I started my career toward the beginning of the internet era, and my first job was on the losing end of a massive multi-industry disruption that would last decades. I was a journalist at a national news magazine (remember those?), and within months of joining full time, I witnessed multiple rounds of layoffs of colleagues who had proved their loyalty through long hours and hard work.
What I learned was that working hard only got you so far. To thrive, you also needed to pay close attention to the world around you, stay three steps ahead, and carefully position yourself to ride the next huge tidal waves (and not get crushed by them).
Some will read this as career advice, but really, this is also sound business strategy, and it's the approach that I bring to every organization I work with. I love a good playbook to get things done, but playbooks are inherently backwards-looking. I shine brightest when the playbooks stop working.
