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Week 63: Two Roads Diverged In a Wood and All That Jazz
Philosophical Dad Stuff
At the start of the year when I wrote down goals, I added helping my oldest child learn to ride a bicycle.
Last night, I sat down with my 7-year old to talk about cash flow and bonuses. Before you groan, I promise it wasn’t as pretentious as it might sound.
It had occurred to me that we offer bonuses at work when our sales reps do good things. When they win key business, exhibit good corporate citizenship, or promote company revenue we incentivize them. We give them cash for a job well done.
I made the same offer with my child.
He wanted to earn a little extra money to buy an additional item from the book fair this year. I told him that to increase his cash flow, I’d give him a bonus for each practice session he does with either basketball or learning to ride his bike. I told him I’d pay him immediately after each session; no waiting until payday for his allowance.
So, he’d get the benefit of the practice and the benefit of the bonus.
A win-win in my book for sure.
I walked away from the conversation pretty smug with myself. I felt like a good Dad, and felt like I was stewarding his energies correctly and constructively.
I then thought about how cool it would be to have a structure where I could be incentivized daily for improvement in relevant skills to my own work and hobbies.
And that’s when it hit me.
I already do.
Every day, when I sign-in for work, I have that opportunity; it’s just not explicitly stated as such and I’m not talking about cash flow.
Cash flow coming in and out is a metric, for sure. But it’s a lagging indicator. It’s short-sighted.
No, instead of cash flow, I have the opportunity to build equity in the form of connections, experience, reputation and credibility.
Because it’s easier said than done, this is the new currency of career arbitrage. Because others don’t always clearly see this, it’s a market inefficiency.
We must learn to exploit this inefficiency, now more than ever before.
Ultrarunning: Season 2
My knee is getting better, but it’s slow going.
It figures that I’d sign up for 50-mile race 2 days before spraining a knee, but oh well.
One day-at-a-time works for a lot of things.
Leadership
Yesterday, I attended my company’s quarterly awards show in person. I watched people get congratulated as their accomplishments were detailed by respected senior leaders.
I genuinely feel happy for the winners and am routinely impressed by their accomplishments.
But then I start thinking, “Why isn’t that me up there getting congratulated?”
These kinds of thoughts instantly put me on guard. Is this ego talking? Or is this real? Do I really want that? Or do I just want the applause? Who would I be doing this for?
I talk about it all the time; big goals require big commitments.
For my situation, a decision point looms.
It’s halftime.
Turning 42 this year will roughly signal the midpoint in my working career. For years, I feel like I’ve written and thought about grand strategy and career warfare only to sit contentedly and anonymously in the middle.
It’s becoming clear to me that I’m reaching a career inflection point where two paths will diverge. On one path, a comfortable and maybe even boring career in middle-management. My kids and family and hobbies will sustain me, entertain me, and fulfill me.
On the other path, I burn the ships and go all in at work, ending up who knows where. My kids and family and hobbies provide essential balance to a more stressful career.
It’s the classic choice between civilized man and uncivilized man from French Enlightenment thought.
Do you want to be safe; or do you want to be free?
Which one would the younger me choose? Which one would the wiser me choose? Which one is rooted in ego, and which one is rooted in cowardice?
The fork in the road feels just up ahead.
Which is it going to be?
Safety? Or freedom?
“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside awakens.” -Carl Jung
Live triumphantly. See you next week.
P.S. One of my other goals is to grow this newsletter. If this writing resonates with you, please share it with someone cool.