So Good They Can't Ignore You

1. "Follow your passion" is flawed career advice

"For most people, 'follow your passion' is bad advice."

Passion is rare. The idea that we all have a pre-existing passion waiting to be discovered is largely a myth. A study of Canadian college students found that only 4% of identified passions had any relation to work or education. Most passions were hobby-style interests like sports and art.

Passion takes time. Research shows that passion is a side effect of mastery, not a prerequisite. A study of college administrative assistants found that the strongest predictor of seeing work as a calling was the number of years spent on the job. The more experience they had, the more likely they were to love their work.

Passion can be dangerous. Blindly following passion without the skills to back it up can lead to chronic job-hopping and career uncertainty. The author gives examples of people who quit stable jobs to pursue passions, only to end up struggling financially and professionally.

2. Develop rare and valuable skills to gain career capital

"If you want a great job, you need something of great value to offer in return."

Career capital is key. The traits that define great work (creativity, impact, control) are rare and valuable. To acquire them, you need to offer rare and valuable skills in return. The author calls these skills "career capital."

Focus on building skills. Instead of trying to discover your passion, focus on becoming exceptionally good at something rare and valuable. This approach is more likely to lead to work you love.

• Examples of people who built career capital:
  • Steve Jobs with computer design
  • Ira Glass with radio editing and storytelling
  • Al Merrick with surfboard shaping

Be patient. Acquiring career capital takes time and deliberate effort. Don't expect overnight success. The focus should be on the long-term accumulation of valuable skills.

3. Adopt a craftsman mindset to excel in your field

"Regardless of what you do for a living, approach your work like a true performer."

Shift your mindset. Instead of asking "What can the world offer me?" (passion mindset), ask "What can I offer the world?" (craftsman mindset). This shift focuses your energy on becoming better, rather than finding the perfect job.

Embrace discomfort. The craftsman mindset often involves pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone. This discomfort is a sign of growth and skill development.

Seek feedback. Constantly seek honest, sometimes harsh feedback to improve your skills. This feedback is crucial for identifying areas of improvement and refining your craft.

• Key elements of the craftsman mindset:
  • Focus on the quality of what you produce
  • Continually stretch your abilities
  • Seek immediate, constructive feedback
  • Be patient and persistent in skill development

4. Use deliberate practice to rapidly improve your skills

"If you want to understand the source of professional athletes' talent, for example, look to their practice schedules—almost without exception they have been systematically stretching their athletic abilities, with the guidance of expert coaches, since they were children."

Understand deliberate practice. Deliberate practice is a systematic and focused approach to skill improvement. It involves pushing yourself beyond your current abilities, often with the guidance of a teacher or coach.

Apply deliberate practice to knowledge work. While common in fields like music and sports, deliberate practice is rarely used in knowledge work. By incorporating it into your routine, you can rapidly improve your skills and stand out in your field.

• Key elements of deliberate practice:
  • Set specific goals for improvement
  • Focus intensely on the task at hand
  • Seek immediate feedback
  • Repeatedly practice the most challenging aspects

Create a deliberate practice routine. The author shares his own strategies, such as keeping a "research bible" to summarize important papers, tracking hours spent on deliberate practice, and using an expensive notebook for focused brainstorming sessions.

5. Gain more control over your work for increased satisfaction

"Control over what you do, and how you do it, is one of the most powerful traits you can acquire when creating work you love."

Control is crucial. Research shows that increasing control over your work leads to greater happiness, engagement, and sense of fulfillment. This makes control a key factor in creating a career you love.

Leverage career capital for control. Use your rare and valuable skills to negotiate for more autonomy in your work. This could mean flexible hours, choice of projects, or the ability to shape your role.

• Examples of increased control:
  • Ryan and Sarah at Red Fire Farm choosing their own approach to farming
  • Lulu Young negotiating a 30-hour work week and later becoming a freelance software developer
  • A medical resident taking time off to start a company

6. Avoid the control traps when pursuing autonomy

"When no one cares what you do with your working life, you probably don't have enough career capital to do anything interesting."

First control trap: Insufficient career capital. Trying to gain more control without the skills to back it up often leads to failure. Make sure you have valuable skills to offer before demanding more autonomy.

Second control trap: Employer resistance. Once you have enough career capital to warrant more control, your employer may resist, as you've become too valuable to lose. Be prepared to navigate this resistance.

Use the law of financial viability. When considering a move towards more control, ask yourself: "Will people pay me for this?" If yes, it's probably a good move. If not, you may need more career capital first.

7. Develop a compelling career mission for long-term fulfillment

"A good career mission is similar to a scientific breakthrough—it's an innovation waiting to be discovered in the adjacent possible of your field."

Understand the power of mission. A unifying mission for your career can provide a sense of purpose and energy, leading to increased satisfaction and remarkable opportunities.

Mission requires career capital. You need to be at the cutting edge of your field to identify a compelling mission. This often takes years of skill development and experience.

Look for the adjacent possible. The best missions are found just beyond the current frontier of your field. Stay aware of new developments and look for unexplored connections.

8. Use "little bets" to explore and refine your mission

"Rather than believing they have to start with a big idea or plan out a whole project in advance, they make a methodical series of little bets about what might be a good direction, learning critical information from lots of little failures and from small but significant wins."

Implement small projects. Instead of trying to plan out your entire mission in advance, use small, achievable projects to explore potential directions.

Learn from feedback. Use the concrete results from these "little bets" to gather feedback and refine your approach. Be willing to adjust your mission based on what you learn.

• Characteristics of effective "little bets":
  • Can be completed in less than a month
  • Force you to create new value or master new skills
  • Produce concrete results for feedback

Be patient and persistent. Developing a successful mission often takes time and multiple attempts. Keep exploring and refining your ideas.

9. Apply the law of financial viability to guide career decisions

"Do what people are willing to pay for."

Use money as an indicator. While not the ultimate goal, money can serve as a neutral indicator of the value you're providing. If people are willing to pay for your skills or ideas, it's a good sign you're on the right track.

Test your ideas. Before fully committing to a new direction, test whether people are willing to pay for it. This could mean seeking funding, selling a product, or negotiating a new role with your employer.

Balance passion and practicality. While pursuing work you're passionate about is important, make sure there's a market for your skills and ideas. This balance increases your chances of long-term career satisfaction and success.

10. Create work you love through strategic skill development

"Working right trumps finding the right work."

Focus on skill development. Instead of endlessly searching for the perfect job, concentrate on becoming exceptionally good at valuable skills. This approach is more likely to lead to work you love.

Be patient and persistent. Building a career you love takes time and effort. Don't expect overnight transformations. Instead, focus on consistent improvement and strategic decisions.

Remain flexible. As you develop your skills and gain experience, be open to new opportunities and directions. Your definition of meaningful work may evolve as you grow professionally.

• Key strategies for creating work you love:
  • Adopt the craftsman mindset
  • Engage in deliberate practice
  • Accumulate career capital
  • Seek increased control and autonomy
  • Develop a compelling mission
  • Use "little bets" to explore new directions
  • Apply the law of financial viability

Last updated: July 23, 2024