Kendall Berg on Winning the Career Game: The Rules No One Taught You

Beyond the To-Do List - Productivity for Work and Life

Erik Fisher

Business, Entrepreneurship, Self-improvement, Careers, Education

4.5 • 875 Ratings

🗓️ 7 July 2025

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, Kendall Berg, author of Secrets of the Career Game: 36 Simple Strategies to Win in the Workplace, shares how to navigate the hidden rules of career advancement. Kendall opens up about her journey from being a technically strong but overlooked employee to someone who rapidly rose through the ranks by learning to play the “career game”—mastering soft skills, advocating for herself, and helping others do the same.

In this conversation, we explore:

Unspoken Rules of the Workplace: Kendall explains how the real game isn’t just about doing good work, but about how you talk about that work and build strategic relationships.
From Invisible to Irresistible: She shares her turning point—from getting tough feedback to rapidly earning five promotions in six years—and how she translated that into coaching others.
Promotable vs. Non-Promotable Work: We discuss how to recognize the difference and how to reframe low-visibility tasks to create impact and visibility.
Your Boss Has No Idea What You’re Doing: Kendall explains why self-advocacy is essential and gives practical tips on how to communicate your value without sounding self-important.
The Game Is Soft Skills: From communication to conflict management, Kendall walks through the non-tactical traits that make or break your trajectory—and how to grow them with intention.

Learn more at https://thatcareercoach.net/ and find Secrets of the Career Game wherever books are sold.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is sponsored by Plaud, an AI wearable gadget that takes notes of meetings and calls.
0:06.3	With Plod, you don't have to take notes and make summaries anymore.
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0:36.5	Find peace of mind at work today. Ready to work smarter? Type PL-A-U-D into Google and get a discount with my code Beyond. That's PL-A-U-D. Thank you. Hello and welcome back to Beyond the To Do List, a podcast about productivity.
1:10.1	I'm your host, Eric Fisher, and I'm excited to welcome to the show Kendall Berg.
1:14.6	She is a career coach turned author and her new book, Secrets of the Career Game,
1:19.6	36 simple strategies to win in the workplace, helps decode the unwritten rules of work.
1:26.6	And in this episode, we talk about visibility, reputation,
1:30.6	timing, things that people aren't talking about when it comes to not just being seen, but getting
1:36.9	ahead in your workplace. And why great work isn't always enough. Sometimes you've got to be
1:43.4	strategic about the communication
1:45.1	about that work and how to do all of this without earning out. So if you've been feeling like
1:52.7	you've been playing by rules that you can't figure out when it comes to your career,
1:57.0	this conversation with Kendall Berg is perfect for you. It is my privilege to welcome to the show.
2:06.3	Kendall Berg, Kendall, welcome to Beyond the To-Do list. Thank you. I'm so excited to be here and chat with you.
	...

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