#general
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Hi Maggie, looking back to the early years of your career, what’s one thing you think you did that continues to pay dividends today? Also, what would you say are the top 5 qualities of the best talents you’ve managed?
In my 20s I pursued a job overseas and got it, ended up miserable. I stepped back to break down why I’d ended up that way and realized I was rigid and narrow minded. And that I’d learned more in my significant discomfort than at any other point in life
That changed how I look at discomfort and risks across the decades since. I’ve kept leaning into increasingly hard things and discomfort and that’s helped me build grit and guts
And by taking risks and even falling short, you build mental models, judgment and confidence
Plus you realize what you’re made of and you realize plenty of shit doesn’t kill you, so you’re more willing to be brave
I also have increasingly looked at things as experiments — keep emotional distance and see what the results are. Learn and be honest about what you screwed up. That way you’ll learn faster and no one can call you out on shit if you called yourself out first
Top qualities:
Don’t think in a box when it comes to their job
Have good judgment. Not perfect. But if I ask why you did something or approached it X way, I can follow your logic
Takes initiative
Takes feedback well. Not roll over and ingest everything like a dolt. Really consider what’s true and useful and apply it
Is introspective. If you’re not, you’ll miss a lot of learning in life and work. And as a manager, I can’t follow anyone around and be telling them all of X. Most of the time, your manager isn’t even around
Maggie, thanks a great deal for sharing. These are solid.