Cornerstones for Career Success
Four skills that can help anyone anywhere make it in their field
Welcome to Wonderings & Wanderings by Will Reynoir. If you want to get these wonderings from this struggling blogger straight to your inbox, subscribe for free and join the 44 other people following along!
Hey everyone! I hope y’all enjoyed the incredible weekend wherever you are in the world reading this. If you are based in NYC like me, then it should’ve been your duty to touch some grass with some of the prettiest two weekend days we’ve seen all year. I know I got my fill going to Central Park on both days this weekend with very different experiences. On Saturday, I had a chill day and figured I would just go on a walk and call up a bunch of people I used to frequently call when I traveled from city to city last year. After not one, not two, not three, not four, but five missed calls from friends (and mi madre), I had to stop my walk and think if I had done something wrong to each of these people (just a joke, still love all y’all whether or not y’all picked up). On Sunday, I relaxed in the park and ate some delicious pizza with friends which made me feel much better about my friendships (again, just a joke).
I don’t want to bring up sports in this blog (besides saying the Saints draft was awesome and the Pels playoff series was much less awesome) as in the wise words of Skylar Grey, I’m coming home (didn’t want to use the PDiddy version):
Reason: I’m going to Jazz Fest to see the Rolling Stones on Thursday. It’ll be my first time going to Jazz Fest in at least five years and the third time I’ll have seen the Rolling Stones live. Since they are my favorite band, I could not be more excited. I’ll drop some pics from the show in the next blog. Speaking of blogs, I need to start writing this one, so let’s take a quick trip down memory lane without further ado.
Four Skills of the Career Apocalypse
Almost two years ago, after graduating college, attending two crypto conferences, and not having any job plans post-grad, I wrote my first blog (was just an intro honestly, but it counts technically). While one of the initial reasons I started writing was to expand my portfolio of work to show my interest in blockchain technologies (and to also occupy my insane amount of free time), I was mainly inspired by one of my mentors who told me that there are four skills that if you have them, you’ll end up doing alright in your career no matter what you decide to pursue:
Reading
Writing
Thinking Creatively
Communicating Efficiently
I figured the best way to expand on each of these skills was to follow my high school’s Latin motto (since it sounds cooler) Discimus Agere Agendo, or “We learn to do by doing.” In this context, I figured the best way to improve my writing was to simply just start writing.
A few months later, I brought up this piece of advice from my mentors again in a blog where I talked about some of the best career advice I’ve received. This time, I expanded on each of these topics with quotes from famous people and even made a graphic on how all of these skills are connected.
However, after talking with someone about my writing this past week, I was reminded of this piece of advice. Since I’ve only done a high-level discussion about the piece of advice that helped convince me to start this blog, I thought it would be fun to dive a little deeper here so you get a little more than just a couple of quotes that describe each topic. To start, let’s do a quick overview of each of the skills.
Reading
Without trying to be captain obvious, reading is most crucial for knowledge acquisition, which is pretty self-evident in terms of its positive benefits for a career. However, there are additional benefits as well.
By engaging with diverse materials, professionals can broaden their understanding of various topics, enhance analytical thinking, and develop a diverse set of problem-solving skills. This knowledge not only informs and refines their approach to work but also enables them to generate innovative solutions and adapt to evolving markets. Additionally, reading fosters an expanded worldview, allowing individuals to stay informed about global events and trends, which is essential for navigating shifts in any industry.
Beyond these immediate professional benefits, reading also provides lifelong advantages that contribute to overall well-being. It sharpens critical thinking and boosts cognitive function, improving vocabulary, comprehension, and analytical skills.
No example of the importance of reading in determining success is clearer than Warren Buffet, who is well known for spending 5-6 hours a day reading everything from newspapers to 10Ks to biographies, and more. After decades and decades of this practice, Buffet can apply this wisdom to see trends and patterns that help inform him how to invest at Berkshire Hathaway.
