Advice from someone who’s done it beats advice from someone who’s only watched it.
LEADERSHIP
WHAT THIS MEANS
Watching gives you the shape of a thing and leaves out its texture. The person who has actually done it knows which step is harder than it looks, where everybody quits, and what nobody tells you in advance. Observers tend to give advice that is tidy, because the messy parts were never visible from where they stood.
Before you take anybody’s guidance seriously, ask the plain question of whether they have done this themselves. Then go find one person who has. Ten minutes with someone two years ahead of you is worth more than a week of general opinions.
A QUESTION TO SIT WITH
Whose advice are you taking without checking if they did it?
MORE IN STRATEGY, SILENCE & POWER
- Getting the last word feels good for thirty seconds. Being right next month feels better.
- A rook stuck in the corner does nothing. Move your best skills to where the game is actually happening.
- In fog, ships slow down and sound their horns. When you’re unsure, slow down and tell people where you are.
Free, with nothing to buy inside it.