Do you want safety or excellence in your career?
I was reading an email from Ramit Sethi this morning and he shared something from an interview that I HAD to share.
Our parents want safety for us, not excellence.
The thing is safety as our parents know it is just an illusion based on tenure.
When I told my mom I was leaving Pepsico to take my first consulting job at Accenture that made WAY more money, she had one question. “Are sure it’s the right move to leave a good job?”
I was doing well at Pepsico during my 5 years.. regularly promoted and respected. I was already doing more in my career than I had really dreamed of…
All of that counts for a lot but the truth is there are no guarantees.
Just like I remember my mom’s question, I also remember the first time seeing someone I thought was at the top of their game and untouchable get let go.
So going back to the idea of safety vs. excellence… I actually think you can have both when you frame things up in the right way.
Here’s what I mean…
The safest thing for you to do and the fastest path to excellence (e.g. promotions and career progression) is making yourself as marketable as possible. That way you’ll always be positioned for the next big thing.
Part of making yourself marketing is putting in the work to make sure your skills are relevant. But a bigger part of your marketability is just telling the story right for the skills and accomplishments you already have.
Jump over to the link below if you want to see how it’s done — step by step: