Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Anybody's Pitch


One of the things I wasn’t very good at in my decade of Corporate life was detachment. I gradually realised the power of seeing work as a game and myself as an avatar. Seeing each meeting, project, and year as a form of theatre sport. I have always been more of an all-in method actor. Sinking my heart and soul into the projects I was involved in. That is dangerous. In one of my biggest disappointments at work, I had the analogy Warren Buffett uses for stocks played back at me as a person. “You don’t have to swing at every pitch”. I wasn’t given an opportunity, not because of any evidence against me, but because the decision maker wasn’t feeling it. Didn’t have to feel it. Didn’t have to swing. It mattered significantly more to me, than it did to him. I felt it. Hard. Be very wary of sinking your heart and soul into businesses. Clearly it is in a company’s favour to build team spirit and a corporate message, but be careful. Hold a little back. When push comes to shove, remember it’s a game and just a game. Use the game to build the ability to be your decision maker. Don’t be anybody’s pitch.



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