Different people have different strengths. Find yours.
Also: What Google needs is not a peace-time CEO, but a war-time CEO
Hi guys,
Hope you’re well. I’m doing okay, Alhamdulillah.
I write this at 10:53 am on a cold Sunday morning, after a rollercoaster week. On one hand, I was off work all week, and it was great to spend some time resting, reading, and watching some old Suits episodes. On the other hand, I received some unpleasant news early in the week that completely disrupted my plans, so I also spent several days in an anxious state, running upandan and trying to fight fires.
In all things, adupe.
Okay, let’s dive in. 😊
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Every once in a while, I have cause to reflect on the evolution of PAADC. Mostly, this involves applauding their achievements from afar and being jealous of what the successive teams have built in recent years. 😄
And many times when I look at the new connections and partnerships they make, the events they organize, and the numerous new initiatives, I think “Wow this is amazing. I would never have thought of doing something like this, thank God I’m no longer involved!”
And I guess the learning here is that different situations require different types of leaders.
Person A might be great at generating ideas and creating a coherent vision
Person B might be amazing at building high-impact teams
Person C might be a world-class operator and salesman
Person D might be a great communicator with an eye for quality
Person E might have expertise in scaling already-existing initiatives
Person F might be a brand and marketing maestro
Etc etc
None of these (imaginary 😄) qualities is better or worse - all are needed at different stages!
Someone who is excellent at scaling initiatives would be a poor fit for an early-stage startup, and someone whose strength is technical innovation might not be the person you want managing client relationships!
I recently saw a tweet that symbolized this.
Just about everybody on earth would agree that Sundar Pichai is an excellent CEO. But in today’s world, where Microsoft is trying to eat Google’s lunch with ChatGPT, what Google needs is not a ‘peace-time’ CEO, but a ‘war-time’ CEO.
It needs someone to scream at the Engineering, Sales, and Product teams to ship faster than they ever have. It needs someone who doesn’t care about being a nice guy and can let go of more people who are not ready to give everything to defend Google’s $280 billion annual search revenue (while of course leaving my friends’ jobs intact 🌚).
It just might need a Steve Ballmer. 😂
What am I trying to say?
As you go about building your career, take some time to try new things and figure out what roles and spaces you function best in (or at least what roles and spaces you don’t function best in). It will save you a lot of stress down the road.
And when the current environment evolves to no longer suit your needs or skillset, pass the baton to someone it suits better and move on to thriving somewhere else!
** Jara content:
“There’s nothing for me to do, Donna. It’s in his hands.”
“In his hands? Harvey, that was a trial maneuver, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help him when he needs you.”
“He doesn’t need me.”
“He needs you more than ever.”
“No, he doesn’t. It’s time for him to put the clipboard down and get in the game. Donna, this wasn’t just some move to slip testimony. This is Mike’s life, it’s his story, and he needs to be the one to tell it. Everything he has done until this moment has prepared him for this, and I’m telling you…He’s ready for it.”
- Suits Season 5 Episode 15
Have a great week. ✨
Thanks for putting this out here Hameed.