This works

For the next 5 minutes, let’s elevate your career.

In today’s email:

Most of us like planning - it gives us a dopamine hit.

A useful timeframe to deliver big career goals is 5 years. This gives enough time to compound a series of small actions to something great. It also increases our sense of mission and makes us appear purposeful.

Imagine where you want your career to be in 5 years… Picture the role you want to perform and write it down. Describe how you think, act, and feel in this role.

What do you need to do differently? What is your plan to make this happen? What’s the smallest task you can you do this week to give this momentum? It’s easier to adjust when we’re in motion.

We’re human so there’ll be relapse and failures. Use the data from each failure to recalibrate your actions. A big outcome goal is the result of many disciplined process goals. Keep the goal alive by celebrating progress.

This works.

I still mess this up. Not as much as I used to, but I want to improve.

Someone tells us a funny story or describes something really meaningful to them. We need to now give this airspace. Pause. Be present, emotionally connect. Ask a couple of questions to show we have heard them.

This is not the time to immediately respond with our funny story or career warrior moment. That can come a bit later, if useful. It’s their moment with you or in the group. Don’t crush their story.

Robin Sharma said, “Don’t fall into the trap of being busy. Focus on being productive. It’s easy to be distracted by shiny objects”

Novelty is fun. We like to explore new ideas, products, and opportunities.

But novelty can distracts us from our existing projects. It can impede delivery.

Beware the bright, shiny object.

I sometimes get so caught-up in work that I neglect my friendships. This is stupid given how much happiness I get from hanging out with buddies.

Friendships need to be renewed. This means we have support when we encounter life’s inevitable setbacks. And company when we have joyous events to celebrate.

Karl Lagerfield said, “Anna Wintour is the most powerful woman in fashion. No one else has her influence — when she speaks, the entire industry listens.” And Tom Ford, “Anna has a clarity of vision that’s incredibly rare. She knows exactly what she wants and isn’t afraid to pursue it. That’s what makes her extraordinary.”

Anna Wintour (1949 — ) was born in London and attended North London Collegiate School before pursuing a career in fashion journalism. She began as an editor in the 1970s, working for Harpers & Queen and Viva before joining Vogue in 1983. Wintour was appointed Editor-in-Chief of American Vogue in 1988, a role she held for decades. She shaped the magazine into a cultural force. In 2013, Wintour became Artistic Director of Condé Nast, expanding her influence across the company’s portfolio.

Wintour has been honored with numerous accolades, including a Damehood from Queen Elizabeth II for services to fashion and journalism. Some of her career wisdom: