The Start-up Of You
Reid Hoffman
Summary
How to think of your career as a start-up and advice from one of Silicon Valley's great entrepreneurs, the founder of LinkedIn
Rating: 3/5
Notes
It’s now your job to train and invest in yourself
Every individual is a small business
Think of your career as a start-up
‘Only the paranoid survive’ - Andy Grove
Success is fragile and perfection is fleeting
We are all works in progress. Each day presents an opportunity to learn more, do more, be more and grow our lives and careers
Develop competitive advantages in the market by developing your assets, aspirations and market realities
What are you offering that’s rare and valuable
Soft skills are ultimately more important than hard skills in the long run
Competitive edges emerge when you combine different skills, experiences and connections
Your identity doesn’t get found, it emerges through action
The pieces of the puzzle change in shape and size over time (assets, aspirations, market realities)
All advantages are local - pick a skill that has less competition
Work in a market with natural momentum - ride the big wave
Plan ABZ. A is your main job, B is your pivot and Z is worst case scenario
At a young age, prioritize learning opportunities over everything else
Think and plan 2 steps ahead, not more
For plan B, pivot as you learn
Start your pivot on the side
Always invest in your professional network
Relationships matter because the people you spend time with shape you are and who you become
Your network is bigger than you think it is
To strengthen your network, offer help to the other person with no expectation of anything in return
When looking for breakout opportunities, look for high quality people and challenges
‘The best way to make sure lucky things happen is to make sure a lot of things happen’
Get resourceful or die
Humans tend to overestimate risks, it’s hardwired into us
Short term risk increases long term stability
Who you know is what you know
Invest in yourself, invest in your network and invest in society
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Make Something Wonderful
Steve Jobs
Summary
The life of Steve Jobs in his own words
Rating: 5/5
Notes
Make something wonderful and put it out there
‘You appear, have a chance to blaze in the sky, then you disappear’
When you’re a stranger in a place, you notice thing you don’t otherwise (Jobs after India trip)
Whenever you start with nothing, always shoot for the moon. You have nothing to lose.
You never achieve what you want without falling on your face a few times
Never be afraid to fail. You never achieve what you want without falling flat on your face a few times
We are never taught to listen to our intuitions, to develop and nurture them. But if you do pay attention to these subtle insights, you can make them come true
Creativity equals connecting previously unrelated experiences and insights others don’t see
Believe that some of what you follow with your heart will come back and make your life richer. And it will. And you will gain even firmer trust on your instincts and intuitions
Make your avocation your vocation. Make what you love your work.
The journey is the reward. The reward isn’t in the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, it’s in crossing the rainbow
To find A+ talent, if experienced, look at their track record and results
The world we know is a human creation and we can push it forward
The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do (read whole ad ‘here’s to the crazy ones)
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit - Aristotle
Hire people better than you are
You can’t plan to meet the people who will change your life
It’s impossible to connect the dots looking forward, but they make sense looking backwards so you have to trust the dots will somehow connect in your future
Everything around you that you call life was made up by people no smarter than you
***
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