You're navigating the competitive world of Venture Capital. How can you maintain focus on your career goals?

It's very easy to get distracted and lose sight of what you're really after. Be very intentional about what activities you do, what opportunities you pursue, and what passion and purpose mean to you. Every conversation and every encounter can add value, even those that aren't obviously connected, so always be open to possibilities.

Your network is your biggest asset, if you nurture and care for it. That being said, the nature and depth of the network is what really matters, not the size of the rolodex. The key to establishing a robust network, is simple. Approach any opportunity as a way to connect, learn something new, and make friends. Don't try to size people up and calculate what you might one day gain from them, because with that approach chances are you'll never get close enough to find out. Instead, get to know a person for who they are and think about how you can add value for them. Your network is only a strong as the connections it's built on. The more genuine you are and the more you care about the people in your network, the stronger your network really is

This is so important, because it creates an opportunity to learn what you like and what you don't like, what you're good at and what needs improvement, and what else might be relevant. At the very least, if it adds nothing else, it gives you something new to talk about

I always learn best by interacting with my peers. I regularly attend conferences and panel discussions about venture capital, particularly those that focus on markets I’m unfamiliar with. Not only do I learn something new, but I also expand my network, which is crucial in the world of venture capital.

This is definitely important, but make sure you are following a list of credible and reliable sources that have differing thoughts and opinions. You don't want to be blinded by one specific bias or prejudice, rather you want to educate yourself with thought provoking information that broadens your horizons and allows you to create your own inferences based on the information you've collected. Also, don't go overboard with this one - there are only so many hours in a day, so pick a select number of sources and don'toverwhelm yourself with so many that the end result is you read none.