PROGRESSION: When to Leave Your Job, the Case for Being a Generalist, and What I Learned from Not Doing a Triathlon
September 2019
First off, thank you to those who expressed interest in coaching! I got a larger response than expected and will try to accommodate as many folks as possible. I’ll likely offer more coaching in future months. Stay tuned.
Books, articles, etc.
The Sixth Man: A Memoir by Andre Iguodala (Book)
I’m a Lakers fan first but have loved cheering for the Warriors since moving to the Bay Area. I really enjoyed Iguodala’s memoir. He’s smart, incredibly self-aware, and thinks a lot bigger than basketball. His commitment to excellence in all aspects of his life is admirable. As a hoops fan, I wish he would have provided more detail on his Warriors years but this is a very solid read overall.
The Trillion Dollar Coach by Eric Schmidt (Book)
Bill Campbell was a great man but this was an average book. Campbell started his career as a football coach before becoming a CEO. He went on to coach many Silicon Valley leaders including Steve Jobs and the Google founders. I felt like this bio showed an overly positive side of him (the worst thing said was that he cussed occasionally). I wish the author would have shared more about Campbell’s struggle. As someone who’s getting trained as a professional coach, I would have loved to have learned the ins and outs of his craft. I finished this book wanting so much more.
When is it Time to Leave Your Job? by Beckie Wood (Article)
I stumbled on this piece when, interestingly enough, my boss shared it on LinkedIn. The author is a former VP at Pandora and she provides a good framework for evaluating whether to consider a job change.
I loved the first rule: get in or get out. In her words: “Don’t be the person who constantly thinks about leaving a company… It’s not good for you, it’s not good for your team, and it’s not good for your friends and family. Allow yourself to ‘check-in’ on things every 6 months. If, in that check-in, you decide to stay, then stay. No recruiter calls. Not even coffee dates to casually explore new opportunities. Commit.”
It's Later Than You Think by J.R. Storment (Article)
This one’s been making the rounds so you may have already read it, but wow, this hit me hard. Maybe I read it during a tender moment as my daughter went to bed angry with me the night before. Good reminder on how quickly your circumstances can change.
The Case for Being a Multi-Hyphenate by Ryan Holiday (Article)
Whether it’s sports or our careers, there’s so much pressure to specialize early. This piece makes the case that the most successful people are good at more than just one thing. Long live the generalist.
Observations
The Five Lessons I Learned from Not Doing a Triathlon
I trained the last six months for a triathlon I didn’t get to do. Here's what I learned.
Pride and comparison
Stumbled on this C.S. Lewis quote and I really love it. For someone who’s competitive by nature, this is critical to keep in mind.
“Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man... It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition is gone, pride is gone.” -C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
Gratitudes
I’ve found power in regularly expressing gratitude so I’ll continue the habit. I’m grateful for Audible. I love listening to books, especially while commuting, exercising, or doing chores. Audible gives me access to learning I wouldn’t otherwise have.
Thanks for reading. If you've read anything worth sharing I'd love to hear about it. And do let me know if there's anything I can do to help you.