Small Changes, Big Difference: Career Edition - SWI #29

Read time: 3 mins

Have you ever played golf?

If you have, you’ve probably hit a shot that didn’t land where you wanted it to.

Maybe it was totally off, and you found yourself hunting for your ball in the rough.

The crazy thing is that if you’d just changed your swing by 1 or 2 millimeters, that shot could have been on the green.

A couple of millimeters makes a huge difference in golf.

The same can be true in your career.

Today, we’re sharing 3 small changes to ensure your career is filled with birdies and eagles (pardon the golf pun 😉).

Let's get into it:

“Focus on doing the right things instead of a bunch of things”.

- Mike Kreiger, co-founder of Instagram

Each of our 3 suggestions has this concept at the core: finding ways to focus your time and energy on the right things.

The right things are the things that will help you achieve your goals.

Whether you want a new job, a promotion, a raise, a new career path, or just to enjoy work more, consider using these 3 suggestions to help you focus on the right things, not a bunch of things.

Here they are:

3 SMALL CHANGES THAT MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE

1. Prioritise effectiveness over efficiency

Efficiency is, in our opinion, massively overrated.

There are seemingly endless articles, books, courses - you name it - to help you learn to be more productive.

The problem:

Getting more done in less time – being super-efficient – is not all that useful if you’re not working on the right things.

Many of us race through the to-do list without auditing the list in the first place.

The key to effectiveness is twofold:

a. Stop falling into the typical 'efficiency' traps:

• Stop prioritising the 'noisiest' things over what's important (answering your latest email, doing what the loudest person in the room says, etc.).
• Stop ticking off a to-do list of only quick, easy things.
• Stop avoiding hard or uncomfortable work by only doing what you’re already good at.

b. Instead, work on the things that materially impact your goals:

• Write down the 10 activities required to achieve your goal.
• Order them from biggest to smallest impact.
• Start with #1.

Follow this approach and you'll always be doing the right things instead of simply doing things well.

2. Model the success of people who've already achieved it

“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

- Isaac Newton

This is such a powerful metaphor because it tells us that even the most brilliant minds don't work in isolation.

Isaac Newton used the work of those who came before him to create his own outstanding achievements.

Be like Isaac.

Stand on the shoulders of giants.

You can do this by surrounding yourself with people that have achieved what you want, learning from them, and modeling them.

By doing this, you'll be less likely to:

• Make the mistakes they made early on.
• Spin in circles with no direction.

And more likely to:

• Understand the habits, behaviours, and mindset that creates success.
• Fast track your success by modeling their approach.

This is why we believe so strongly in having the right coach or mentor.

If you're struggling, don't struggle alone.

Let us know what you need here and we can recommend a path for you.

3. Swing at the right pitches

Warren Buffet, the famous investor & chair of Berkshire Hathaway, uses the baseball analogy of ‘don’t swing at every pitch’ for investing.

We love applying it to career decisions.

He explains it like this:

“The trick in investing is just to sit there and watch pitch after pitch go by and wait for the one right in your sweet spot. And if people are yelling, ‘Swing, you bum!,’ ignore them.”

“You don’t have to be an expert on every company, or even many. You only have to be able to evaluate companies within your circle of competence."

When it comes to your career, you get to choose the opportunities you swing at.

You don’t have to listen to people saying ‘Do this job’, or 'Take this salary offer’.

Even if they call you a bum, ignore them.

Then, swing at the right pitches.

How do you choose what to swing at?

Here’s a quick process using Buffet's advice:

i. Understand your circle of competence (i.e. know what you’re good at).

ii. Increase your circle of competence (i.e. get better at more things).

iii. Build a network that throws you pitches that are within your circle of competence (i.e. design your network and use it effectively).

And that’s it!

Small, super-effective changes that make a big difference to your career success.

If you’d like a little more help, we've broken down everything in our 4-part Career Accelerator Checklist, which you can download for free here .

For the action takers:

• Audit your daily activities and ask yourself: 1) Are my tasks aligned with my goals? and 2) Am I being efficient or effective?
• Take the first step in getting a coach or mentor to help you succeed.
  
  
  

We hope this helps!

Speak soon,

Lynne and Steve

TLDR

• Small changes can result in big outcomes.
• Always choose effectiveness over efficiency.
• Surround yourself with people who have the outcomes you want.
• Be patient. Swing at the right pitches.