Some totally cliche career advice…

• Find people you can genuinely learn from
• Find people who challenge you in genuine, non-manipulative ways
• Your personal career will last longer than most of the companies you work for
• Savor the times when things truly flow. They are hard fought and fleeting
• A company can be “successful” and toxic to some high % of its employees
• A great place to work (for some) can be a terrible place to work (for others)
• Organizations grow, change, decay, and die. Don’t atrophy/die with them
• Some problems are absolutely fixable, but not worth fixing
• All companies have problems. Not all companies have chronic health issues
• You can, with determination, lead a bottom-up revolution. At what cost?
• It’s possible to go a decade doing “good work”, but not grow/learn
• It’s entirely possible to “grow out of” your current role. Time to move on?
• Be a student of your craft, and how your craft can help people
• Savor the real-world impact of your work. Double-down when you sense it
• Relish opportunities to learn…we spend a lot of time on auto-drive
• If your org doesn’t offer learning opportunities … do it anyway (on their time)
• If you find a place where things “generally fix themselves” … rejoice!
• Try teaching/mentoring. Even thirty minutes a week can go a long, long way
• Be judicious with your loyalty. Is it being reciprocated?
• It’s not all about you. I mean it can be, but you are limiting yourself
• Drink Kool Aid with care. You can become blind to side effects (fake sugar)
• Beware of subtle manipulation and the promotion-that-never-comes
• Remember…canaries in coal mines have to die for the “learning”
• Don’t confuse your personal needs with what your company “needs”
• Don’t graft your needs/expectations on everyone you work with (slackers!)
• Read fiction and poetry! Have a hobby
• Pretend you never read this and “make the best mistakes”