A Twitter thread by Sahil Bloom
Jul 29, 2022 · 8 mins read
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Part 1
Early career years are intimidating—there's so much that feels out of your control.
Here are the career principles I wish I knew when I was starting out:
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Principle: Play long-term games.
Humans are wired to think short-term—where's my next meal, what animal might kill me?
This means that there is asymmetric upside from being long-term focused in a sea of short-term thinkers.
Always play the long game.
When in doubt, zoom out.
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Principle: Build horsepower and brakes.
Horsepower builds your upside—it's how you accelerate.
Brakes protect your downside—they're a safety net.
Strong horsepower allows you to accelerate when given an opportunity—brakes allow you to do it confidently.
Build both to win.
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Principle: Develop advice filters.
Most advice sucks.
It's well-intentioned, but it's dangerous to use someone else's map of reality to navigate yours—even if they're experienced.
Learn to filter and selectively implement advice.
Take the signal, skip the noise.
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Principle: Swallow the frog for your boss.
One of the greatest hacks to getting ahead early in your career:
(1) Observe your boss
(2) Figure out what they hate doing
(3) Learn to do it
(4) Take it off their plate
It's a clear way to add value, put up a win, and build momentum.
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Principle: Build storytelling skills.
World-changing CEOs aren't the smartest or most talented in their organizations.
They are exceptional at:
• Aggregating data
• Communicating it simply & effectively
Data in, story out.
Build that skill and you'll always be valuable.
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Principle: Do the "old fashioned" things well.
Simple things that still stand out:
• Look people in the eye
• Be true to your word
• Be on time
• Practice good posture
• Hold the door
• Be kind
• Have a confident handshake
Some things will never go out of style.
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Principle: Create your own maps.
You can read every business book in the world and study every mental model in existence, but ultimately the only way to learn is by DOING.
Reading and studying is nothing without battle-testing.
Have a bias for action and create your own maps.
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Principle: Learn to enjoy being wrong.
Finding the truth is much more important than being right.
Retrain your mind to embrace new information that forces a change in viewpoint.
View each "software update" as an improvement upon the old.
Open mindsets rule the world.
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Principle: Build a Personal Board of Advisors.
"Mentorship” has become too formal—asking someone to be your mentor feels like a big commitment.
Instead, build a Personal Board of Advisors.
A diverse group of 5-10 people you can go to for questions, advice, or feedback.
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