#134: Glin & Tonic - Be So Good They Can't Ignore You

What's your 20% genius zone? If you knew that your 20% genius zone drives 80% of the income you earn, or the value others want from you, what would you choose?

While enjoying a break in the sleepy Hervey Bay on the Fraser Coast and some poolside chill time, I finished reading So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport.

In the book, he shares four rules:

Rule #1 - Don’t follow your passion
He makes a compelling argument, using Steve Jobs’ career as an example, against figuring out what you’re passionate about and then trying to find a job that matches that passion. Instead, he reminds us that passion is a side effect of mastery and that we should pay more attention to what Steve Jobs did than what he said in his infamous Stanford commencement speech.

Rule #2 - Be so good they can’t ignore you (the importance of skill)
Newport highlights that the traits that define great work are creativity, impact, and control. If you want more of these traits in your career, you need to acquire career capital—rare and valuable skills you have to offer the world in return. This requires a craftsmanship mindset and deliberate practice to stretch your ability and make your capabilities more rare and valuable.

Rule #3 - Turn down a promotion (the importance of control)
He explains that people can fall into the trap of pursuing more control and autonomy in their careers before they’ve acquired enough career capital to exchange. This can look like leaving a steady career to start a new business without evidence that your skills, products, or services are something people are willing to pay for. Or, it can involve accepting a promotion too early, before you’ve mastered the depth of knowledge that would make you more valuable.

Rule #4 - Think small, act big (the importance of mission)
He argues that missions that are truly innovative are discovered in the “adjacent possible” to the cutting edge of your field of expertise. Innovation is systematic. The act of ‘small’ thinking requires focusing on a narrow collection of subjects for a potentially long time to reach the cutting edge, which then leads to the discovery of a mission that’s both innovative and within your reach because of the rare and valuable skills you’ve acquired.

The essence of what he shares is that working right trumps finding the right work. Passion is a side effect of mastery, and being so good they can't ignore you.

It got me thinking about my journey and the mistakes I’d made along the way in my pursuit of more control, creativity, and impact.

It was 2018 when I first made the leap out of my corporate role in finance to start my first business in executive coaching.

I made the jump before I’d proven financial viability—ironic, given I’d spent 17 years in finance assessing the financial viability of projects before signing off investments.

I’d followed what the 'courage culture' advocates for, using the mantra ‘life is short, do what you love.’ Only, I didn’t know if I’d love coaching when I left my corporate career.

At the time, I was seeking freedom and autonomy, and I was sick of the corporate politics. I was seeking a reprieve from leadership behaviours that didn’t align with my values, and I’d chosen coaching because I believed I could help others navigate their journeys and make an impact—even though, at the time, I had no evidence people would pay me for it, and no evidence to suggest that my skills were rare or valuable in this field.

As I look back, I can see that my journey to success was a lot harder than it needed to be. I don’t regret the path I’ve taken; I’ve learned so much from the mistakes I’ve made, as we usually do, don’t we?

But in hindsight, had I read this book before, I’d have made very different choices on how I’d made my career transition back in 2018 and leveraged my acquired career capital more effectively.

As I look forward to 2025, I’m taking note of the areas I’m seeking to get to the cutting edge and continuing to acquire further career capital (develop rare and valuable skills) in my 20% unique ability areas.

While the 80/20 concept didn’t come from Cal Newport, it did come from Richard Koch’s 80/20 Individual, another great book I read this year, where he talks about how 80% of business results are driven by 20% of its people, products, and services—something most of us have experienced in our corporate careers.

It also applies to the value we create: 80% of value created comes from 20% of the activities we undertake.

I’m doubling down on HUMAN FIRST TRANSFORMATION—helping you transform yourself by becoming more of who you are, so that you can, in turn, make a meaningful difference in your life and business.

I’ll be leveraging and deepening my expertise in negotiation, personal development, and business, sharing more of my deliberate practice through writing and storytelling, as it’s the vehicle I feel most compelled to develop my mastery in.

As you look forward to 2025, what will you choose to develop your mastery in so that passion follows you?

Where will you choose to be so good they can’t ignore you?

I wrote a one-page summary of Cal Newport’s book as a crib sheet (or a Glin sheet!) for my own records. If you want a photo of it (hopefully, you’ll be able to read my writing!), let me know by replying with “Glin sheet.”

Until next week, Happy New Year! Keep going and keep growing.

Love Glin x

P.S. Three wins from my week:

1. Digital Detox: I’ve successfully managed to stay off my computer this week. I’m a self-confessed, now recovering workaholic, so this is huge!

2. Front Garden: John and I mostly finished working on our front garden earlier this week. Physical labour felt so good for an overthinker like me! It was a respite from the mental gymnastics I usually do on a daily basis!

3. Quality Time: Spending quality time with John and Noah in Hervey Bay. I honestly can’t remember the last time we had time away together just for rest and recharging our batteries. It’s something I’m committed to doing more of next year.