In the Effective Executive, Peter Drucker listed 3 things one should be aware of. One of them is on whether you know what your strengths are.
It's also a common interview question: "What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses?"
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Odds are you are an average driver. You are most probably not a great driver and likely not an above-average driver either, contrary to your popular belief.
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See, for most people, if they were not forced out, they would never quit or leave. Some call this life-time job security. I think this is the death spiral.
As a system is the whole of parts, individualistic implosion from such a spiral will result in a systematic failure in organizations as a whole.
Needless to say, a system needs stressors.
It is in that thought process that I write about the value of termination.
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A thought on designing life's operating system inspired after a conversation I had with my engineering friend from the coaching project I ran.
The stereotype is that engineers tend to be systematic thinkers. Whether the field attracts these folks, or schooling molds such a mindset, or both I do not know.
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For: You who live in the guilt of not doing something productive in "what should be" your time of recharge. You know "quality > quantity" but the ease and lure of quantity is so hard to resist.
I don't believe pulling all-nighters and outrageous hours are required to achieve great outcomes. I really doubt all 18 or 20 hours of that day are "quality" hours. I'd actually consider it to be a breakdown in the system for it shows a lack of effectiveness and a clear miss in prioritization.
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This is for me. Something I've felt and learned as I hit the 8th month of my sabbatical.
A question I hate answering these days is "what do you do?"
To such a question my favourite response is: "Do you have 30 minutes for me to describe to you why, how and what I'm spending my time on because I don't have a socially defined and accepted definition of an occupation to give you?"
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I see it everywhere, especially on the few TV commercials I see. On billboards, posters, and all over public places. Data and analytics.
Everyone is selling it. It's the hot thing. It might not be as hot as crypto or AI but every single major corporation is out there selling their use of data.
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In the past six or so months I've met 40-50 different startups and investors. Of which many ask "Why are you passionate in tech?". To which I reply "I'm not. Technology is a tool, not an industry or a company." and then I proceed to wonder the individual's ability to think for he has obviously not thought about the question he is asking.
Technology is a tool. You want some examples of technology?
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The road to getting an investing job is not straight forward, not instant and not easy. You know what they say: "Nothing worth having comes easy."
I've been getting a number of inquiries into how I managed to get a public equity investing job without doing any time in the sell-side, having a CFA, a finance major or having had a hedge fund uncle teach me about stocks at age 13.
In this essay I not only hope to tell you a story of my own personal journey to shed some light on the process but also share learnings that may be applicable to all kinds of career journeys.
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This is a conversation I had with myself as I introspected after I quit my first job in accounting. It was one of many different conversations. But it was one with my lustful relationship for money.
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I didn't think I read much... but apparently I do... So I decided to write about the lessons I learned on reading. This is not about the contents but the act of reading to learn.
If you look at my public book list there are about 60 odd books over a 4 year period. I think if you add the Audiobooks, it would be about 70-80.
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People say wisdom comes with age. Decades of learning via experience probably helps with obtaining that wisdom. That can come to form in many ways like advanced knowledge in a particular field. The elusive "silver-hair" is associated with knowledge, expertise, experience and all kinds of positive factors that lead to "trust". Whether it's in obtaining funding to start your own fund or selling services, the business world looks for age. The bias is there. Where it isn't commonly sought after is in the gym.
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Life is like a well-made mechanical watch.
You are the craftsman. The Swiss master who tinkers with the vast arrays of gears to create a system to depict the passage of time.
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In school we used lined papers. Structured. Fitting to defined spaces. Every notebook was lined.
The way I come up with articles to write about is by scribbling in my notebook. Scribbling random ideas that would pop into my head after a shower, a walk or while training at the gym.
One day, I found the lines too restricting. I wanted to draw pictures, graphs and doddles to get my idea on the paper but the lines posed a mental blockade for me. So I decided to go out and buy a notebook that would allow me to have more flexibility. Dotted notebooks. Genius.
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Networking.
Dreadful word to many. Music to the ears of few. Extremely undervalued none-the-less.
Read More“You are the average of the 5 people you spend most of your time with”. We've all heard this before. It's one of the most repeated advice/factors mentioned by high performers of various disciplines. The advice comes in different forms like "work with people you admire", "find mentors who are doing what you want to", "choose a life-partner who will challenge you to grow". All focused on surrounding yourself with people that will aid you in your journey of growth.
Read MoreI embraced this idea of skilled people generating their own luck. This doesn't mean I don't believe in luck.
To the contrary.
Read MoreElevator to the coffee shop: three people staring at their phones. Lining up at Starbucks: two staring at their phones. In my seat as I type: two on the phone, one on phone mid conversation.
Per my weekly report over the past month, I've been on Instagram 37 minutes per day with an average screen time of 3 hours and about 73 pick ups of my phone.
Read MoreMany of my friends still ask me: "So do you still wake up at 4:30am?"
I disappoint them by saying "No, that had risen from a need but I no longer have to."
Read MoreWords are powerful. Even more so are great questions.
If this weren't the case no one should be able to make a living interviewing people, whether it be a therapist, coach, or talk show host.
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