Home > Work > The Startup of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career
41 " The HR department is like the soldiers in the movie 300, holding the line. They have no power to say ‘yes’ but enormous power to say ‘no.’ Their job is to prevent you from moving forward. Find a way to vault past them by getting introductions to people who can say ‘yes. "
― Reid Hoffman , The Startup of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career
42 " Making a decision reduces opportunities in the short run, but increases opportunities in the long run. To move forward in your career, you have to commit to specific opportunities as part of an iterative plan, despite doubt and despite inconvenience. "
43 " Finally, many people simply think better thoughts when in dialogue with others. Remember I^We: an individual’s power is raised exponentially with the help of a network. This is partly because when information moves back and forth between knowledgeable people who care, the signal strengthens. Two (or more) well-coordinated brains beat one every time. "
44 " If something worthwhile will be riskier in five years than it is now, be more aggressive about taking it on now. As you age and build more assets, your risk tolerance shifts. "
45 " While you don’t want to make career moves on 0 percent information, you also don’t want to wait till you have 100 percent information—or else you’ll wait forever. Jetting off to vacation in Hawaii with no set itinerary introduces many uncertainties about what will transpire, but it’s not particularly risky. After all, how likely are you to have a bad time in Hawaii? But the biggest and best opportunities frequently are the ones with the most question marks. Don’t let uncertainty lull you into overestimating the risk. "
46 " In public market investing, as in many things, you achieve big success when you’re both contrarian and right. "
47 " This formal philosophy of learning treats knowledge like a fixed asset: learn, then you have it forever! But as a modern professional, you can’t acquire knowledge this way, because the knowledge you need isn’t static—it’s always changing. Stockpiling facts won’t get you anywhere. What will get you somewhere is being able to access the information you need, when you need it. "
48 " If you spend thirty minutes researching a person in your extended network (LinkedIn is a great place to start), and tailor your request for an introduction to something you’ve learned, your request will stand out. "
49 " Adecade ago, Bill Gates wrote: “The most meaningful way to differentiate your company from your competition, the best way to put distance between you and the crowd, is to do an outstanding job with information. How you gather, manage, and use information will determine whether you win or lose. "
50 " Your competitive advantage is formed by the interplay of three different, ever-changing forces: your assets, your aspirations/values, and the market realities, i.e., the supply and demand for what you offer the marketplace relative to the competition. "
51 " The most meaningful way to differentiate your company from your competition, the best way to put distance between you and the crowd, is to do an outstanding job with information. How you gather, manage, and use information will determine whether you win or lose. "
52 " As you think about which industries to work in, which skills to obtain, and which books to read, study the types of tech startups that were recently funded by venture capitalists at the Series A and Series B stages because these tend to be on the cutting edge of emerging trends. "
53 " As you think about which industries to work in, which skills to obtain, and which books to read, study the types of tech startups that were recently funded by venture capitalists at the Series A and Series B stages because these tend to be on the cutting edge of emerging trends. For example, Coinbase raised its Series A and Series B funding in 2013. If you invested in learning about cryptocurrencies in the years following Coinbase’s Series A, there would have been an abundance of life-changing crypto career opportunities for you, in part because at that time crypto knowledge was rare in a growing market. Study what venture capitalists are investing in to glimpse the trends or markets on the rise. "
54 " it’s better to be in front of a big change than to be behind it. "
55 " Most of the time, change in the world overtakes you,” Reed says. When a Hollywood executive once asked him during an on-stage interview whether he makes five-year strategic plans or three-year strategic plans, Reed said he does neither: three years is an eternity in Silicon Valley, and they can’t plan that far in advance. "
56 " Jeffrey Pfeffer, professor of organizational behavior at Stanford, has marshaled evidence that shows that when it comes to getting promoted in your job, strong relationships and being on good terms with your boss can matter more than competence. "
57 " A friend is not an asset you own; it’s a shared relationship. A friend is an ally, a collaborator. Think of it like ballroom dancing. You don’t control the other person’s feet. Your task is to move in unison, perhaps gently guiding or following. There’s a deep sense of mutuality. Trying to win/acquire friends as if they were objects undermines the endeavor altogether. "
58 " Many people think you get career stability by minimizing all risk. But ironically, in a changing world, that’s one of the riskiest things you can do. "
59 " You remake yourself as you grow and as the world changes. Your identity doesn’t get found. It emerges. "
60 " It is like the feeling you have when someone says your first name all the time in conversation and you know he’s been reading Carnegie. "