. Write it down.
  • Pick one legacy action for the next 90 days. One post per quarter. One mentee for 12 months. One talk. Schedule it.
  • Refine your ageism narrative. If you're job-hunting or positioning, make experience the hero. "I've seen this. Here's what happens next." That's the sell.

Quick Check

James-level professionals have 30 days. What's the RIGHT first step?

35 years. You're not sure what's next. Advisory? Mentorship? You haven't defined your value. You haven't reached out. You're waiting.

Click "30-Day Plan" to see the difference →

Do This Next

  1. Start with value. If you can't say your value prop in 10 seconds, fix that. Everything builds on it.
  2. Make one mentorship offer. Legacy compounds. Start this month.