The worst question I've ever asked was in 2019 in front of 4,000 Big 4 manager peers, and visionary leader, Salim Ismail. What he had to say has shifted my focus ever since. 🧵

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?

"What skills do you recommend we start learning today, so that we're able to future proof our careers?"

Honest question.

Right?

In 2019, I was a newly promoted manager attending EY Manager Milestones event.

It was 1 week filled with skills-based workshop, career introspection, "networking", and speakers.

On the last day, the big keynote speaker was 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗺 𝗜𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹.

𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗺?

• Serial Entrepreneur, has sold to Google

• Thought Leader of how companies can exponentially grow 10x

• Focused on solving humanity's most pressing challenges

Salim's keynote: "𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴"

• lessons on how to use disruption to exponential grow

• history on how enterprises have cultures that prevented further growth and would end up wrecking the business.

Salim painted a world of how emerging technologies and global issues were wrecking traditional systems

The different problems of the world would require specific collections of skills, across all these emerging issues

𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝟭𝟬 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘀

He had spent an entire keynote talking about skills I don't have, or didn't feel like I'd find the opportunity to try out and hone in on.

When it was Q&A, I decided to ask this front of 4,000 peers

"𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝗜 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳?"

Salim: "That's the worst question to be asking.

You've probably learned a skill from a book or took a course, hoping that you'd find the opportunity in the real world to actually use it.

But by the time you use it, it would be irrelevant, forgotten, or worse, not applicable.

𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆."

I'm paraphrasing of course & I know there some cringe to this.

I was 99% shitting bricks asking questions in front of 4,000 peers, 1% listening.

I used to take random Udemy or rando course, try different workshops - hoping to pick up any skill in the hopes that I'll find a use for it.

I have shifted toward focusing on finding problems and the people who are impacted by those problems. It's merely coincidental that I picked up a skill or 3 along the way.

It's been a few years, a pandemic, and a career break. I've been able to reflect and refine on his advice.

From: What are the problems I want to solve?

To: Whose problems do I want to solve?

That's how the worst question I've ever asked became a focal point.

If you like these kinds of thoughts, 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 where I give career-break-fueled introspection.

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