Career lessons from Seth Godin, author and entrepreneur
Start early, embrace failures and follow your compass
A career is a journey. LinkedIn CEO has a series, The Path1, which looks at the journeys of many business leaders. Let us take a look at what Seth Godin’s career looked like and what we can learn from him. Godin has started and sold two companies2 and has written multiple books.
Tell me in an image
Tell me more
Start early
Godin started his first business when he was 13. We can see similar early entrepreneurial exercises from Tony Fadell and Warren Buffet3.
Define and pursue your goal
There is a difference between doing well in school and learning things- similar to how there is a difference between being rich and being happy.
Learn by doing
Godin believes that we learn by doing. The authors of Designing Your Life agree.
Be comfortable with failing
Godin got rejected 900 times before he found a publisher for his 2nd book. Another common theme among trailblazers is that they are comfortable with failures.
Build and use your compass
Godin’s view of a career is that you get to work on projects that you enjoy and that make a positive impact on society. He believes there is no path in career, and no maps; but only a compass. Godin's compass points to life satisfaction, impact, and generosity.
The Path newsletter started after my post about career being a journey. I am planning to claim that my post inspired ‘The Path’!
Not listing their names since I did not recognize either name!
I remember reading about Buffet buying his first stock when he was 11. That excited me and I went ahead to purchase stock of a company that I saw in that day’s newspaper. Quickly learned that it is very easy to lose money in the market!