So Good They Can't Ignore You

when they fail to find this certainty, bad things follow, such as chronic job-hopping and crippling self-doubt.

there’s something liberating about the craftsman mindset: It asks you to leave behind self-centered concerns about whether your job is “just right,” and instead put your head down and plug away at getting really damn good.

matters is your results. When you show up to work and when you leave, when you take vacations, and how often you check e-mail are all irrelevant. They leave it to the employee to figure out whatever works best for getting the important things done. “No results, no job: It’s that simple,” as ROWE supporters like to say.

The more I studied the issue, the more I noticed that the passion hypothesis convinces people that somewhere there’s a magic “right” job waiting for them,

For a mission-driven project to succeed, it should be remarkable in two different ways. First, it must compel people who encounter it to remark about it to others. Second, it must be launched in a venue that supports such remarking.

To have a mission is to have a unifying focus for your career. It’s more general than a specific job and can span multiple positions.

bets allow you to tentatively explore the specific avenues surrounding your general mission, looking for those with the highest likelihood of leading to outstanding results.

The control-centric businesses grew at four times the rate of their counterparts.

it’s dangerous to pursue more control in your working life before you have career capital to offer in exchange.