A Letter to My Younger Self: Make Your Mark by Contributing to the Market

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Two weeks ago I wrote a post saying 7 things I wish I could tell my 16 year old self about the workplace:?

I got a private message from someone who said:

“I enjoyed your post about advice to your younger self. I would love for you to expound on your bullet point about contributing to the market and not just the business. That was a very unique suggestion!”

So I’ve decided to do that here.

This reflects a number of influences from my personal life that I typically don’t talk about: I don’t have a financially wealthy back story so this advice would be important and perhaps difficult to hear.

I was raised by a single mother on a council estate.

Where I grew up was lower working class, maybe even lower.

Education was something to get out of the way so that you can get a job and start taking care of yourself.

I lived around a lot of people who were unwilling or unable to get a job and start taking care of themselves.?

I say this because the insight I was seeking wasn’t easily available.

I wanted to do something out of the ordinary and I’ve just told you what ordinary looked like.

I knew this meant I had to get good at something. My 16 year old self knows this but doesn’t know what that should be.

It would not have been helpful to dictate to my 16 year old self what that thing should be.

It didn’t work then.

It doesn’t work now.

I would outline these 3 ideas, with an emphasise on the length of time it would take to achieve it.

1 Develop Rare and Valuable Skills

I constantly talk about this.?

I learned this from Professor Cal Newport’s book: “So Good They Can’t Ignore You”.

It’s one of the books I gift the most in life. I have copies of this book in my car that I give to people.

Here's what I would say.

Find something that you are willing to get good at, then get good at it.?

- Not what you like.?

- Not what you’re being told to do.

- Not what the careers advisor is saying.

Find something that you are willing to spend time improving at, even it is not convenient.

Forget about if anyone else is impressed by that thing.

In fact, assume that others will not be impressed or understand that thing.

2 Reconsider What Is Valuable To Others

My 16 year old self might think rare and valuable means being superior in a specific skill.

- I can sell better than you.

- I can draw better than you.

- I can write code faster than you.

I’ve come to learn that there are circumstances where a skill is doing things that others are unwilling or unable to do.

Sometimes this is providing convenience to others. ?

In your life, you’ve paid for meals that were not the best thing you’ve eaten.

In fact, maybe you could have done better yourself.

At that time you were unwilling or unable to do it.?

It was inconvenient to do it.

This is a problem for someone to solve. ?

16 year old me would understand that.?

3 Make A Contribution

The defining characteristic of a PhD is that you have to make a contribution to human knowledge. You create something novel that didn’t exist before.

Create something and use it to help people where you work.

Create something and use it to help people where you DON'T work.

If this thing is really useful it will benefit people you don't know.

16 year old me will say this sounds great but also say "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

The obvious example for me is our podcast.

This week is episode 325 and it's the longest running Inclusion podcast in the world.

The insights we share are better than what some people charge for.

The insights we share are being used by consultants to start their own businesses.

This means if you're a regular member of our audience, you know more than some of the "experts" in the DEI space.

This isn't my opinion, I get messages every week about this kind of thing.

The problem I have is my 16 year old self doesn't know about social media or the internet so I would say:

"In your family, you have a legacy of service and contribution.

Where you live, you are involved in ongoing community service.

Use that same principle to benefit yourself and others at work."

Make a contribution that others are unwilling or unable to make.

Make it good enough that people are willing to pay for it.

Get creative.

Think about how it can be helpful to others.

Then give it to others.

Or accommodate others.?

Or make space for others.?

Or collect information for others.

Or share information with others.?

Make it easy for others to get involved.

Some people will try to copy what you’re doing.

Some people will try to rip off what you’re doing.

Some people won't like what you're doing.

At best this makes them followers.

You will be a leader.

You will contribute to the marketplace.

You will contribute the organisation.?

You will contribute to yourself.

This means you won’t need to prove your value because you will already be showing your value.

My 16 year old self will buy into that. ?

I hope you can too.

Check out the full show because I go into a lot of emotive detail about the benefits of doing this as well as the hard work required.

As always

I’m cheering you on.

Dr. Jonathan

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