This is an email I wrote to my brother when he was travelling, and since he loved and found it to be useful, I thought to share this with others.
Dear brother,
It has been some time since you joined the workforce, and you have gone through a few performance reviews.
An organisation's culture depends on who they hire, promote and fire. You would have seen the typical documents describing career ladders, which mention skill sets at various levels. They are different for different companies. Sometimes, it feels like a performative ritual; sometimes, it is helpful, and other times, not so much.
But, I would like you to focus on the most important thing for any career.
Does your phone ring when the world needs something important to be done?
This is the only benchmark you should use for yourself.
As you spend more time in the organisation, you will soon learn that some people would have fancier titles and higher paychecks than you. And yet, their phone will never ring when something important has to be done. Never compare yourself with them, and never be bothered by them. In the long run, I guarantee you would do better than them.
A fancy title and a good paycheck would impress our parents even if your phone never rings.
But, but, but ....
I will know. I will always know.
I am sharing a short clip from the documentary "Too Big To Fail" about the Global Financial Crisis, which personifies peak performance. Do watch it.