Writing
Writing is a vital skill for career success, serving as a powerful tool for communicating ideas and persuading others. It allows professionals to share their insights clearly and persuasively, facilitating collaboration and idea-sharing across teams and organizations. Additionally, writing helps document work for future reference, preserving insights and knowledge that can guide future projects and developments. This documentation also provides a valuable resource for others to learn from, fostering a culture of learning and growth within any organization.
Furthermore, writing plays a crucial role in structuring thoughts and strengthening critical thinking. By organizing ideas and concepts into a coherent narrative, writing enables people to refine their understanding of complex topics, break down challenges, and develop comprehensive solutions. There have been several times where I have an idea about a blog to write or a topic I want to understand more about and the process of writing gave me a much better understanding of a complex topic I only knew at face value.
A great example of the importance of clear and concise writing can be found at Amazon where Jeff Bezos requires executives to write a narratively structured six-page memo before any meeting to discuss a new product or idea. These memos wouldn’t just be rushed right before the meeting however and instead be carefully constructed for weeks beforehand. In Bezos’ mind, this structure is much better than the PowerPoint presentations we were taught as it forces ideas to be fully fleshed out.
Communicating Efficiently
Effective and clear communication is fundamental to success across all aspects of life. It entails the ability to convey ideas and information in a clear, concise, and persuasive manner, ensuring that the message is delivered, understood, and acted upon. This skill is vital in fostering collaboration and building strong relationships, whether in personal interactions or professional settings.
Clear communication helps avoid misunderstandings and minimizes errors by ensuring that everyone involved precisely understands what is expected. This efficiency is crucial in fast-paced environments where clear and direct communication can significantly influence productivity and outcomes. Moreover, effective communicators are often seen as leaders because they can articulate visions and rally others around shared goals, creating an atmosphere of unity and purpose.
One of the best communicators that my parents made sure I grew up with a little bit is Fred Rogers, aka Mister Rogers. Rogers was the famous creator, showrunner, and host of the preschool television series Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, which ran in the US for over three decades. Below is a clip of Rogers articulating the meaning and importance of his show so well in front of the Senate that they awarded him $20m for the show to air on PBS (I also HIGHLY recommend this video which gives an incredibly comprehensive breakdown of Rogers’ speech).
Thinking Creatively
Last but certainly not least is thinking creatively, which I saved for the end because I believe it is the single most important and transferable skill that anyone can have. While creativity is mainly applied to the artistic fields, it serves a great purpose in business fields as well. By approaching challenges with a unique perspective, individuals can develop new strategies, products, and services that add substantial value to their organizations. This innovative mindset not only leads to immediate solutions but also establishes a culture of forward-thinking, which is crucial for long-term growth and success.
Furthermore, creative thinking helps integrate ideas from diverse fields, offering a multidisciplinary approach to problem-solving. This approach can open new avenues for collaboration and development, allowing professionals to leverage cross-industry insights to enhance their work. Creative thinking enables individuals to anticipate and adapt to industry trends, positioning them as leaders in their field and ensuring sustained success. Especially in a world with AI where it feels like everything is gravitating toward average, being someone who comes up with crazy, non-cookie-cutter ideas can help you stand out from the pack.
One of the world’s most creative masterminds today is record executive and producer Rick Rubin, who helped popularize artists such as the Beastie Boys, Run DMC, and LL Cool J, and has worked on music from almost every genre (metal, rock, country, and more). Below is a clip from his interview with Joe Rogan where whoever edited his video did an amazing job editing all the parts of Rubin explaining tons of different important elements of creativity.
Interconnected Skills
If you’ve gotten this far, I hope the previous few paragraphs have at least helped describe why these skills are crucial for anyone looking to make an impact in the world around them. Now, as shown in my previous chart, these skills can enhance and synergize with one another. However, my previous chart was quite barebones, to be honest, and doesn’t even show how each skill impacts the other. Thus, I’m going to lay out how all of these skills work with one another before creating an updated chart that you can maybe save in a random folder on your laptop to come back to later even if you probably won’t look at it for at least a year. Let’s break it down with the help of my trusted colleague Chat GPT:
Reading
To Writing - Enhances and diversifies writing style
Reading exposes individuals to various styles and vocabularies, enhancing their ability to express ideas in writing. It can also provide more ideas to write about (I’ve gotten tons of ideas from newsletters like Not Boring).
