One simple advice for professional success is to think and act like a founder.
Before you take a job, think like a founder.
After you take the job, continue to think and act like a founder.
If you work in a well-run company, with a fair, meritocratic system and good managers, thinking and acting like a founder will eventually lead to your career success as well.
Before you take a job, think like a founder.
- Would you start a startup in the same space, with the same business model? Do you think there's a good opportunity for impact?
- Are you are the right person to do it? Are you excited about it?
- Do you have the right team or the resources to hire the right team?
- Is your team's charter relevant to the company and supported by the company? Do you think you have the investment and support (from the company) to make you successful?
- Do you agree with the company's values and culture? Are they meritocratic, rational and not political?
After you take the job, continue to think and act like a founder.
- Make the business, customers and your "investors and board members" (manager and skip level managers) successful.
- Make your team and members successful.
- Improve product, culture and processes.
- Act with thoughtfulness, urgency and resourcefulness.
- Be an optimistic cheerleader for the company and the team.
If you work in a well-run company, with a fair, meritocratic system and good managers, thinking and acting like a founder will eventually lead to your career success as well.