How You Do It Matters

Photo by Jack Anstey on Unsplash

Looking back on my career, the connections and opportunities I value most weren’t the result of optimizing for speed. They grew from taking the long view.

How you do it matters just as much as what you do.

Take professional networking, for example. I’ve found that showing up consistently to community events, contributing even when I don’t need anything, has led to the most meaningful connections and opportunities. That might look like speaking at a meetup, volunteering to help organize one, reviewing someone’s resume, or answering career questions in Slack. Similarly, I’m drawn to organizations where solving real user problems is at the heart of what we build.

I once worked at a startup where the CEO’s departing words really stuck with me. This man was far from perfect, but I enjoyed working with him professionally and did it twice, mostly because of our alignment on what matters.

Here’s what he said upon his departure.

As you continue to grow without me, I’d ask you to keep one thing in mind: the way we do it matters. We haven’t gotten here because we’re the cleverest copywriters, the fastest programmers, or the slickest sales people. We don’t work sixteen hour days, and we’re not ruthless or cutthroat. We’re kind. We care about each other. We bring out the best of each other’s strengths, and we bridge each other’s weaknesses. We create opportunities to experiment and take risks. We’re humble. And we’re better for it.

Of course, pragmatic tradeoffs are part of the job. I can move fast when needed, whether that’s shipping a quick fix to unblock progress or meeting a tight deadline. The key is being intentional: planning to address the root cause rather than letting temporary solutions pile up. It’s about being honest with yourself and your team about what you’re doing and why.

In an age of viral videos for quick wins, I know it can be challenging to play the long game…but I encourage you to consider it.

This approach has led me to opportunities and relationships I wouldn’t trade for anything. If you’re wondering whether it’s worth it to take a more intentional approach - I’d say give it a shot and see where it takes you.