An ex-Google career coach tells why pleasing everyone will never help you in your career

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An ex-Google career coach tells why pleasing everyone will never help you in your careerJenny Blake, an ex-career coach at Google and co-founder of the company's career mentorship program, tells what could lead to a successful career in her book Pivot.
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She has counselled over a thousand people at Google and now runs her own business and career strategy firm. In her book, Blake explains why you cannot please everyone, and so its better you stop it.

1. It's tiring

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"People-pleasing is exhausting," Blake writes. "It is inauthentic. It means placing everyone else's needs above your own."

2. It's not realistic

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"You cannot make everyone happy all the time, and it is futile to try," she says. "You are no good to anyone if you run yourself ragged trying to please everyone."

3. It detracts from your own goals

"You have a choice: You can spend your time ceaselessly worrying about other people or you can bravely follow your own path," Blake writes.

4. It could hurt your career

"The universe rewards backbone," she writes. "Not speaking up or acting authentically may lead to a bigger explosion down the road, when you least want or expect it."

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Her book teaches to be friendly and a team player. "You can either go emotionally broke running around trying to please everyone, or you can spend your time creating, being authentic to your own needs and desires, and then serving others from that full place," she says.