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Jeremy Brockman's avatar

TC, long time reader back to JQP; first time commenter. I always enjoy reading your work. You never fail to adroitly and humorously describe in YOUR words MY thoughts. Even if I were to try to piece together the ideas simmering in my mind in writing or conversation, it would come out clumsy and incomplete. Your prose flows like a novel in email form that I am sad to see end.

To this piece, I wish I would have read it 20+ years ago. I missed many opportunities to move the ball forward and learn from others because my focus was inward. How could ‘I’ improve, what can ‘I’ do to ensure mission success, etc. I can blame my introverted personality as an excuse, but the problem was control and time efficiency. I always despised group projects or shared responsibility and felt small talk or relationship building an inefficient use of time. I have seen the enormous impact and efficiency of a well-networked team. Or the mountains moved with a phone call to an old wingman. Again, I wish I would have read this and internalized the message decades ago.

Keep writing TC! Even lurkers like me are enjoying your work.

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Henry Gill's avatar

Hello Tom. I enjoy reading your comments, but this latest one was bang-on. I was an Army Infantry officer who clued in on being tactically and technically proficient while being friendly without being friends. There was the Army and then there was my life - two separate things. As I progressed, one of my senior officers (who was worth a damn) once called me in and told me that I'd never go far in the Army because I didn't have a 'rabbi.' Turns out that he was absolutely right. The Army was going to leave me in one shxtty assignment after the next, cleaning up someone else's mess until I died. I left when it became clear that I was a good 'worker' but had no network. People knew my worth, but didn't value me. I left, never looked back and am so glad I did since I prospered (and learned) elsewhere.

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