All in Careers
Episode 15 of the podcast is now available and this episode continues this month's discussion around Aspirations, a subject that’s not only topical at this time of year but also one that raises many challenges about what we want and what we need to do to get it..
As it’s the start of a new year (and for some, a new decade, which it isn’t but let’s just go with it), there’s no shortage of articles, online or otherwise, about making a fresh start, doing the things you always wanted to do and becoming who you want to actually be. I’m 100% onboard with all of those goals and if that’s what your plan is for 2020, then more power to you.
That said, there is a foundational requirement on this path to self-actualization that I think gets missed, and that is, that in all the positive, rah-rah emphasis of doing what we want, we miss the basic stock-taking that …
New years are always, conceptually at least, a time for new beginnings. A time to reboot and do all those things we didn’t get done last year (or the year before), that we’ve been meaning to do for so long and finally become who it is we really want to be.
As exciting as that prospect is, it also tends to come with no small amount of historical baggage: the stop-starts of prior years, the past attempts that didn’t last beyond the month, the changing personal circumstances that make specific choices harder than they would otherwise be.
Episode 14 of the podcast is now available and this episode kicks off this month's focus - fittingly, as we kick off 2020 - on The topic of "Aspirations”, or what is it that we want, what these wants involve and what tradeoffs we need to be ready to make to get what we want.
“If you wish to improve, be content to appear clueless or stupid in extraneous matters." — Epictetus
I’ve been turning this quote over in my head for a long while now, and there’s something about it that resonates incredibly strongly with me.
The trouble is, I can’t quite figure out what.
Is it suggesting that if we are focused on becoming expert in a particular area, we mustn’t be afraid of appearing stupid or unknowledgeable i.e. that we’ve figured everything out already…
In my last post, I included an excerpt from a post by David Whyte that spoke to how enduring friendships are based on a measure of forgiveness and an acceptance of our own imperfections.
That same post also spoke to how our friendships act as a window into our lives:
“The dynamic of friendship is almost always underestimated as a constant force in human life: a diminishing circle of friends is the first terrible diagnostic of a life in deep trouble:
Episode 11 of the podcast is now available and continues our exploration of the art of Communication, a subject that's integral to our ability to succeed in just about anything we do. In this episode, I share the age old story of The Curate's Egg and what it tells us about being upfront in our communications.
It’s amazing to me that the one subject that has had the most influence on our ability to get anything done in business (and, frankly, personal) life is also the one that is given the least attention (relatively) at Business School: working with people.
Don’t get me wrong - it’s not as if there isn’t any acknowledgement that it’s critical (there is) or that Professors don’t speak to its importance (they do).
Episode 10 of the podcast is now available and this episode kicks off this month's focus on the art of Communication, a subject that's integral to our ability to succeed in just about anything we do.
Conversations about great company cultures are almost always accompanied by talk of nice offices with modern conveniences, bring-your-pet-to-work days, free food and more. In fact, read about the latest hot startup, and modern media (conventional or otherwise) will be abuzz with stories about the lengths these companies are going to for their employees (from no dress code to unlimited vacations to relaxation pods).
It’s not surprising then that these ideas become comingled: that amazing work culture goes hand in hand with these kinds of tangible amenities.
Episode 7 of the podcast is out now, and in this episode, I close out this month's focus on "Story" and its role in our lives. I talk about how we use stories to define who we are and what we do and how we can begin tell ourselves better stories to change who we are.
Perspective is the ability to sit back and (more objectively) assess what a particular situation really means for your relationships, your work and your life. And it’s usually a very difficult thing to have when you’re right in the heat of the moment.
When you’re in the midst of it, things can seem like they’re do or die. Sometimes that may be the case but, more often than not, what’s happening is that we’re not actually processing all inputs effectively (or at all) so as to make an appropriate judgement, just the ones that are the most prominent to us at the time.
Episode 8 of the podcast is now available and, in this episode, I continue the exploration of Story in our lives, again diving into Donald Miller's phenomenal book, A Million Miles In A Thousand Years. I discuss character, sacrifice and what stories we should aspire to leave behind when we're gone.
When you’re growing a business, it’s no surprise that you need friends who will advocate for you. I’ve relied on more than my fair share over the last 15 years as I’ve built the business - friends both outside the firm as well as within it - and they’ve been essential to the success that we’ve achieved.
A subset of these friends have gone above and beyond - they’ve truly put themselves out there for us. These are individuals who’ve (certainly in our early days) put their reputations on the line, or gone out of their way to help the firm, or given materially of their precious time to further our goals.
Episode 7 of the podcast is now available and, in this episode, I continue this month’s discussion about story and it’s role in our lives. I talk about my first business trip and the book, A Million Miles In A Thousand Years.
Presentations and pitches are tricky things.
By definition, the goal is to sell something to someone. It could be to get a business idea funded, to get approval to move forward on a project or, to make a sale. In all cases, we’re trying to convince someone to part with something valuable (usually, but not always, money) in return for whatever it is we have to offer.
A few weeks ago, I set up my home office, a small room in the basement where I can focus and get my work done. I’ve set it up with everything I need so that I can be productive and not get distracted by whatever else might be going on at home.
In the span of these last few weeks, it’s already become my ‘haven’, a place where I can tackle my most important projects, where I can do all of the things I’ve got planned. It’s something I’ve wanted even before we moved into this house.
Epictetus’ words are easy to understand, but difficult to practice. Not surprising, given that it’s in our nature to be liked, to gain approval, to be considered valuable.
The problem is that when we accept these opinions, when we consider ourselves to be “important”, we think we’ve “arrived” and achieved some special end-state or level of wisdom.
We all have ideas about where things should ideally be in our lives. Our work should look like this, or our political situation should operate like that. Our relationships should function in this particular way or our personal friendships should manifest themselves differently.
We tend to pore over what these idealized end-states ought to look like - often in excruciating and emotional detail. But getting “there” can be extremely difficult, a journey where the path is entirely uncertain or, worse, impossible to traverse.
There’s a finality to endings that’s bittersweet.
The completion of the thing - especially something that’s absorbed us wholeheartedly and then come to some natural conclusion - almost always results in a mixture of emotions.
There’s the joy that comes from the experience (the good times, the contributions, the confirmations) which can be considerable and, at times, overwhelming. This joy is experienced both during but also in retrospect, once we’ve gained an appreciation of those aspects we may have taken for granted.