To Creative Thinking - Expands imagination
Reading introduces new concepts and perspectives, fueling creativity and innovation. With a great knowledge base built up in your brain, it only makes sense that it expands the amount of ideas one can have.
To Effective Communication - Builds a knowledge base
Reading widely provides the content knowledge necessary for informed and effective communication. If you know what you’re communicating, it’s easier to be clearer in your communication
Writing
To Reading - Deepens understanding
Writing about things you’ve read can deepen comprehension and retention of the content. Trust me, I know much more about Omnibus Bills (shameless shill, I know) after writing a blog about it than I did beforehand.
To Creative Thinking - Clarifies and refines ideas
Writing helps structure creative ideas, making them more concrete and actionable. Bezos’ memos I mentioned earlier are a great example of this.
To Effective Communication - Strengthens message delivery
Good writing skills are crucial for clear, persuasive communication. If you’re a corporate warrior (or in any field), knowing how to structure a message over text (email, slack, etc.) that is clear and easy for others to understand is crucial, especially in an increasingly digital world.
Effective Communication
To Reading - Guides focused learning
Clear communication about needs and goals can direct reading efforts to specific areas. Knowing what to read can be as important as becoming good at it.
To Writing - Improves clarity and structure
Communicating effectively can enhance one's ability to write with clarity and purpose. If you can explain something in 100 words that most people need 500 for, then your writing will be better than others.
To Creative Thinking - Fosters feedback and iteration
Effective dialogue can spark new ideas and refine existing ones, feeding back into the creative process. If you can explain a creative thought succinctly, it is much easier for others to provide feedback, which can thus improve upon that creative idea.
Creative Thinking
To Reading - Inspires exploration of new topics
Creative ideas can lead to seeking out more information, encouraging further reading. I was able to record a podcast where my friend Jack and I spent an hour talking about space because I had some knowledge to even hold a conversation with him on it
To Writing - Drives engaging content
Creative insights can transform standard writing into compelling stories and arguments. Don’t think this connection needs much explaining.
To Effective Communication - Enriches verbal and non-verbal expression
Creative thinking enables more dynamic and engaging communication. As an example, for a finance class where we had to pitch actual investors to invest in our hedge fund, I came up with a much more creative and engaging opening and closing (look at notes in slides 2 & 38) than most of the other boring intros our classmates chose.
With all of these connections now established, here is the new updated chart you can check out, skim over, straight up ignore, or any other possible description of what you could do with it (after reading this, maybe you can think of some more creative ways of things to do).
Conclusion
Don’t get me wrong: there are tons of critical and crucial skills that can enable people to achieve success in their personal and professional lives, especially depending on your career field. However, as my mentor said, if you can achieve an above-competent level at all of the skills above, you will end up doing pretty darn well no matter what you do. If you’re worried that you are only proficient in one of the above right now in your current state, that’s alright as whichever skill you are most fluent in is already contributing to your ability to gain a solid comprehension of each of the other skills. For any of the go-getters reading this, I challenge you to spend some time this weekend partaking in each of the skills. It can be through writing in a journal, explaining what you do for work to your mom, and/or spending 30 minutes unplugged and letting your thoughts just wander. The good news is you’ve already completed one reading this blog (if you’ve got this far, lol), so may as well knock out the others at this point.
Thanks for reading! Apologies for this one coming out much later than usual; I was spending way too much time having fun at home in NOLA. As I talked about in the intro, I did see the Stones and they were amazing, but I’ll save my thoughts on the matter for the next blog’s intro. Until next time, stay classy folks.
Click the links below if you dare:
Email: wreynoir@gmail.com