Inklings

After technical proficiency, how well you work with others matters most. The latter requires deeper behavioral change and it's harder to train. That's why, as you progress in your career, being easy to work with slightly outweighs pure technical skill.

Being easy to work with doesn't mean being a pushover. It doesn't mean saying 'yes' to everything, always agreeing with your team, or just following instructions well. Those behaviors actually make people harder to work with, though some organizations with subpar cultures reward them.

So, what does being easy to work with actually mean?

• You build and maintain trust
• You bring clarity to confusion
• You navigate situations with emotional intelligence
• You read rooms instinctively
• You can build rapport with different personality types
• You show agency
• You maintain momentum especially through ambiguity
• You keep tighter feedback loops

Unlike technical skills that can become obsolete, being easy to work with creates an advantage that gives you disproportionate returns throughout your career. Everyone wants to work with you, leaders think of you first when delegating a key project, your teammates are happy to refer you, career growth gets easier, and so on...

If you're inherently easy to work with, you've an edge over most teammates; go build on it! Because, being easy to work with is not easy.

We experience a phase where everything just clicks; not just for one random day but for weeks! Most won't remember the details of when and how it started; it feels like you swallowed liquid luck and the universe shifted to work for you.

This magical phase is cyclic. The key is to recognize and capitalize it, and increase the surface area of luck.

To recognize it, watch out for some signals: A lot of opportunities appear, you feel in control, obstacles are dissolved quickly, you have a better momentum... etc.

To capitalize on the moment, make bold moves. "Have almost too much self-belief", as Sama says. Make that career switch, take on that ambitious project, pitch your ideas, be more vocal in meetings, work outside your comfort zone, build new skills, work harder, go on that date... You know where you're holding yourself back; push past those barriers.

If you plant the right seeds, they will continue to grow beyond this phase. You will increase the surface area of luck, and returns will compound.

The point here is not to wait and watch for the phase to come and do all the above. It is to sail faster with ease when the wind is on your side. Make the journey more rewarding.

Julia Fedorin, a YouTuber and marketing student from Ontario, showed the true power of agency.

She liked the idea of working at Shopify. There were no suitable open roles. So, she decided to pitch to create one. That's power.

She did what she does best — created a video that captures the value she has created for the world. She challenged Shopify to think bold, and create room for one more (role). That's power.

She reached Shopify with one tweet. That's power.

The company CEO, COO, and many others noticed. Loved her audacity. Gave her "You're hired" response on her tweet. That's power.

From tweet to getting hired took just 4 hours! That's power.

People talk about high agency a lot, but we rarely see such clear illustrations of it in action. Thank you, Julia and Shopify leadership team for showing the world the true power of agency.

"When someone, especially a stranger, notices and appreciates your qualities, you must play closer attention to it." I wrote in my journal a few months back.

Reflecting on your qualities from others' perspective acts as a great compass to navigate your professional journey; especially when you're uncertain or lost.

My usual response to praise has been an awkward thank you, or self-doubt, or letting it go, or worst — all of it! The self-tip and new perspective changed my mind.

Derek Sivers wrote a chapter ‘Obvious to you. Amazing to others.’ in his book. He writes, "Everybody’s ideas are obvious to themselves. We’re bad judges of our own creations. We should just put them out there and let the world decide."

So, next time someone appreciates you, take their word for it; take it seriously.

At work or home, you have access to the people you can rely on and ask for help. You know a few things are beyond your knowledge or control today. You know a handful of personal or professional coaches to skill up. You’re aware that you can tackle a challenge much faster if you simply drop that message or make a call. But you don’t.

Abundance of people, time, or any resources doesn’t guarantee action. You’re not limited by any of them, but your mindset.

If you’re stuck at the moment, check if you are the spoke in the wheel.

Async collaboration fails because people don’t know how to ask for help clearly. Bullet points, longer messages or repetition doesn't mean over-communication or clarity.

Poor async-hygiene is a silent blocker and gets prevalent when you work across opposite timezones. It's not an art; it's rocket science.

Async communication protocol that works for me:

• Everyone, I’ve worked on [project] and need your help to [finalize / unblock / validate / etc.].
• I’d love your feedback on [specific sections]—especially on [problem statement / JTBD / solution direction / etc.]
• Please share your thoughts by [deadline]. If you need more time, please let me know.
• After I get your input, I’ll [next step: revise, share v2, sync, etc.]

I have purchased a couple AirPods, over-the-ear headphones, wireless in-ear earphones, expensive wired earphones, and not to mention a dedicated microphone. I still own a few of these and yet I went looking for my Apple 3.5mm wired earphones last week. Fortunately I found them and that's the default now.

I lived the bell curve meme

one more time...!

Like the meme captures perfectly, we gravitate towards simplicity. Every now and then, new promises of higher quality, speed and productivity come around like a centrifugal force and try to pull us towards complexity. But, it's only a matter of time before gravity does its job.

This pattern can be observed across digital tools and devices, clothing, travel plans, productivity systems, and so on. Perhaps it's smart to recognizing this cycle early.