On the “how” of working things out

I hear from a lot of people who feel uncertain—especially while in transition—in their careers. Understandably, they’re eager to answer the open questions in front of them.???

But that’s not always possible, nor necessarily the optimal path. It’s been years since my conversation with Sheryl Sandberg on the Masters of Scale podcast, but her story about talking with Mark Zuckerberg and considering the COO role at Facebook sticks with me.

In their earliest conversations, Sheryl admits that she didn’t agree with Mark on some substantive things. Sheryl’s late husband, Dave Goldberg, told her: “Don’t work any of those out. You never will. What you want from Mark is process agreement on *how* you will work things out. Because even if you work all the questions you have out now, they’re going to change.”?

If Mark and Sheryl had made promises to each other around specific solutions to specific challenges facing Facebook at the time, they would have inevitably broken those commitments. By promising they would always be frank, and outlining how they'd work through disagreements—they set the course for a pragmatic and productive relationship that lasted throughout Sheryl's 14-year tenure at Facebook.?

For more on navigating career uncertainty, as well as acting on one’s mission, purpose and values, give the full episode a listen:?

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1227971746?i=1000385981546?????????

Happy listening—and happy Thanksgiving!