[ Top Performers ]

Here’s a simplified, almost pithy, summary of a recent Cal Newport newsletter, “lessons learned from teaching career advice to thousands of students”. 

Newport wrote the excellent book Deep Work, and many others.  His advice for top performers follows along his advice for career development (also the title of another book): be so good they can’t ignore you.

·         Be reliable and do what you say you’ll do.

·         Find existing paths before forging your own.

·         Do real work, using skills requiring interaction with others.

·         Do higher learning only if there is good evidence you need it.

·         Ask about others’ career success stories.