The fastest way to grow is to work near people better than you and listen more than you talk for a while.

LEADERSHIP

WHAT THIS MEANS

Proximity teaches things instruction cannot reach. Standing close to people further along exposes the small decisions nobody writes down: what they do when something goes wrong, what they bother to check, what they ignore. Talking blocks that, because every minute of your own opinion is a minute spent not observing. A deliberate stretch of mostly listening is the fastest learning on offer.

So get into the room where the standard is higher, even in a junior role, and resist proving yourself for the first few months. Ask questions, watch the method, write things down. You can start contributing once you know what the good version looks like.

A QUESTION TO SIT WITH

Who around you is better at your craft than you are?

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