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January 16 - January 19, 2019
The purpose of the time spent and the activity done is to build the algorithm, to make it stronger over time. Any time spent or activity done that does not add to the algorithm is not experience.
One of the greatest success factors at work, therefore, is our ability to convert time and activity into experience (the algorithm). My view is that what differentiates more successful people from less successful people is the effectiveness with which they convert time into experience.
having a target for the activity, measuring the actual performance and then reviewing the performance to understand why it was the way it was—that is the learning model that we need to employ in each and every activity to catalyse and convert our time and activity into experience, the algorithm. I call this the Target, Measure and Review (TMR) model—the most effective learning model at work.
Time in the circle of concern is like poison—it takes only a small amount to have a negative impact on the larger whole.
The catalysts I have used in my work life for my productivity are: Relentless focus on the circle of influence and avoiding like a plague what is in the circle of concern. Having a disciplined ‘rocks first’ time-allocation system, where I ensure that I provide my time/energy for the rocks and not the sand.
Win Where It Matters
never walk out of a major learning cycle in your career.
Ride the Good Luck
three things you can do to improve the probability of getting a good boss in your foundational years. These are—being a good subordinate, working in companies that have a higher percentage of good bosses and hanging on to good bosses when you find them.
The key challenge in today’s world is that career planning is not as linear, as predictable or as safe as it was maybe a few decades ago.
The primary role of a mentor is to help you make choices that maximize the probability of long-term career success.
A good mentor’s advice is invaluable in making the right career choice because of the different view they bring.
A mentor is necessarily someone who knows you well and hence does not give generic career advice, but gives advice based on a good understanding of you.
A mentor should not be in your line of authority and leadership.
You want a mentor to advise you from only one lens—what is good for you in the longer term—with no other conflict of interest.
A single poor decision on when to quit can have a very high impact on your long-term career success.
long stints in one company are highly beneficial to the experience algorithm.
one must have strong supply-side reasons to quit, not demand-side reasons of joining elsewhere.
You must not fall into a trap of poor decision-making—making decisions first and then finding the reasons to justify them.
An effective TMRR model is the key to converting the time you are spending at work into an experience algorithm that will drive your success in the future.
The key to growing productivity is to focus on the circle of influence and to make sure you allocate your time to the rocks.
In careers, win when it matters—which is the second half. It is possible to win in the second half only if you do foundation-building and drive real individual growth in the first half. To do foundation-building in the first half, make career choices that focus on depth over width, ensure completion of major learning cycles and get out there when you can.
success people achieve in the work part. It is a highly erroneous notion that success at work is only because of what you do at work.
While motivations in life were easier to understand given Maslow’s hierarchy, I had to work hard to try and understand the motivations at work better for myself.
The last and final motivation at the top of the pyramid is purpose. We are highly motivated by a sense of purpose at work that goes beyond our own achievements and mastery. This is about the ‘why’ of work, which is beyond our personal needs—the sense of having a cause, a vision, a purpose. The combination of achievement, mastery and purpose represents the motivations that drive us at work and in our careers.
